Debate: Should the U.S. Missionaries Get Punished For Kidnapping?

Arinayed's picture
Debate

QUESTION: Should the U.S. Missionaries Get Punished For Kidnapping?

The Situation: Ten U.S. missionaries have been detained for attempting to take/smuggle 33 Haitian children, without proper documentation, out of the country. They are currently charged with kidnapping children and criminal association. The kidnappers have said that they were only trying to help the children since Haiti is currently in bad conditions. Some of the parents (of the children) said they had "willingly given their children over to the Americans, who promised them a better life and who said they could see their children whenever they wanted to." (Source: CNN)

Write either yes or no and give an explanation for your answer.

TIPS/IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED:
*The intentions of the missionaries.
*Current conditions of Haiti.
*Should their religion be used as an excuse.
*Not having the proper documentations.

RULES FOR THIS DEBATE:
Cussing, bashing others comments and changing the subject is not allowed. Try to keep it clean.

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EXTRA:
I love reading comments, whether it be on this site or another. I personally love reading comments on news sites such as CNN, MSNBC, etc. It's interesting to see the different responses people leave on these post. Some are interesting while others are kind of umm...well yeah.

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"If these fanatics really wanted to help the children, they would have given their parents money instead of taking advantage of their poverty to steal their children. I hope they are found guilty. There is only one thing worse than kidnapping children, and that is kidnapping children in the name of God. How arrogant, cruel, and hateful to leave the children's parents in poverty while breaking their hearts, and the children's hearts by using that as an excuse to steal their children. It is sickening."

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"Drop a million condoms on Hatai from a cargo plane!! Message for all Hatains - wear a condom.!!!"

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"Yeah they kidnapped them because it's God's will. Hiding behind God after committing a crime is simply getting old."

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"I wish stupidity was a crime... but kidnapping and human trafficking will have to suffice..."

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"Yea they shoulda left them little kids there to die. Some people you just cant help.

---Exactly. Let nature take its course.

------WOW! I can't believe a comment like that, that is pretty harsh!

---------Harsh? What's so wrong with letting people in poverty die? What's wrong with trying to get rid of problem that has plagued humanity for centuries? Let them die."

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"The missionaries were obviously stupid to try this without papers etc. but for them to be tried as if it were normal conditions is a travesty. Like someone else correctly pointed out was there correct paper work for dumping truck loads of bodies unceremoniously into a pit? There are probably people practicing medicine w/o a license BUT they are all there helping. Anyone who says "the law is the law" doesn't
really understand the circumstances during such a disaster. Why don't the police start fining people there for dumping rubble in the street because the law is the law!"

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"I'm trying to figure out what they planned to do with these children. No paperwork means no legal adoptions. Sneaking across the border to DR where there was no orphanage waiting?

Has anyone figured out what these people were planning to do with the kids? Why were they happy to get any children they could get their hands on, and not those most in need... like the homeless? Were they planning on bringing these kids back and selling in illegal adoptions for profit? All in the name of god?"

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"There is always two side of a story. There is a good side and a bad side. The winner of this case will just have to be the most convincing. Life is nothing but a lot of risk and taking chances. Some good, some bad. The question is, "Who gets away with it?"."

Arinayed's picture

:D

Yes, they should. Even if their intentions seemed "good" they still tried to take 33 children illegally out of their country. If they had the right papers then this would not be an issue, but that is not the case. It's human trafficking.

The conditions in Haiti are horrible and the children may have had been better off with the missionaries (though none of us know that for sure), but it still didn't give them a right to take the children. If they wanted to help, they could have donated things such as food, water, clothes, and other necessities instead of running off with the kids.

They may have done this under the name of their god, but I don't think that their punishment should be different than others who were caught smuggling other people.

In a way they showed that they are either very naive or they that feel as if they are above the law.

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konchan's picture

<(^^,)>

They should be punished, but not TOO harshly... I'm caught up between the facts that the parents were okay with it but there was no paperwork. I think they were extremely naive. They say they were only trying to help, but like someone said, what were their plans once the children got to America?

As for the religious aspect, religion should never be an excuse for something like this. The Bible even says (I don't know the verse) that people should always listen to authorities and follow the law unless it directly contradicts something God teaches. So, in breaking the law unnecessarily, they are actually going against their own religion.

I always have conflicting opinions on things like this, especially when I don't know all the information... I'd love to know their true intents in "rescuing" these children...

xPhantom's picture

They commited a crime, and

They commited a crime, and they knew what they were doing.
So, yes, they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Religion isn't an excuse for publicly stoning to death a child, it's not an excuse for the Salem witch trials, and it's not an excuse for this.

As cold as it is, I have to agree with the person who commented that we should let nature take it's course.
It's sad, yes, but that's how it is...we can't just save everyone or the world would overpopulate.

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Kira_120's picture

oh this is about that

oh this is about that Haiti's thing ok sorry i thought this was something else lol

yea they should be punished i know there intentions were good but you jus can not go to a country grab a few children and leave it's just not right, and some of the children in Haiti arnt orphans just lost there parents in the chaos and thats what really takes it to far you do not jus take someone's kid and leave them to think he'she is dead

so punishment yes but as Kon said not to harsh they were "probaley" trying to help but they clearly have a few screws loose (no offence)

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