Justified Crimes

I heard an oratory speech this past weekend. It was about how some crimes are justified. I was interested in the topic as soon as I heard the title. It is something we have all pondered. Movies like the Boondock Saints exhibits how perhaps, some crimes, are justified. I sat in my seat ready to listen.

In her reasoning she mentioned that it was just for this young lady to higher someone to kill her father because she had no other choice. The girl was abused by her father, sexually and physically. She started joining activities, and doing everything she could to stay away from home. Although she escape the father's brutality, he had moved on to the little sister. Unable to take this, she hired someone to end her misery by ending her father's life. The orator said that in this case, it was a justified crime, she had to do it. I sat there pondering in my chair, and couldn't bring myself to believe it. This girl had not tried the other options, the more civil options. She had not tried to put her dad in prison, she had not tried to get them out of the situation. She simply jumped to ending another human life. I don't know if I can consider that just under many circumstances. No matter how just it may seem at the time, she could have done more.

The one part of the speech that was interesting to contemplate, and a bit more grey for me then the above issue, was that of stealing. She mentioned how during Katrina people were stealing, and that under these circumstances it was ok. If they were stealing the necessities, what they needed to survive, then they were just.

What do you think about just crimes? Do they exist? Is stealing ok in some situations, is killing ok? Take a bite, and tell me.