These would justify cases of rescue and in fact make such rescue a duty even between strangers . They explain why philosopher Peter Singer suggests that if one saw a child drowning and could intervene to save him , they should do so , if the cost is moderate to themselves . Damage to their clothing or shoes or how late it might make them for a meeting would be insufficient excuse to avoid assistance . Singer goes on to say that one should also attempt to rescue distant strangers , not just nearby children , because globalization has made it possible to do so . Such general arguments for a duty to rescue also explain why after the 2010 Haiti earthquake , Haitians were digging family members , friends , and strangers out of the rubble with their bare hands and carrying injured persons to whatever medical care was available . They also explain why , while covering that same earthquake , journalist and physician Sanjay Gupta and a number of other MD-journalists began acting as physicians to treat injuries rather than remaining uninvolved in their journalistic roles . Similarly , they justify journalist Anderson Cooper 's attempt to shepherd an injured young boy away from some " toughs " nearby in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
Duty to rescue