2006-10-26 16:01:25 · 14 answers · asked by novafan 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
How about the underground railroad? Freed many people, yet it was completely illegal in the south.
During the reign of Hitler, Germans hiding Jewish people from the Nazis.
Paul Rusesabagina trying to protect as many Tutsi people as he can by sheltering them in his hotel in Rwanda.
In fact, look at a time of oppression and you can probably find activities that are illegal but still considered ethical.
2006-10-26 16:10:22 · answer #1 · answered by A.Mercer 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Speeding to get someone to the hospital in an emergency.
There are still states where adultery is illegal, adultery can include premarital sex. Can you imagine premarital sex being ethical? Or perhaps the question should be can you imagine it being unethical? Some people would say yes, given religious or cultural teachings or upbringing. Others would say given the advances in medicine (birthcontrol, std prevention etc) and cultural changes - many people never get married etc. - premarital sex should no longer be the taboo it once was.
Shooting/harming someone who is harming or threatening to harm you or someone else.
Legal / Illegal are labels applied to very broad categories of actions. This is why we have a legal and justice system that allows interpretation and prosecution on a case by case basis. Society (through our legislature or judiciary) creates and modifies laws but we recognize that in any individual circumstance there may be extenuating circumstances that make the 'illegal' action acceptable, ethical, moral, necessary, right, good etc.
Hope that was helpful.
Jen
2006-10-26 23:21:33 · answer #2 · answered by InstructNut 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Mala prohibitum" Something that is considered wrong because it is illegal, like running a stop sign at 2 am.
"Mala in se" something that is wrong whether it is legal or not, such as killing an infant.
It's illegal for a ten year old to drive a car. It isn't necessarily evil, and if he's driving his dad to the emergency room with a coronary, it's downright ethical. It's still illegal.
2006-10-26 23:10:53 · answer #3 · answered by open4one 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Theft under some circumstances, say your family is starving and you steal food from a store-illegal but ethical
2006-10-27 11:12:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Lying under oath to keep an innocent man out of jail.
2006-10-27 14:52:45 · answer #5 · answered by judge_smails_sir 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Crossing over the yellow center line with your car in order to avoid hitting a kid on a bicycle.
2006-10-26 23:05:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Euthanasia for the terminally suffering
2006-10-26 23:08:23 · answer #7 · answered by maguire1202 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
a policeman "planting evidence" so a real creep goes away for good who otherwise may never get caught
2006-10-26 23:11:30 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
stealing a loaf of bread to feed a starving child
2006-10-26 23:02:37 · answer #9 · answered by tigerlilliebuick 3 · 6⤊ 0⤋
killing a person who is beating a child to death
2006-10-26 23:09:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋