首页
登录
职称英语
Family MattersThis month, Wyoming passed a bill tha
Family MattersThis month, Wyoming passed a bill tha
游客
2025-02-06
18
管理
问题
Family Matters
This month, Wyoming passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one’s parents. Called the Maintenance of Parents Bill, it received the backing of the Government.
That
does not mean it hasn’t generated discussion. Several members of the Parliament opposed the measure. Others who acknowledged the problem of the elderly poor believed it a disproportionate response. Still others believe it will
subvert
relations within the family: cynics dubbed it the "Sue Your Son" law.
Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of course, are right. It has nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kicks in where filial responsibility fails. All the law can do is to provide a safety net where this morality proves insufficient. Wyoming needs this bill not to replace morality, but to provide incentives to show it up.
Wyoming faces the problems of an increasing proportion of people over 60 years of age. Demography is
inexorable
. In 1980, 7. 2% of the population was in this bracket. By 2030, the proportion is projected to be 26%. The problem is not old age person. It is that the ratio of economically active people to economically inactive people will decline.
But no amount of government exhortation or paternalism will completely eliminate the problem of old people who have insufficient means to make ends meet. Some people will fall through the holes in any safety net.
Traditionally, a person’s insurance against poverty in his old age was his family care and support for one’s parents is a universal value shared by all civilized societies.
The problem in Wyoming is that the moral obligation to look after one’s parents is unenforceable. A father can be compelled by law to maintain his children. A husband can be forced to support his wife. But, until now, a son or daughter had no legal obligation to support his or her parents.
In 1989, an Advisory Council was set up to look into the problems of the aged. Its report stated with a tinge of complacency that 95% of those who did not have their own income were receiving cash contributions from relations. But what about the 5% who aren’t getting relatives’ support? They have several options:(a)get a job and work until they die;(b)apply for public assistance(you have to be destitute to apply); or(c)starve quietly. None of these options is socially acceptable. And what if this 5% figure grows, as it is likely to do, as society ages?
The Maintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encourage the traditional virtues that have so far kept Wyoming from some of the breakdowns encountered in other affluent societies. This legislation will allow a person to apply to the court for maintenance from any or all of his children. The court would have the discretion to refuse to make an order if it is unjust.
Those who
deride
the proposal for opening up the courts to family lawsuits miss the point. Only in extreme cases would any parent take his child to court. If it does indeed become law, the bill’s effect would be far more subtle.
First, it will reaffirm the notion that it is each individual’s—not society’s—responsibility to look after his parents. Wyoming is still conservative enough that most people will not object to this idea.
Second, and more important, it will make those who are inclined to shirk their responsibilities think twice.
(A)
But to be sued by one’s parents would be a massive loss of face. It would be a public disgrace.(B)
The hand of the conciliator would be immeasurably strengthened.(C)
It is far more likely that some sort of amicable settlement would be reached if the
recalcitrant
son or daughter knows that the alternative is a public trial.(D)
It would be nice to think Wyoming doesn’t need this kind of law. Those of us who pushed for the bill will consider ourselves most successful if it acts as an incentive not to have it invoked in the first place. [br] According to the passage, the Maintenance of Parents Bill______.
选项
A、received unanimous support in Wyoming
B、was believed to solve all the problems of the elderly poor
C、was intended to substitute fa traditional values in Wyoming
D、was passed to make the young more responsible for the old
答案
D
解析
本题为事实信息题,主要考查考生能否排除干扰抓住文章中所阐明的事实和信息。题目问:根据文章的阐述,提出“赡养父母提案”后的结果是什么?根据短文首句“This month,Wyoming passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one’sparents”可知,选项D(该议案的通过是为了让年轻人担当起照顾老年人的义务)为正确答案。注意:legal teeth是指强制实行的合法手段。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3945612.html
相关试题推荐
"FamilyPets"QuestionReadandthinkaboutthefollowingstatement:Pe
Whenwebreathe,oxygenispassedtospecialmoleculesintheblood,______itto
Howdoestheprofessordevelopthetopicoftheviolinfamily?Choosetwoanswer
Howdoestheprofessordevelopthetopicoftheviolinfamily?Choosetwoanswer
Howdoestheprofessordevelopthetopicoftheviolinfamily?Choosetwoanswer
Howdoestheprofessordevelopthetopicoftheviolinfamily?Choosetwoanswer
Howdoestheprofessordevelopthetopicoftheviolinfamily?Choosetwoanswer
Howdoestheprofessordevelopthetopicoftheviolinfamily?Choosetwoanswer
Howdoestheprofessordevelopthetopicoftheviolinfamily?Choosetwoanswer
1Themajorityofadvertisingusedtobeaimedatthetraditionalfamily:breadw
随机试题
HowtoLearnLanguageSuccessfully【B1】______Theycanpi
10月23日,三星电子公司(SamsungElectronics)发表声明向中国消费者道歉,并作出对七款机型提供免费维修服务并延长保修期的承诺。三星希
Writeanessayabout400wordsforauniversitylectureronthefollowingtop
TheurgetoexploreisinnateinMan.【C1】______hisimaginationroams,Man
在斜坡将要发生滑动的时候,由于拉力的作用滑坡的后部产生一些张开的弧形裂缝,此种裂
60岁男性的前列腺上有一个大小为1cm的硬结,两次直肠内穿刺活检报告都是良性前列
硫脲类药物的主要副作用是A.浸润性突眼 B.全血减少 C.甲状腺功能减低
整条肽链所有原子在三维空间的排布位置是指蛋白质的( )。A.一级结构 B.二
患儿女,4个月。双胎之小,单纯母乳喂养,面色苍白,食欲减退2个月。查体:肤色苍白
把投入的各种资源和生活活动场地合理地布置在施工现场,使整个现场能有组织地进行文明
最新回复
(
0
)