What of the argument that laws against drugs, and smoking, and gambling and prostitution all take away our agency?
To me, they do not. I suggest that while the law does impose consequences, there are consequences to most any choice. If a person chooses to take cocaine, long before the law comes along, there will be consequences. The threat of those consequences can be a good thing, for if a person can see drugs are going to ruin his life, he will be less inclined to take them.
Good influences are good, so laws that influence us for good are a benefit to us.
So, if we are so worried about laws taking away our agency, why do we not worry that these natural consequences also are robbing us of agency? Why do we not protest that God has set up a system that cuts against our ability to choose without being forced to choose? He has not. And, in the same vein, laws do not take away our agency. They add to the consequences, yes, but our agency remains. They influence what we do, yes, but they are good influences, even as many natural consequences serve as good influences.
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