Who believes you cannot legislate morality?

Question

Of coursew you can. Murder, rape, adultery, stealing, lying, are all moral issues and we have laws related to them. Some people simply do not think things through...

Answer 1

People have given your question a great deal of thought throughout the ages: read Jeremy Bentham if you just want a taste. Or Plato. Or Rousseau

Those crimes you consider moral issues are also bad things unto themselves: there is a victim who disagreed with the action.
In law they break these down into mala in se (crimes unto themselves) versus mala prohibita, which is more like morality crimes. Sot there is a distinction

Answer 2

But there are always loopholes that immoral people will take advantage of. Yes, you can legislate most of those, but you can't always legislate about lying, and sometimes inaction is just as immoral as action. It is moral to help your fellow man, but I don't know of a penalty on the books for not doing it.

Answer 3

While it is true that morality can not be legislated; however, as one person once said, "a man's passions forge his fetters."

Rome crumbled because people couldn't legislate their own morality, and unless this country starts becoming more conscientious in this area, we will crumble as well.

So, unless people start becoming more moral, OR unless people accept moral-based legislature, this country will not last.

Answer 4

You can legislate behavior, but you cannot legislate people's opinions on these matters.