Ethics and Legal Responsibility


"Legal ethics is a term used to describe a code of conduct governing proper professional behavior, which establishes the nature of obligations owed to individuals and to society" (FindLaw, 2018). 
The fact that people or institutions have a right to do something doesn't imply that they should do it. The law sets out what people are free to do, regardless of the effect that those actions have on others.
For example, in Mexico The Federal Civil Code establishes 14 years of age as the minimum age for girls to marry and 16 years of age for boys. It is legally posible for mature adults to marry young girls but ethically it's not right because these are harmful practices that not only do they seriously affect the life, health, education and integrity of girls, but also violate the human rights of every little girl who has the misfortune of being a victim of this awful practice.
Having the legal right to do something is not the same as fulfilling one's ethical responsibility.

Conversely a person might have an ethical responsibility to do something even though it's not legally required.
A simple example for this is Whistleblowing corrupt government or Torrenting overpriced textbooks.

I don't think they go hand in hand, something can be legal and be ethical but can also be unethical, in other words, a legal right is not sufficient to make an act ethically justified.  

So when Ethics and law conflict what do we do?
Ethics studies whats right and wrong, describes what people should do, taking their responsibilities and the predictable consequences of their actions into account. To be an ethical person is subjective because my ethical perspective might not be the same as another person's perspective.
Follow your instinct, that would be my answer because only you can judge.

In conclusion, ethics demands more than the law. 

References:
https://hirealawyer.findlaw.com/choosing-the-right-lawyer/ethics-and-professional-responsibility.html
https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/video/legal-rights-ethical-responsibilities
http://www.onunoticias.mx/persiste-matrimonio-infantil-6-estados-mexico-alerta-onu/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/4xwzkr/what_is_something_that_is_ethical_but_illegal/

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