Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Honduras

The Good Samaritan: compassion and protection

Drawn from the Bible (Luke 10:25-37), the parable of the Good Samaritan tells of a traveller left for dead who is rescued by a stranger that tends to him and sees to his care. Beyond its religious context, it carries a universal message: the moral duty to help others in danger, through compassion and altruism.

Inspired by this principle, many so-called Good Samaritan laws have been enacted around the world to protect those who assist in good faith during an emergency from legal action. The exact scope of that protection, however, varies from one jurisdiction to another: here is what the law applicable to your region provides.

Statute citation

Governing act Penal Code (Decree 130-2017, in force since June 2020), art. 204 "Omisión del deber de socorro" (failure of the duty to render aid): "Quien no socorre a una persona que se encuentra desamparada y en peligro manifiesto y grave para su vida, salud, integridad, libertad o libertad sexual, cuando de ello no se desprenda riesgo propio ni de tercero..." — Anyone who fails to help a person who is helpless and in manifest and grave danger to their life, health, integrity, liberty or sexual liberty, when doing so entails no risk to themselves or to third parties.
Scope of protection General duty to render aid to any helpless person in manifest and grave danger, where no risk results to the rescuer or a third party; a person unable to help must urgently summon outside help. Penalty increased by two-thirds if the bystander caused the accident by negligence. Art. 205 covers omission toward vulnerable persons (minors under 14, disabled, elderly or gravely ill), and art. 206 the health professional who denies assistance.
Duty to rescue Yes
Penalty for failure to assist Imprisonment of 6 months to 1 year, or a fine of 100 to 300 day-fines (art. 204).
AED liability protection No
Legal duty to rescue applies

Your protection under the law

Honduras's 2017 Penal Code, in force since 2020, enshrines the duty to render aid in its article 204 and punishes anyone who fails to help a helpless person in manifest and grave danger. The rule requires aid only where no risk to oneself or a third party results, and lets a person who cannot help directly discharge the duty by urgently summoning outside help; thus a Honduran who acts in good faith stands on the side the law protects.

Duty to rescue

In Honduras the duty to help has teeth: omitting it can bring imprisonment of six months to a year or a fine of one hundred to three hundred days, a penalty increased by two-thirds if the bystander themselves caused the accident through negligence. The law also gives heightened protection to the most vulnerable — minors, persons with disabilities, the elderly or gravely ill — and punishes the health professional who denies assistance. The duty is demanding because the life it protects is too.

Why training matters

So clear a duty deserves preparation to match. Meeting article 204 is not only calling emergency services: when someone stops breathing, it is compressions and the early use of an AED that hold life until help arrives. Training in CPR and first aid gives a Honduran the composure and technique to respond without hesitation, turning a legal obligation into an act of care that can return someone to their loved ones.