Abby's Stunt: Child Endangerment

It is a very good thing that Abby Sunderland, the 16 year old California girl who attempted to sail solo around the world, and who was lost and feared dead, has been found alive and well. But it is not a very good thing for a 16 year old girl to attempt to sail around the world by herself. It is a very reckless thing. Her stunt could have cost her her life. It did cost thousands and a lot more, for rescuers to search for her, after she set off distress beacons in stormy weather in a remote part of the Indian Ocean. Now, any lone sailor could run into the same bad weather and be forced to call for help. But a child is more vulnerable to danger than an adult. Rescuers risk their lives rescuing people caught in danger from stunts gone bad.

At the start of the stunt, TJ Simers, a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times, called the attempt of the girl to sail solo around the world  "child endangerment". "I just don't understand the idea of risking life. This kid's going to be out there all by herself. Death is a possibility. Bad weather. Are you kidding me? Who's responsible for this? She's a kid," he wrote.

In the video, made before Abby Sunderland was found alive and well, her brother, Zac, gives an interview to reporters. The stunt of a child sailing solo is apparently a family thing. He sailed around the world alone last year, age at 17. He speaks as if his sister is possibly just late coming home from school, and that it is a normal thing to perform stunts that may require foreign governments to spend tens of thousands of dollars to rescue a person, who gets into trouble while performing a stunt. The rescuers should send the family a bill for the costs spent in rescuing the girl.