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.
According to a new study from the CDC (Center for Disease Control), the United States is experiencing a surge in alcoholic-related deaths (both direct deaths such as cirrhosis of the liver and indirect deaths such as from accidents). The study shows a 29% increase in alcholic deaths from 2016-2021 that culminated in 178, 307 deaths in 20201 (approximately 500 a day). This number is about 70, 000 more than from drug overdoses that same year (according to NIDA, the National Institue on Drug Abuse).
Faced with these sobering statistices, Keith Humphreys, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Studies at Stanford University (and a PBS contributor) argues the government needs to make alcohol more expensive. In particular he argues for increasing the tax on alcohol and indexing it to the cost of living so it doesn't become cheaper over time.
Is Prof. Humphreys correct? Is a sin tax on alcoholo even justified? What would Mill -- or Dworkin say about all this?
Two 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 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?
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 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?
