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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Filial duty
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->'Enacting a law may not be the best solution.'
MS SEAH SU CHEN: 'PM Lee's speech in Mandarin on Sunday mooted the possibility of amending the law to require children who abandon their parents to fulfil their filial duty. Changing the law to make looking after one's parents compulsory assumes that the family is a legal institution. Stronger legislation, and greater societal and peer pressure would therefore be necessary. This is because as society becomes more liberal, such relationships are seen as a burden which hinders individual freedom. The family is a social institution rather than a legal one. Enacting a law to ensure that parents are cared for by their children does nothing to educate these children about compassion, filial piety and love. It may seem like a quick fix to a complex issue involving people and their relationships, which are often nuanced. Admittedly, there are unfilial individuals, but making it a law to look after one's parents may not be the best solution either.'
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->'Enacting a law may not be the best solution.'
MS SEAH SU CHEN: 'PM Lee's speech in Mandarin on Sunday mooted the possibility of amending the law to require children who abandon their parents to fulfil their filial duty. Changing the law to make looking after one's parents compulsory assumes that the family is a legal institution. Stronger legislation, and greater societal and peer pressure would therefore be necessary. This is because as society becomes more liberal, such relationships are seen as a burden which hinders individual freedom. The family is a social institution rather than a legal one. Enacting a law to ensure that parents are cared for by their children does nothing to educate these children about compassion, filial piety and love. It may seem like a quick fix to a complex issue involving people and their relationships, which are often nuanced. Admittedly, there are unfilial individuals, but making it a law to look after one's parents may not be the best solution either.'
