On September 30, 2022 a couple were arrested at Cedar Point for charges of "public indecency" for engaging in a sexual act in public as they were waiting to enter a haunted house, the Fairground Freakshow. A 17-year girl waiting in line capture the incident on video.
Do such sexual acts cause harm to anyone? If not, should such actions be illegal?
On March 2, 2023 Bill Lee, Governor of Tennessee, signed a bill banning drag shows in public spaces, a law that more than likely will force drag shows to go underground in the state. Other states are also considering similar measures. In arguing for the justification for this law, State Rep. Jack Johnson, a Republican and co-sponsor of the bill claimed: "We're protecting kids and families and parents who want to be able to take their kids to public places. We're not attacking anyone or targeting anyone."
Is this law justified according to Mill's views -- or any other view we have examined? Examine at least one justification for legal coercion and argue whether this law is justified under that principle.
During a typical major sporting events on television, spectators are bombarded with ads from everything from trucks to bogus treatments for balding. Perhaps two of the most common advertisements are for alcohol, especially but not limited to beer, and sports gambling. Even if we assume that such activities, while potentially harmful to the participants, should remain legal, the question of the legality of advertizing these activities remains.
Is is morally permissible to profit from and indeed to entice habits and desires that can cause harm to those who participate in them? What would Mill say (at least what is at least one possible argument)? Does the fact that tobacco advertising is currently banned effect your moral judgment?
Three years ago (2022) Gov. DeWine signed Senate Bill 215 into law. The law permits anyone 21 years or older in Ohio to legally possess a handgun to be carried and concealed without a license or firearms training. The bill would also reduce penalties if a gun owner does not properly notify law enforcement that they have a firearm in their possession.
On March 26. 1997 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult committed suicide in an attempt to catch a ride with a spaceship hiding in the wake of the Hale-Bopp comet. Had authorities known of these plans would they have been justified in arresting the cult members to prevent their deaths? After all, police officers forcibly prevent suicides all the time? What about a Jehovah Witness who refuses a blood transfusion for a life saving operation? Should the state force him or her to have the operation to save her or his life? What about a mountain climber who wants to ascend a dangerous Himalayan mountain peak in the middle of winter? Would authorities be justified in arresting her or him to prevent such a foolhardy ascent? Or do individuals have a right to engage in harmful behavior that is meaningful to them?
In February, 2022 a "freedom convoy" of truckers, protesting a new rule requiring truck drivers crossing the Canadian/United States to be vaccinated against COVID-19, blocked city streets in and around the Parliament in Ottawa, Canada. The parked trucks and other makeshift structures effectively impeded traffic throughout the city and has lasted from over a week. Is this a form of legitimate protest? What would Mill say -- and do you agree?
On October 4, 1976 a neo-Nazi group sent letters to Chicago suburbs asking for permits to hold a white power rally (after their attempts to do so in Chicago itself were blocked). While many of the suburbs simply ignored the request the village of Skokie sought an injunction. Skokie is a suburb with a substantial Jewish population -- many of which were Holocaust survivors. In addition to the injunction the village passed laws to prevent such demonstrations in the future. These laws prohibited wearing military-style uniforms in demonstrations, prohibiting the distribution literature that included hate speech, and requiring a $350, 000 insurance bond. All these restrictios made it impossible for the neo-Nazis to hold the rally.
Are these restrictions justified? What would Mill say? Do you agree?
