The Lifeboat Scenario: What Would You Do?

You are in a lifeboat along with four others. You have only enough food and water to keep four alive for the several weeks you expect to be adrift until you float into a shipping lane and can be discovered and rescued. You will definitely all perish if the five of you consume the food and water. There is the suggestion that one of you should die so that the other four can live. Would you volunteer to commit suicide? Would you vote to have one go overboard if you choose by straws? Would you vote to throw overboard the weakest and sickliest of the five? If you were on a jury judging the behavior of four who did murder a fifth in order to stay alive, would you acquit them or convict them of murder?

There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration for this scenario. The first one I would consider would be the rationing of the supplies and food. There is also the option of taking a chance and using the resources around you for survival. One way or another someone is probably going to get sick or die. It can take up to three days to become used to the motion of the sea. (The Bombard Experience) It has been said that you should not drink the water from the ocean. To a point this is true because it can cause you to become ill.

The Bombard Experience was an experiment done by Dr. Bombard. Dr. Bombard proved that it is possible to "subsist for more than a month in a decent state in the sea." It has also been proven in the Bombard Experience that you can drink up to 32 ounces of sea water per day. This is of course provided that you begin doing so immediately. The experiment showed that you can not do it for more than five days at a time. If you were to all begin drinking saltwater and save the non-saltwater for the following week your supplies would last longer. The other option for quenching your thirst for a period of time is to immerse yourself into the water. "Contact with the water will cause your thirst to diminish." (The Bombard Experience)The other proven fact of survival on the sea is that you can catch plankton to eat. This can easily be done with either a small fishing net, or a piece of clothing used as a net. Plankton is safe to eat, and you would be able to supplement your current supply of food.
I don't feel that expecting someone to give up their life without a fight would be reasonable or humane for that matter. I do not feel that throwing someone overboard would be acceptable either. I would not volunteer to commit suicide so that I could be eaten. I would try everything possible to survive. I would agree that if I were to die that they could consume my remains for survival. I would feel that at that point it would be fair because the other members would have a chance of survival. I would expect that the other members of the boat would commit to the same option as well.

In the Bombard experience, it was proven that by moving around you will be caused to lose weight and can lose up to two meals worth. It is advised that if possible you should lie down in the boat to avoid losing weight or energy. Dr. Bombard survived at sea for over a month, with just the resources I mentioned. The chance for survival of the group would be increased because they already have food, and there is food within the sea as well.

If I were on a jury and judging the fate of those who did murder for survival, I would have to convict them. The reason is because they would fulfill the purpose of premeditated murder. "Premeditated murder involves a purpose to kill, accomplished with forethought."(Purpose to Kill Offenses) Under California law, it is written that "Malice can be express or implied.' "It is express when the defendant posses a purpose to take another's life." They would all be guilty because they willingly took another life, with the intent of their own personal survival. It would be different if one of the people had died naturally and the other people on the boat ate the remains. In my opinion murder is a crime even if they felt at the time they were doing the right thing for their own survival.