For example, they discuss our historical reliance upon legal repression as an important element of drug policy. They ask whether laws are effective or ineffective, productive or unproductive, and offer policy alternatives, which range from government regulation to decriminalization. This approach allows undergraduates sufficient opportunity to inquire to what purposes the law should be directed. Meier and Geis's attention to these four issues recognizes that rights are interpreted within moral and political contexts. Debates surrounding abortion provide a special understanding of the general subject of crimes without victims.
Abortion is a complex question with moral and religious dimensions.
Pro-life advocates argue that the alleged victim is the aborted fetus. They discuss whether homosexuality can have a protected status under anti-discrimination laws and the fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Leaders in the community, law enforcement and political arenas have questioned national and state policies against the illegal use of drugs. The authors consider how these policies raise key questions about the scope and effectiveness of criminal laws and argue that drug policy might be clarified if direct connections could be drawn between drug use and crime. They discuss key policy issues surrounding drug sentencing and enforcement activities, such as differential federal sentencing for possession crack and powder cocaine.