The first time I considered the impact of ethics and morality on law was during a playful chat with a friend. We were just about 20 years old and were discussing ways by which we could rake some money into our pockets while we were still students. As we ran through the list of options that crossed our minds, excitement grew because I kept one option close and wasn't sure about mentioning it.
After striking out the majority of the options we had written due to one potential problem or the other, I finally let out what I had up my sleeves the whole time: online sports betting. Immediately I said it, my friend looked sharply at me, shook his head pitifully and said, "Guy, that one no be option abeg." Knowing fully well that my friend loves football, I tried to explain to him the potential earnings one could make from staking on football matches.
As I turned him to one side, he turned me the other way around. I used multiple examples of upcoming Premier League games to explain why sports betting is low risk and high reward. Silly me, right? I was more or less working tirelessly to sell the idea of sports betting to my friend. In a bid to convince him, I reminded him that sports betting is legal as long as one is over 18. That was when he replied to me emphatically by saying, "Dude, some things are immoral but legal while some things may be illegal but moral."
Trust me, his words caused me a serious headache. Of course, I already understand his point. Betting is legal but immoral. How about the illegal but moral stuff? Is it even possible for something to be illegal and still morally acceptable? How do morality and ethics tangle into law when the law is meant to be cold, emotionless, straightforward and without bias?
I'll start with a commonplace example. A lot of people use and abuse addictive substances like tobacco and opioids. In some climes, it is legal while it is deemed immoral. Should the law wade into that? I've seen guys arrested for using opioids before. If they are not disrupting the peace of the environment, is that arrest warranted?
As far as I'm concerned, as long as one is operating under the purview of legality and not disturbing the peace of others around, one is free to enjoy his or her immoral acts. I am not a judge of morals, and the law shouldn't dabble into judging morals. If it does, it becomes a sentimental law and there will be severe problems when the law is to be enforced because the goalpost will continue to change.
In conclusion, though my friend lectured me on the difference between morality and legality, it didn't stop me from doing what I wanted. Understandably, individual rights, societal values and collective well-being must be protected by the law, yet, there should be a clear line between ethics, morality and law. The lines should never be blurred together.
