Q.1 Read this case carefully and answer the questions:

On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah. Elizabeth's parents worked with local and national media to increase visibility of the case; public interest in the kidnapping of the attractive, accomplished blonde teenager was immense. Nine months after the abduction, Elizabeth's younger sister, who had witnessed the kidnapping, remembered that the abductor's voice sounded like that of a vagrant who had done some work for the family some months before the kidnapping. That detail ultimately led to Elizabeth's rescue, which was a major media story nationwide.

Elizabeth's suspected kidnappers, a man and a woman, were charged with several crimes, including sexual assault. Their trial was indefinitely postponed, as both suspects have been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. Then in November 2009, the woman pleaded guilty, apologized to Elizabeth, agreed to testify against the man and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. A new competency hearing for the man was held in late 2009.

After Elizabeth was returned to them, her parents, Ed and Lois Smart, wrote a book about their family's ordeal. They and Elizabeth gave a number of interviews. Some reporters were sensitive in questioning Elizabeth about painful subjects. Others grilled her about the details of the time she spent with her captors, leaving her visibly upset. The Smarts authorized a made-for-television movie about Elizabeth's kidnapping and eventual rescue.

Follow Bok's model of Ethical Decision Making.

Questions:

1. Should children who are thought to be the victims of sexual abuse ever be named in the media? Why?

2. What should be done about the continued use of names of kidnap victims who are later found to be sexual assault victims?

3. What would give credibility to your story in case you chose not to mention the names?