# "But she's my mother!" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861 "2011-12-12T01:06:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/1 "2011-12-12T01:06:30Z")
\ These questions come up in my mind when I’ve spent all day watching a _Law & Order_ marathon. On this show, people perjure themselves all the time to protect mothers, fathers, siblings, children (rarely spouses), and when at the very end of the episode, the detectives drag the truth out of them (namely, that they \*\*knew \*\* all along that mom, dad, sis, son was, in fact the murderer), they say, as if it’s obvious and self-explanatory, “BUT SHE’S MY MOTHER,” or fill in the other first-degree relative. So I’m asking: would you perjure yourself in court to protect your parent, sibling, or child, knowing they were guilty? Separate question: would you take the rap (jail) for your guilty parent, sibling, or child? (I’m presuming you wouldn’t take the death penalty.) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/2 "2011-12-12T01:26:10Z")
It totally depends on what the crime was! ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/3 "2011-12-12T01:27:50Z")
I don’t know. I hope not, but I really don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/4 "2011-12-12T01:29:00Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > It totally depends on what the crime was! Murder. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/5 "2011-12-12T01:57:56Z")
I’ve already told my Mom that if she commits murder or some other serious felony, I’m turning her in. She is horrified by this, and has said that she would never turn me in. This is just one of many issues on which we have agreed to disagree. We watch a lot of Law & Order. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/6 "2011-12-12T02:02:26Z")
Given that I’m nearly 400 miles from my mother and brother and nearly 700 miles from my father, I’m not likely to be a witness or be in a position to take the fall for any crime they may have committed. In any case, no I would not. I don’t really care what happens to either my brother or father. I would only be concern about my mother, but given her age (76) and health, they would likely put her into some sort of prison hospital or something. She might get better care there than at home alone. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/7 "2011-12-12T02:12:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Murder. Most foul? ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/8 "2011-12-12T02:27:08Z")
Not for murder in cold blood. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/9 "2011-12-12T02:43:57Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Murder. > [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > Most foul? Is there any other kind? _\_ ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/10 "2011-12-12T02:56:01Z")
Only one of my siblings, and only if she killed someone that needed killing. Is this what they call moral relativity? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/11 "2011-12-12T02:57:33Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Murder. Oh, in that case, sure. Family and all that. Well, for some of them. At least one. Perjury that is - do time? No. Other crimes - fraud, significant fraud, probably not. Crimes against one person are terrible, but agains the entire community - that’s despicable. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/12 "2011-12-12T04:04:16Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > Most foul? By Death, On The Orient Express, She Wrote. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/13 "2011-12-12T04:59:18Z")
I would totally alibi for Mom. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/14 "2011-12-12T07:52:12Z")
Here are two historical cases from “recent” times: (1) “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski was recognized and turned in by his brother David. > **[Ted Kaczynski](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski#Search)** > > Theodore John Kaczynski (/kəˈzɪnski/ kə-ZIN-skee; May 22, 1942 – June 10, 2023), also known as the Unabomber (/ˈjuːnəbɒmər/ YOO-nə-bom-ər), was an American mathematician and domestic terrorist. He was a mathematics prodigy, but abandoned his academic career in 1969 to pursue a primitive lifestyle. Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski murdered three individuals and injured 23 others in a nationwide mail bombing campaign against people he believed to be advancing modern technology and the destruc (2) During Kenneth Starr’s investigation of the Whitewater business, Susan McDougal had the guts to refuse to answer the grand jury’s questions, and she spent 18 months in jail for it. ETA: [Susan McDougal - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_McDougal) ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/15 "2011-12-12T08:23:59Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I’ve already told my Mom that if she commits murder or some other serious felony, I’m turning her in. She is horrified by this, and has said that she would never turn me in. This is just one of many issues on which we have agreed to disagree. > > We watch a lot of Law & Order. Wow, what is THAT Thanksgiving dinner like? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/16 "2011-12-12T08:39:19Z")
I’d draw the line at refusing to testify. Contempt of court is something I could live with. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/17 "2011-12-12T09:11:23Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > So I’m asking: would you perjure yourself in court to protect your parent, sibling, or child, knowing they were guilty? In the current reasonably free and democratic country I live in, no. In the previous undemocratic regime, if it was a political thing, yes, otherwise no. > [@](#): > > Separate question: would you take the rap (jail) for your guilty parent, sibling, or child? (I’m presuming you wouldn’t take the death penalty.) No. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/18 "2011-12-12T09:12:45Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Murder. Then no, not even in the Apartheid regime. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/19 "2011-12-12T11:40:44Z")
Since this really isnt a discussion of the TV show, I’m moving this thread to IMHO, from Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861/20 "2011-12-12T14:31:19Z")
I would lie and/or take the rap for my child. Not parents or siblings. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-shes-my-mother/605861.md?page=2)