St. Thomas Aquinas wrote about laws that certain of them have moral authority in and of themselves. Such things as murder, and assault have moral force because the actions are repugnant, and an affront to the other, God as he might say. Other laws have moral authority because of our living in a community. (The exact terms that Aquinas uses escape me.) These laws forbid actions that are benign in themselves but are morally wrong when done in certainly situations, specifically within a community with agreed upon codes.