A few years ago, a man robbed a pharmacy for oxycontin, seems simple right? Hang em'high, and this is what I thought too, until recently. I seen a headline, where this mans brother passed away of colon cancer, where their mother stated its sad his brother couldn't attend the funeral due to the fact he was in jail for stealing meds for the brother(it was in the original headlines that they were low income). I don't know if its true or not, but I know the media never added this to the original story.

What do you all think?

He would have died anyway.  Oxy's don't cure the cancer, they just help relieve the pain. 

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

Life sucks for some of us but life goes on.

While I'm sympathetic to their family's struggles, the guy stealing could have gotten a job and BOUGHT the meds instead. I know meds are expensive but so is the consequence of stealing.

Colon cancer, from what I understand, can be excruciatingly painful.

Seeing as how even the pain meds had to be obtained through illegal means, I doubt they could have afforded actual treatment.

If you saw your brother wasting away and in a state of constant excruciating pain, knowing that there was no way he was going to get any better, wouldn't you want to try to at least help him pass away peacefully in any way you know how?

I'm not condoning the perp's actions - there were other ways to get pain meds. But at least his heart was in the right place.

While I'm sympathetic to their family's struggles, the guy stealing could have gotten a job and BOUGHT the meds instead. I know meds are expensive but so is the consequence of stealing.

It's not just the price of the meds - it's also the price of doctor consults, co-pays, and the process of getting a prescription. If they didn't have medical insurance, it could have probably cost half a month's worth of wages for the pills, assuming 40hr/wk minimum wage.

If a close member of my family was dying and I could not afford their medication, I would steal it in a heartbeat.  If that medication meant that he/she would pass more comfortably and with a little bit of dignity, it would be worth whatever punishment I would receive for my actions.

If a close member of my family was dying and I could not afford their medication, I would steal it in a heartbeat. If that medication meant that he/she would pass more comfortably and with a little bit of dignity, it would be worth whatever punishment I would receive for my actions.

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I don't condone theft in any way shape or form.  But in this instance, I would be completely willing to do the time for it.

To make a 3 rd party decision without knowing the all facts is something I would not do.  How low an income family is this and do they qualify for medicaid or any other government program?

My first priority is to my wife and children, without me they may suffer hardships that I don't want them to.  A two parent home, my income and the fact their dad and husband is a convicted felon is a burden that I don't want them carry.  No way in the world would I take the chance of going to prison for someone that will die anyway.  The cancer victim most likely has had a life already, my kids haven't.  The prospect of meeting BUBBA creates no real excitement for me either.