In the film John Q, the Archibald family faces tragedy when their son is diagnosed with serious heart problems. However, the institutions within the film pose an ethical dilemma, while still reflecting the reality of our current society. Even though help is supposed to be offered to those who need it, especially a boy who is on the verge of losing his life, institutions have become alienated from doing the right thing like providing that help. Instead, institutions focus first on profits and ignore a person's moral obligations. As the film points out, the oath that doctors and other medical practitioners take when engaging in their careers is meaningless due to the systematic way in which institutions are run. While some may have found the actions of the main character, John Archibald, immoral due to the way he handled things, such as robbing an emergency room at gunpoint and holding hostages, those may also consider the fact that Archibald had not only done this as a cry for his son's heart. In addition to wanting to get help and healthcare for his son, John Q was rebelling against the corrupt system and the numerous companies that refused to help his dying son due to his financial situation. This article will explore the ethical and legal issues depicted in the film John Q by analyzing John Q's decision-making process, identifying the numerous factors that influenced his decision-making process, and which of these influences appears to have had the strongest impact. Additionally, a brief update will be provided on the events depicted in the film, which will mainly consist of the consequences and main characters that John Q and the hospital ultimately suffered as a result of the events within the film, as well as the benefits they gained. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The main problem within the film arises from the fact that the hospital's board of directors refuses to assist John Q's son with a heart transplant. The board of trustees refused to put his son's name on the donor solicitation list, let alone complete a heart transplant, and that was because of John Q's financial situation. One could easily imagine things from the perspective of the hospital, where the company must consider the salaries that are paid to the doctors, the various drugs that must be used, the numerous costs of the expensive machines within the hospitals, as well as many other costs. However, it is not because of the strict hospital policies that the film's immoral tone was given. Instead, this is due to the way the hospital directors and staff handled the issue. Rebecca Payne, responsible for delivering the unfortunate news of her son to John Q and his wife, did so in a callous manner. Rebecca bluntly stated that their son suffers from an irreversible heart condition for which he needs a heart transplant as soon as possible and his blood pressure must not fall below 60, otherwise he has a chance of not making it. Immediately after breaking this news, Rebecca told the family, without allowing them to grieve this unexpected news, that John Q's insurance does not cover the heart transplant and that he must provide a $75,000 deposit in order to enter the name of your child to see if there are no matching donors. The actions of the hospital directors demonstrate to viewers that this is yet another bourgeois institution described by Karl Marx that feeds on the funds, services and profits of, 10(2), 249–259.