The term “good Samaritan” comes from a biblical parable in which a Samaritan helps a man who is ignored by others. It now refers to anyone who helps another without expecting a reward, but not those who are paid to do so. Good Samaritan laws protect people who attempt to rescue or render aid.
The term good Samaritan comes from the biblical passage of Luke 10:30/33 of the New Testament. It is a description of how a man who is attacked by thieves is helped by a Samaritan, who was not even a person of the Jewish faith. Several people ignore the man before the Samaritan helps. This suggests the inclusion of Gentiles in Christianity, a religion that will embrace not only Jews, but also all who believe in the one God and who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
From that biblical passage, which is a parable told by Christ according to Luke, a good Samaritan means any person who helps another without thinking about the reward. A person performing the Heimlich maneuver, for example, to save someone from suffocation could be described using this term. A person who risks his life to save someone from a burning house or car is also a good Samaritan.
In most cases, the term does not apply to people who are paid to perform such acts. For example, a doctor who performs CPR in a hospital is not a good Samaritan because he is paid to do it. A firefighter rushing into a burning building is heroic, but he’s also doing his job.
However, some people disagree with this distinction, particularly in the second example. A firefighter risks his life every time he tries to save someone in dangerous circumstances. So some would consider him a good Samaritan even though he could be paid for that risk.
For a time, people became a little wary of helping others out of fear of being sued by those they attempted to rescue. Especially in the United States, for a while, a person trying to help others wasn’t always protected by law, and this discouraged people from stepping in to help in a time of need. If a person performed CPR and broke someone’s rib, for example, they could be sued even if it saved the person’s life. There are now Good Samaritan laws in place in most places to protect people from legal action when attempting to rescue or render aid to a person in need.
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