When faced with the question of whether one should be loyal to a family member or obey the laws of the land I believe that it is more important to follow the law, if the law is just. When faced with the question of whether or not to turn in a family member for murder, justice must prevail and family ties must be put aside so that a punishment can be administered. In a just society laws are made for reasons. If people break these laws then they should face the punishment for it, but the line of right and wrong can become blurred when family is involved. .
Blood is thicker than water, and in the same way bonds with family members tend to be stronger than say bonds with the law. In many cases it simply becomes the decision of the individual to decide if the offense was great enough to deserve punishment. Take for example the question Socrates was faced with when a boy asked him if he should turn his father in for murder. This is where blood ties should be discounted. Murder is a serious offense, and without punishment for the crime the perpetrator is free to kill again. My family was actually placed in a very similar situation lately. My cousin was arrested for assaulting his father and grandfather. Should the family simply have turned their heads and allowed this offense to go unnoticed? Of course not, we had to do the right thing and turn him in so that he could be punished, so that maybe it will not happen again.
Now of course no one in the family wanted him to have to go to jail, but we could not simply sit around, and allow him to act in that manner. Family ties should never come in the way of justice, if punishment is merited, another grey area. Who decides if punishment is deserved? I believe that it is a personal decision which is probably going to be different for everyone depending on personal morals and beliefs. I think that physical abuse is without a doubt a punishable offense; however, I can easily see where someone else would not have so much of a problem with beating someone senseless.
