Dilemma: Right vs. Right
Heartaches at Headstart
Susan, on the staff of a Headstart center, was working in a particularly remote, poverty-stricken rural area. Her sympathy for her clients and her ability to make broken relationships run again were legendary among her largely illiterate, always needy constituency. And like many staff, she contributed many more hours than her job required.
One particular case haunted Susan for ages. Seven-year-old Betty Castle had lived with her aging grandmother since birth in a dilapidated trailer that lacked indoor plumbing and any other amenities. Betty did not have her own room and her outdoor play was carried out among the rusting appliances and assorted rubbish in the front yard. One priceless gift that the child enjoyed, however, was the love and devotion of her grandmother.
Betty's cold and indifferent mother occasionally took her away for a few weeks, grieving both Betty and the grandmother. During one of these absences, Susan found out from the grandmother that the mother collected welfare checks for Betty but never passed them along to the grandmother. Susan also found out that the mother was living with a dangerously abusive boyfriend. Generally, Betty's mother did not keep Betty very long before returning her to her grandmother.
All the materials necessary for a nightmarish dilemma were now in Susan's hands. Susan weighed her options. On one hand, Betty's mother was defrauding the government by misspending the check intended for Betty, and Susan felt duty-bound to reveal it. On the other hand, if Susan discussed the check fraud with social services, official scrutiny of the case might result in having Betty removed from her loving grandmother and placed with her negligent mother and abusive boyfriend.
What was Susan to do?
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