Ron Malin’s father and Serena Johnson’s father were each killed on the same day, 9/11/2001. Ron’s father died when terrorists flew an airplane into the building where he was working. Serena’s father was killed in front of his house in a drive-by shooting. To help Ron’s family recover, the government compensated them with three million dollars. Serena’s family got financial compensation, too. However, theirs was only three thousand dollars.

Some people say that if families experience equivalent tragedies, it is not fair to compensate them differently. They say that every victim’s family should receive the same amount. Many religions also support this view. These religions regard all human lives as equally valuable.

Crime victims’ families receive money from the government to pay for certain expenses caused by the crime. However, the government created a special fund to give larger sums to families of 9/11 victims. Many people say 9/11 victims deserve special treatment because they died during an attack on our country.

Some say families of 9/11 victims received high payments because many were wealthy. Others voice yet another concern. They say that government officials were worried that these families would sue the airlines. People who win lawsuits can receive enormous sums, many times the amount that Ron’s family received. With thousands of victims, the airlines could have gone bankrupt. The insurance companies who pay damages if airlines are successfully sued could have gone bankrupt, too.

Although money can never bring back someone who has died, it can help a family recover from a tragedy. What do you think? Should victims’ families all receive the same compensation?