#42 | Tan, Alyssa Nikka B.

2B-Pharmacy

Phl 5

Reflection Paper on the movie John Q.

There is nothing a parent will not do for his child; this was what came into my mind right after
watching the film John Q. The movie was definitely heartbreaking. It made me felt helplessness
and life unfairness. Sometimes we are place in this life of ours in a position wherein we are to
watch someone we truly love in a situation of pain or danger but there is nothing we can do to
render them free, make them at ease or protect them from that kind of things. A place wherein
we try to do all the things we can yet we know that it will still never be enough. This was
showcased in the film, but what happens next was what surprised me. John Q, a good man and a
father was put into test when his soon had suddenly collapsed during a game, shortly after at the
hospital his son was diagnosed of a heart condition and is in immediate need of a heart
transplant. But the conflict was their medical insurance was not enough to cover for this kind of
process, thus his sons name wasnt put in the recipient list and cannot undergo the said
procedure. Due to this John decided after doing everything he can to use violence to get his
childs name on the list. He stage a hostage crisis in the hospitals ER room. I think that this is a
very extreme action but I cannot blame him for doing so because his sons life is in danger and in
the verge of all of this he was thinking desperately and he doesnt know anymore what to do. I
can sympathize to his action for he is only doing this act out of fear, fear of losing the life of his
only son.

However, on a moral standpoint, there is a saying that goes the end does not justify the means.
Even though he had a good intention for doing this act, which is, to save his sons life, he
executed it in a bad light, which is through a hostage taking. From what I learn, even though you
have the kindest intention but you did it in a bad way this act will still not end or become a good
action. And I believed that upon doing this no one tried to force him to do the said actions; he
performed it with his wills full attention. But aside from this, I will like to add that he was also
under the influence of fear making his act as an imperfect voluntary act meaning he might have
full attention but with an imperfect consent.
Moreover, John Q I think made his decision based on his belief of natural right. This belief is
centered on the theory of John Locke, who said that we are all born with the undeniable rights of
life and liberty. In his case was that he is being cut off the liberty to save his sons life, in a way
that, even though the hospital has the means to save his son, the hospital choose not to do so
because of a monetary conflict between the two parties. Furthermore, this theory also determines
the rightness or the wrongness of the act based on its goal. We can see that even from the
beginning John Qs goal was self-sacrificing and honest, which I believe truly warranted the evil
act he did.