ANY kind of "personal" or biological truth that has NOTHING to do with public safety......and including anything you want to do with your own body should NOT be (at very least) "criminalized". It goes from body enhancement to who you choose to love.(I "WOULD NOT" but if forced) I'd outlaw a nosejob WAY before a tattoo or piercing. I certainly wouldn't put a non-violent stoner in jail even if serious burnouts annoy me..

Self destructiveness is a gray area hopefully relegated to family and friends.....but.....

Hurt no one else. Do what you want to do within your realm of family and friends. These things shouldn't be legislated!

When does personal liberty and freedom verge on a healthy society, and when should it be policed?

hehehehe

Legal ethics might be better suited to forums of politics or philosophy for serious discussion.

eg. the argument for third party legislation is passive victimisation, or, the reason some wish to ban public smoking is because non-smokers are being physically victimised by smokers. The reason punitive taxes are lobbied for cigarettes is because more deserving patients are being out-competed for medical care in the public health system by smokers.
None of the legislators nor anyone else cares about what smokers want to do to themselves, it's not about the right to self govern. More about failing to do so properly as a member of a community.

But each of these points can be argued...what it comes down to is whether the arguments are going to be things like, "Well I'm an American and I'm armed so I can do anything I want," or more like, "Well according to this study published in (...) in fact socioeconomic environment has shown greater influence in individual health pro rata than smoking, road tolls and alcoholism combined, and I would remind the legislators when making statements about causality, that correlation does not infer cause."

ie. this might not be the best forum for a productive discussion, unless you just wanted to wave your fist and say, "I'm an American and I'm armed so I can do anything I want."

i figure ain't no person or agency got any right to tell anyone what they can or can't do with, or to, themselves.

if you masturbate on thursdays, get your eyebrow pierced, have rhinoplasty, bite your own finger off, tattoo your face, etc., don't make me no nevermind. what does it matter to anyone?

the punitive taxes on tobacco products did nothing to relax the health care burden, it just increased the government's and the tobacco industry's profits from smokers. for all the "truth" about cigarettes we were deluged with, i would like to know why the government didn't require the cigarette makers to stop putting all the extra nicotine and chemical additives in the tobacco.

i think legal ethics, the people and their general health would be better served if legislation made sense, as exampled above, than by worrying about their self mutilation, expression, or lifestyle.

imagine the impact on health if food companies were prevented by law from adding large quantities of sugar, fat and salt to EVERYTHING! nothing makes me chuckle more than "certified organic" green beans with 300mg of sodium per serving!


i'll just quote good ol charlie daniels:

"if you don't like the way i'm livin', just leave this long haired country boy alone"

Point taken on an (admiittedly) broad and vague premise!! As for the latter *Last paragraph, last sentence*.....that was the furthest thing from my intention..........and attitudes like that are embarrassing, and cloud true patriotism!

EDIT: Though this wasn't about patriotism at all lol....back to legislating or bodies.