BACK MORALITY 3'1m2f Is abortion moral just because it's legal? LIZ -- (enters, crosses) GUARD -- (follows, stands near exit, pounds battle axe handle or staff on floor) Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. The king is dead. Long live the queen. (exits) LIZ -- (stops, turns, hears the news) Oh, oh. I'd better hurry! (turns continues to exit) GUARD -- (enters, stands near exit, pounds battle axe or staff on floor) Make way for the Queen. Make way for the Queen . (crosses slowly ahead of Queen) QUEEN -- (enters, crosses behind Guard, solemnly) LIZ -- (reenters) Your majesty, I beg your indulgence. (bows) GUARD -- Halt! Do not approach the Queen unless you are summoned! LIZ -- Your majesty, I know you are in mourning for the loss of your father the King, but I beg you, please give me just a moment... GUARD -- ...Away with you! QUEEN -- It's alright, guard. Let her speak. LIZ -- Your majesty, as you know, your father made it legal for women in this country to have an abortion. QUEEN -- Yes, he did. LIZ -- I was on my way to have an abortion when the king's death was announced. But the abortion clinics have been closed. QUEEN -- Yes. I ordered them closed. But I'm sure you already knew that. LIZ -- But why, your majesty? QUEEN -- Because abortion is immoral. LIZ -- But your father the King made abortion the law of the land. Does that not make abortion moral? QUEEN -- No. Making abortion the law of the land only makes abortion LEGAL. It does not make it moral. Now, I am making it ILLEGAL. LIZ -- But aren't you imposing your own morality upon us, your majesty? QUEEN -- No. I am imposing my law upon you. Laws can be changed. Morals cannot be changed, because morals are based on God's unchanging laws. And God has proclaimed the taking of human life to be IMmoral. LIZ -- Your majesty, have mercy. QUEEN -- Very well, I shall make abortion the law of the land again. LIZ -- (straightens) You will? QUEEN -- Yes. Any time a pregnancy is an embarassment or an inconvenience to you, you may have an abortion. LIZ -- I can? QUEEN -- Yes. And at the same time I shall make it legal for your husband to beat you with a stick every time you inconvenience him or embarrass him. Would you like that? LIZ -- No, your majesty. QUEEN -- Better yet. I shall make it legal for your man to KILL you if you inconvenience him or embarrass him. Would you like that? LIZ -- No, your majesty. QUEEN -- Why, not? It would be perfectly legal. Would it not? LIZ -- You have made your point your majesty. QUEEN -- And what point is that? LIZ -- That law would make it LEGAL but it would not make it MORAL. QUEEN -- ...because that law would not be based on God's law. LIZ -- I understand the difference between legality and morality, your majesty. But wouldn't it be immoral to bring an unwanted baby into this world? QUEEN -- Every baby is created in the image of God himself. No baby is unwanted by God. And in addition to God, there are far more childless couples in the land than there are babies to fill the demand. So, bringing a baby into the world could never be considered immoral. LIZ -- But... QUEEN -- The problem is not the unwanted baby. The problem is the attitude of the baby's mother. You're too lazy or too afraid to do the right thing. So, what you want is for laziness and cowardess to be legalized at the cost of morality and a human life. LIZ -- (stands, slithers by Queen, backward to exit) You're right, your majesty. I'm sorry to have bothered you. QUEEN -- (motions to Guard, continues to opposite exit behind Guard) Good. A kingdom flourishes when morality and legality are in harmony. ©2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org email: [email protected] BACK |