hen deciding to legislate morality. Many scholars have taken positions on the role morality would play in such a situation.The primary consideration in morality must be guided by one's definition of law. Some may view law as mirroring the morality of a population whereas others may view morality as existing outside of the law. The reasoning behind each view is varied and complex.Those who adhere to the notion that law is a mirror of morality have often proposed that it plays an educational role for citizens. This view suggests that a population may need to be educated on its morality and without such laws to educate them, citizens would be unable to conform their conduct accordingly. The moral lesson that the state would hope to educate its citizens on would be the principle that they should help others in great need. However, others have cautioned that using this approach would only defeat exactly what it proposes to accomplish.Morality has been defined as holding force through perception. That is, morality has a force all its own because a group of people believe that individuals act out of some underlying principle devoid of legal authority. That is what makes morality what it is- an unspoken code of conduct that promotes shared values among a population. To introduce law as a way to insure that citizens value a specific moral would also introduce another reason people may perceive actions- through legal obligation. And it is this result that directly conflicts with the stated goals of education morals through law. People may follow a duty to rescue not because it is the moral thing to do but simply because failure to do so will produce some form of punishment, in this case incarceration. Thus, imposing moral education through the passage of laws creates the danger of losing the moral lesson to fear of legal sanction.Morality has often been shaped by religious notions. It has been proposed that our morality is shaped, m...
