It was reported on Oct.25 that an old couple in Zhengzhou sued one of their daughters who never take care of and visit them. The judge gave a decision that the daughter should pay 200 Yuan per month as allowance for support and visits her parents every half month.

Upon the release of judgment, many critics aired different opinions. As seen on the relevant comments on newspaper and website on Oct.26, questions including how law can govern morality and how to implement the judgment came up one after another.

In my opinion, the judgment is reasonable and justified, breaking away from the boundary of traditional concept on morality. In fact, it is nonsense and outdated to argue the separation of law and morality, which should be connected closely. The solution of problem in scope of morality by legal means shows the progress of our law-consciousness and the enhancement of morality.

In recent years, there have been many legal actions on the support of old people. However, many court judgments are difficult to implement. In this background, some critics argue that it is useless to solve the issue of morality by law. In my view, the difficulty of judgment enforcement shows the weak points of our legal system, which demand effective measures.

As the Chinese saying goes, “filial piety is the biggest virtue”. Filial piety should be both upheld by morality and safeguarded by law.

---Yang Xin, FFL, NBU