Recently, I came across an interesting question in a book. Although I don't recall the book's name, the question remains very clear in my mind. In a hypothetical scenario, you are the neighbor of a women who appears to be abused by her husband regularly. One night, she comes to your door, begging you to hide her from her husband. She thinks that he will kill her if she remains with him for reasons unknown. You allow her to stay at your house, but the next day, her husband arrives asking after her whereabouts. He says that if he can't find her, he will file a report to the police declaring her missing. The million dollar question here is whether you would choose to continue to hide her away and break the law, or whether you would give her up to her husband despite her allegations.
At first, I thought to myself, what a simple question! I'd hide her, of course, because that is the "right" thing to do and the law isn't absolute. However, what if she is lying and the husband isn't abusing her as she says he is? There would be no righteous cause if that was the case, and you would just be a misguided kidnapper. Furthermore, the longer she stays with you, the more difficult it will be to keep her hidden away from the authorities or her husband. This is complicated even more if you have family living with you. The best possibility to come out of this scenario is that she comes forward to the authorities and reveals to them her circumstances, but even then, it all hinges on them believing her.
What makes this question a moral dilemma is that it is centered around beliefs and values rather than concrete facts. The woman may be honest or she may be lying, and it is up to you to decide whether to believe her or not. The choice between hiding her or bringing her back to her husband is dependent on your values: putting you and your family first, or your desire to help another first. So, with all that said and done, would you guys decide to hide away the woman, or would you bring her back to her husband?
I would probably hide the woman and then lead the police to her once the husband does actually call the police. Perhaps it's just me but I found this to be a fairly easy decision. If someone claims that they are being abused and they come to me to be hidden away, I would help them (granted I at least roughly know the person). If the supposed abuser asks where the person is and says that he or she will call the police if the person is not found, I would say I have no idea where they are and then explain the situation to the police once they got there.
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