Xiao Yan (wcm.bjd.com.cn): Liao has been out of work for 10 years, trying to earn a meager living by offering motorbike services. In less than six months after his wife began dialysis treatments five years ago, the family ran out of savings and was unable to afford her medical expenses. They tried to borrow money from relatives and friends, but it wasn't enough. Liao was finally driven by the severe reality to take extreme measures. Although he broke the law, he is widely recognized as a good husband. Even if the law does not forgive him, the public forgives him, and even respects him.

However, more attention should be paid to the current medical insurance system, which drives a good man to desperate and extreme means. Only a small fraction of people can solve their problems as Liao did. Most people who can't afford medical expenses will be rejected by hospitals, only to see their diseases deteriorate. Liao shared his feeling of helplessness, sorrow and indignation in court when he said, "I can't let her die."

The current medical insurance system is hard to decipher. Medical insurance should focus more on the poor than the rich, because the former tends to be in bigger need of economic aid, particularly in the case of serious diseases. However, the current healthcare system is heading in the opposite direction. The poorer your family is, the more difficult it is to get covered by various social security programs.

Liao has committed fraud and should be punished in accordance with the law. But what kind of punishment will our problematic medical insurance system get?

Not a real hero

Hui Mingsheng (China Youth Daily): In order to keep his wife alive, Liao took a big risk in making a fake stamp and cheating the hospital. He may be a good husband, but what is the impact of his behavior on the hospital and the overall social order? His love for his wife is trampling social justice and the authority of law, and thus, he should be punished by the law.

A popular argument is that the underdeveloped medical insurance system forced Liao to make the fake stamp, and if people like him were able to afford medical expenses, he wouldn't have needed to take that risk in the first place.

This theory is reasonable to some extent, but it doesn't adequately justify what Liao did, nor does it make him a hero. No one should rob others just because he is impoverished. In modern society, only when the law is fully respected can we expect the society to operate in order.

The public and the media have expressed more than enough sympathy. I'm afraid paying too much attention to his case is harmful. On one hand, Liao's sense of guilt will be weakened; on the other hand, praise for Liao might mislead the society and encourage more cases like this in the future.

It's not that I don't know how to show sympathy to the weak. When I see so many people are interested in helping this poor couple, I think it's a sign of progress for the social moral standard. Still, the media and the public should keep a rational mind. They should avoid blindly following others in fashioning a criminal suspect into a hero.

When dealing with the fake stamp case, the court should try to reach a balance between law and morality. It should try not to be influenced by the overwhelming public arguments. Give Liao a fair treatment and uphold justice, so as to show the authority of the law and also tell the public to act in accordance with laws and rules.

Wu Chunmei (www.cnhan.com): As for the final verdict of Liao's case, the court may show maximum tolerance permitted by the law. However, the court does so not because of the public's sympathy and support for Liao, but because of Liao's frankness in the court and his willingness to pay off the medical expenses.

Liao's case tells us that no matter what difficult conditions you are living with, they can't be used as excuse for violating the law. Laws are sacred and inviolable. Laws won't bend to individuals' intentions. This is the core value of a society based on rule by law. If the authority of the law is damaged, the overall social rules will be damaged. We must always keep this in mind.

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