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CHINA’S Good Samaritan law went into effect Oct. 1 to protect people who are ready to help others.





Under the legislation, people who voluntarily offer emergency assistance to those who are, or who they believe to be, injured, ill, in danger, or otherwise incapacitated, will not have civil liability in the event of harm to the victims.





It aims to ease the reluctance people feel toward helping strangers for fear of legal repercussions if they make mistakes in treatment.





The stipulations are included in the General Provisions of Civil Law, which came into force Oct. 1.





The legislation responds to the phenomenon of people refraining from assisting fallen senior citizens over concerns of being blackmailed later, said Wang Cheng, professor at Peking University Law School.





The law will reduce bystanders’ hesitation to assist, said Wang.





In 2011, a 2-year-old girl was run over by two cars, and 18 passers-by did not offer emergency help. The girl died later after days of medical treatment.





In 2014, a man from Guangdong aided a senior citizen but was accused of knocking him down. The man committed suicide when faced with demands for compensation.





“If you don’t provide help, you will blame yourself, but if you do help, you are likely to be hurt by the people you help. It is really a dilemma,” said one comment on China’s microblog Sina Weibo.





These disputes have sparked debate about morality and heroism in the country in recent years.





“There is no need to discuss whether or not you should aid people in distress. Your help is a matter of life or death for the person who is injured,” said Wang.





If a code of conduct is not enough to prevent unethical behavior, it is time for the law to address it, said Liu Jiehui, a judge with the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court.





Although there had been calls for a national Good Samaritan law, only a few cities pushed ahead with such legislation before the nationwide law came into effect.





In 2013, Shenzhen issued regulations saying anyone who wants to claim compensation needs to collect evidence first.





Shanghai in 2016 enacted a policy that protects the public from liability during rescues and rescue attempts.





The nationwide Good Samaritan law will help create a better social atmosphere for helping others, said Liu.





Some experts are concerned that there will be some danger from a nationwide Good Samaritan law. “Rescuers who know little about medical treatment could bring serious harm to people in critical condition,” said Yang Lixin, a professor with the Renmin University of China.





He hoped the government could introduce details of the policy soon while encouraging people to voluntarily offer assistance. (Xinhua)







据新华社报道，民法总则本月1日生效，包括被俗称为“好人法”的第184条，列明“因自愿实施紧急救助行为造成受助人损害的，救助人不承担民事责任”。

“好人法”进行过三次修改，最初版本是“实施紧急救助行为造成受害人损害的，除有重大过失外，救助人不承担民事责任”，经三次修改，删除了“重大过失”字样，进一步加强对救助人的免责保护。

报道称，这条新规被外界普遍视为官方对“老人跌倒不敢扶”现象的回应。有舆论认为，这个现象可追溯至2006年的“彭宇案”——南京男子彭宇当时因扶起跌伤的老妇并送她入院，对方之后却坚称是彭宇撞到她，并向他索赔。该案之后被普遍视为“做好事者倒霉”的典型，也成为民众一道心理阴影。

媒体引述北京大学法学院教授王成的话报道说，几乎每个人都可能遇到突发状况，一旦倒地不起，其他人面临三种选择：一是等待公力救援，但这种救援很难做到非常及时；二是亲友救助，但很多时候也无法第一时间联系到亲友；常态是发生意外后身边的人能帮助。“好人法”填补了此前的法律空白，规范了这类行为，鼓励更多人勇敢伸出援手。

中国媒体普遍肯定“好人法”可发挥的作用，并指出“无条件”免除救助者的民事责任，是为见义勇为者解除后顾之忧，体现了立法者的担当。

报道称，新法规过去几天引起中国网民热议。有网民认为，新法规是迈出一小步，等到有一天无需“好人法”，社会就真的进步了。

另一方面，“好人法”执行可行性也受关注。新条例仍有一些灰色地带，例如如果一个人被撞倒在地，救助者要如何证明自己是“自愿实施紧急救助”，而非肇祸者？如果难以举证，担心被诬赖的人还是不会放心伸出援手。同时，假如伤者希望获取专业救治，最后却得到旁人较不专业相助，造成更大的伤害，也将构成问题。(参考消息网)







Editor/ Stephanie Yang































