It’s one of my pet peeves. Every so often I hear someone say: “You can’t legislate morality.” It is always said in the context of a controversial ban on something. Granted, there are pro & cons for every ban. But the stance that you can’t legislate morality is a bogus argument.
I always want to ask the person who makes such a remark “What can you legislate?” When I do have the occasion to ask this question, the response is a bewildered look. That puzzled look is usually followed by the notion that the majority of our laws are not moral issues. When I ask for an example of just one, the person will usually suggest something along the lines of stopping at stop signs. I then ask: "Why stop? Why not just play chicken?" The bewildered look always returns. After all, nobody wants to see anyone injured – that’s senseless! But it is senseless only in a moral context. Without morality, it is every man for himself. So my point is that all laws have a moral component.
The fact is, that when you legislate, you end up legislating morality is some way, shape, or form.
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