Spring Break
Government should not legislate morality
Sam Chenkin
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Ed-Op
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One question have I long pondered. One question remains at the root of all political discourse and controversy. One question must be answered before all others. Yet we rarely stop to consider its ramifications.
We, as citizens, rarely stop to consider our lives in the light shed by this issue which has reverberated in court cases throughout history, sometimes softly, sometimes with deafening intensity. What is the purpose of government?
The question can best be illuminated by two complementary but fundamentally different concepts: rights, or the trespass of rights and morality. Does the government exist to protect rights or to enforce a moral code? The issue is complex, and of course engenders much conflict. Today it can be seen most clearly in the issue of abortion. If it goes against one's moral code, is the course for redress social change or legislation? Is it the government's job to define and enforce morality, or protect the rights of the individual?
For me, this question is at the root of my consuming hatred and cynicism regarding politics and politicians.
I respect their need to exist. I'll admit that they have an impossible job. Getting things done while still being electable is, in the age of sound bytes and pivotal single-issues, a nightmare. In addition to their traditional role of mediators, keeping the peace between countless warring factions. Not to mention the difficulty of adhering to a personal code of ethics at the same time (though most gleefully give this up). It's a hard life, too bad they chose it.
What gets my goat is politicians' insistence that they have the right, even a God given imperative, to define morality and be its champion. This is bad enough, but they then decide that the appropriate way to fight for "right" is through this country's legislative system.
The purpose of government is to protect the citizen. It is not to enforce a puritanical moral code to the exclusion of all else. Why should I prevent you from choosing assisted suicide as long as your decision was made with a clear mind and fully informed? Why should the government care? It isn't any of my business if you get a tummy tuck or a face lift.
We, as citizens, rarely stop to consider our lives in the light shed by this issue which has reverberated in court cases throughout history, sometimes softly, sometimes with deafening intensity. What is the purpose of government?
The question can best be illuminated by two complementary but fundamentally different concepts: rights, or the trespass of rights and morality. Does the government exist to protect rights or to enforce a moral code? The issue is complex, and of course engenders much conflict. Today it can be seen most clearly in the issue of abortion. If it goes against one's moral code, is the course for redress social change or legislation? Is it the government's job to define and enforce morality, or protect the rights of the individual?
For me, this question is at the root of my consuming hatred and cynicism regarding politics and politicians.
I respect their need to exist. I'll admit that they have an impossible job. Getting things done while still being electable is, in the age of sound bytes and pivotal single-issues, a nightmare. In addition to their traditional role of mediators, keeping the peace between countless warring factions. Not to mention the difficulty of adhering to a personal code of ethics at the same time (though most gleefully give this up). It's a hard life, too bad they chose it.
What gets my goat is politicians' insistence that they have the right, even a God given imperative, to define morality and be its champion. This is bad enough, but they then decide that the appropriate way to fight for "right" is through this country's legislative system.
The purpose of government is to protect the citizen. It is not to enforce a puritanical moral code to the exclusion of all else. Why should I prevent you from choosing assisted suicide as long as your decision was made with a clear mind and fully informed? Why should the government care? It isn't any of my business if you get a tummy tuck or a face lift.
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