Sexual ethics Flashcards
Natural law position
Marriage: Natural goods- procreation, nurture of children, control of sex- monogamous
Pre-marital sex: might fulfill secondary precepts; cohabitation is an apparent good
Extra-marital sex: undermines divine, natural and human laws
Homosexuality: illicit of the telos of sex cannot be fulfilled: licit (permitted) if sex is more than procreation
Christian ethics position
Marriage: monogamous, lifelong, scarement/ covenant- debate surrounding divorce
Pre-marital sex: principle of consummation of marriage; debates around cohabitation
Extra-marital sex: adultery is forbidden in the church: debates around re-marriage
Homosexuality: conservatives; not permitted for biblical reasons
Liberals: permittedd if loving and committed
Kantian ethics approach
Marriage : mutual respect and for companionship- divorce permissible (allowed)
Pre-marital sex: lowers humans to animal level: people as objects
Extra-marital sex: adultery breaks marriage promises
Homosexuality: possible if loving, committed and respectful
Patriotic prostitution
An American woman during WWII was asked by her defense agency to go undercover and involve herself with a married man, in order to blackmail him for secrets.
Patriotic prostitution-
Moral dilemma
Fletcher: never use someone as merely a means in themselves, always as an ends instead
She shouldn’t use him without his knowledge
Aquinas: an apparent good as it doesn’t fulfill a purpose- isn’t for procreation
Church: the man is married = adultery
Situation ethics position
Marriage: love supports marriage nut not necessarily for life companionship
Premarital sex- cohabitation is a means of exploring sexual relationships: must be mutual loving/ respectful
Extra-marital sex: adultery generally causes unhappiness but could be justified for pragmatic reasons
Homosexuality: Bible indicative nit prescriptive. Must be loving, respectful relationship
Utilitarian position
Marriage: not necessarily lifelong: good if it develops happiness and protects rights
Pre-marital sex: cohabitation is flexible, adaptable to changing preferences
Extra-marital sex: not intrinsically wrong, could cause jealousy and uncertainty
Homosexuality: must be consensual; should avoid harmful practices- variety of lifestyles enriches society
Mill-
Liberty definitions
Negative liberty: the least interference of the state or anyone else to restrict individual behavior (sexuality)
Positive liberty: the freedom to fulfill one’s potential by being actively in Government
Mill-
Liberty
A variety of lifestyles enhances the richness and enjoyment of society
Liberty allows individuals to ‘flourish’ and breathe according to their own sexual wishes and rational choices
No one can have a monopoly on morality; people should be allowed to make their own moral choice (even if they are wrong)
Tolerance makes for a happier society
Mill-
Criticisms
Variety does not always make for a happier society- a community all working towards the same values is better
A profusion of different sexual lifestyles may simply leas to a confusion, distrust, anxiety and unhappiness
It does not follow that freedom of all forms of sexual expression makes society a richer and more cohesive place
Negative liberty presumes that people are their own best judges- however Mill did say that there is a need for competent judges who have better and more expert knowledge to decide.
Some forms of sexual behavior are deliberately subversive and should not be recognized by law
Impact of secularism
Liberty principle: autonomy, toleration, harm (physical/mental)
New laws: civil partnerships, same sex marriage allowed
Key question: does the toleration of different sexual lifestyles allow society to flourish in new ways, or cause confusion?
My thesis
I agree with Mill’s negative liberty is something that should be considered when looking at sexual activity as it isn’t something that should be governed through the state or the church
I think that Aquinas and Kant do have a point when arguing that there must be an ends to the action and not just because it is for pleasure
(even if the end is respectful for one another)
