Marriage
Reflection Essay 3
1. Gerald Tremain, the husband of Janet Tremain, the director of San Benito County’s Child Protection Services, had been convicted in Oregon, in 1984, of raping his then seven year old daughter every week for six months. The family moved to California, where he did not register as a sex offender as is required by law. In 1991 the grand jury was investigating Janet Tremain for supposed unprofessional conduct that put abused children at risk. Janet resigned from her job and it became known that Gerald Tremain was again molesting his daughter. Janet also admitted that she knew of the situation and did not report it. The final decision of the newspaper was to report the story about the grand jury investigating the allegations of unprofessional conduct by Janet and in an attempt to protect the daughter; they identified her only as a “relative” to Gerald. 2. The daughter- she was a victim of molestation and was in fear of being re-victimized by the story. The newspaper- they had to decide whether re-victimizing the victim was worth it. Janet Tremain- she had a fear of losing her job and also it being known that her husband was a sex offender. 3. The newspaper had to make the decision on what to do. They were faced with making a decision on whether it was forth making known that Gerald Tremain molested his daughter in the past. They also had to make a decision on whether to print the actual story of the original molestation and the cost of slandering Janet’s name for having such a thing going on in her own home with the position that she held. 4. In my opinion, the utilitarian principle and both privacy and respect moral principles were involved in the decision process. 5. The outcome was that in the end, everybody was glad that the newspaper printed what it knew. 6. The newspapers decision illustrated a priority to both society and personal conscience. 7. I completely support the decision that the newspaper made. They
1. Gerald Tremain, the husband of Janet Tremain, the director of San Benito County’s Child Protection Services, had been convicted in Oregon, in 1984, of raping his then seven year old daughter every week for six months. The family moved to California, where he did not register as a sex offender as is required by law. In 1991 the grand jury was investigating Janet Tremain for supposed unprofessional conduct that put abused children at risk. Janet resigned from her job and it became known that Gerald Tremain was again molesting his daughter. Janet also admitted that she knew of the situation and did not report it. The final decision of the newspaper was to report the story about the grand jury investigating the allegations of unprofessional conduct by Janet and in an attempt to protect the daughter; they identified her only as a “relative” to Gerald. 2. The daughter- she was a victim of molestation and was in fear of being re-victimized by the story. The newspaper- they had to decide whether re-victimizing the victim was worth it. Janet Tremain- she had a fear of losing her job and also it being known that her husband was a sex offender. 3. The newspaper had to make the decision on what to do. They were faced with making a decision on whether it was forth making known that Gerald Tremain molested his daughter in the past. They also had to make a decision on whether to print the actual story of the original molestation and the cost of slandering Janet’s name for having such a thing going on in her own home with the position that she held. 4. In my opinion, the utilitarian principle and both privacy and respect moral principles were involved in the decision process. 5. The outcome was that in the end, everybody was glad that the newspaper printed what it knew. 6. The newspapers decision illustrated a priority to both society and personal conscience. 7. I completely support the decision that the newspaper made. They