 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Many people say: “What does the law matter, seeing that it is not enforced.?” To my mind this is a very fallacious argument. In the first place, any law which cannot be enforced is bad, since it brings law into contempt. In the second place, although the law is usually not enforced, it can be invoked by a vindictive spouse or a political opponent, and can be used as a means of blackmail. For these reasons, among others, I cannot think that the official profession of an ethical standard that is neither obeyed nor believed in by the majority of the population is a matter which ought to be viewed with equanimity.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, (1954), chapter 12：Superstitious Ethics, n.6
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Following the Supreme Court ruling on forced sterilisation under the former Eugenic Protection Law, the Government (Prime Minister Kishida) finally made a formal apology in the Diet.
The government has so far taken the position that the former Eugenic Protection Law is considered inappropriate by many citizens, but since it is not currently applied, it is better not to amend the law too quickly. There are many things that the State is not willing to do if it is inconvenient or uncomfortable, but does the Supreme Court ruling mean that it is possible to ignore the opinions of the supportive conservative groups?
It seems to me that the two reasons given by Russell for why inappropriate laws should not remain unamended are well understood.
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