Sexual Ethics

• what did people think about sexuality in the ancient times

  ancient greeks (e.g. Pythagoras) believed the ideal life was one where physical pleasures were abstained from and one lived in quiet contemplation

  believed in dualism (world divided into physical and spiritual) and that the soul must free itself from the physical in order to enter the spiritual, meaning sex is unholy as it makes a person lose control and act on animal instinct
• what are some Christian views on sexuality generally

  St Augustine - sex is a sin except for reproduction

  Aquinas - sex should be limited to marriage and for reproduction, but should be enjoyable (natural law, breaks primary precepts "to reproduce" and "to live in an ordered society" (no stability for children)

  St Paul (1 Corinthians 7) - celibacy is the ideal but if one cannot suppress their sexual urges they should get married . Christian monastics and RC priests are celibate and evangelicals discourage premarital sex, but protestants encourage priests to marry and procreate

  - some development on the view of sex as a unifying and affirming part of a marital bond, which is supported by the CofE and RCC

  Jack Dominion (catholic psychologist) - a new definition of sex is needed, it's a personal expression of love and not purely for procreation
• what is the libertarian/utilitarian view on sexuality

  contractarian, relativist view, a sexual act is morally permissible if there's mutual consent between parties, and the harm principle is adopted (no harm to either party or a 3rd party)

  freedom, autonomy and consent are essential parts of this view, meaning sexual crimes are forbidden

  John Stuart Mill: "people should be free to do as they please as long as they don't harm others or take away their freedom"

  John Harris (professor of bioethics): "if it doesn't cause harm to society, it's a private matter". sexual acts judged on consequences not intrinsically
• what are the advantages and disadvantages of the libertarian/utilitarian view

  +: - offers a tolerant, permissive and compassionate lifestyle

  -: - if there is already a power imbalance in the relationship then freedom and autonomy are limited (e.g. sex between boss and employee)
• what is the feminist view of sexuality

  the christian view is criticised for initially creating a power imbalance between men and women through their assigned roles, which affects sexual relationships and limits women's freedom (male dominance, female submissiveness)

  the libertarian view assumes a level playing field between male and female partners but this is questionable

  equity must be used to level the playing field once again, and choice, opportunity and equality are also central ideals
• what are arguments for extramarital sex


  - experience

  - compatibility

  - intimacy, enhances relationships

  - to explore sexual identity

  - Joseph Fletcher - if one's having sex responsibly and are 'mature enough' then it's fine

  - private issue not a public one

  - consensual sex, and sex without harm is fine

  - less stigma due to cultural changes

  - children are maturing at younger ages
• what are some arguments against extramarital sex

  - Aquinas and NML, RCC (sex should be part of a loving exclusive relationship)

  - undermines the family

  - violates sacredness of marriage

  - doesn't provide a stable environment for children (NML)

  - reduces sex to a commodity

  - no commitment can be seen as selfish

  - STDS

  - unwanted pregnancy and abortion
• what does the law say abut sex and marriage

  age of consent for sex = 16, informed consent can only be given above this age

  marriage and civil partnership (minimum age) act raised minimum age to 18 in England and Wales in 2023
• what are some Bible verses on sex and marriage

  Genesis 1: "be fruitful and increase in number"

  Genesis 2: man is united to his wife and they become "one flesh"

  1 Corithians 6: "flee from sexual immorality"

  1 Corinthians 7: 'better to marry than burn with passion', celibacy advocated

  10 commandments: "you shall not commit adultery"
• what is the CofE purpose of marriage

  - union to one another (mutual belonging)

  - procreation

  - fidelity (faithfulness in a loving, committed relationship)
• what are some Bible verses on divorce

  Matthew 5: Jesus says that a man should give a woman a certificate of divorce to make the action honourable

  Mark 10: "whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery"

  Matthew 19: "anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another commits adultery", "what God has joined together, let man not separate"

  1 Corinthians: if a woman's husband dies, she's free to marry who she pleases, otherwise they're bound for life, and a believer and a non-believer may divorce if it brings difficulty

  John 8: the story of the adulterous woman being saved from a stoning by Jesus
• what is the law like on divorce

  1923 matrimonial causes act - equalised grounds for divorce for women and men

  1969 divorce reform act - made divorce much easier to access, only had to show that the marriage had "irretrievable broken down", women were more financially stable so this led to an increase in divorce rates
• what do the RCC and CofE think about divorce

  NML/RCC - violates principles to live in an ordered society and to reproduce, RCC believe marriage is a sacrament which creates an indissoluble bond, separation permitted but not divorce

  CofE - reconciliation, counselling and forgiveness advised pre-divorce, more accepted now but marriage traditionally seen as a supernaturally binding union. people allowed to be remarried at priests discretion
• what do situationists believe about divorce

  Bishop John Robinson - emphasised the need to look at circumstances, and that Jesus' teachings are 'illustrations of what love may require'. 'the only intrinsically wrong thing is a lack of love'

  Joseph Fletcher - 'if the emotional and spiritual welfare.. can be best served by divorce, wrong and cheapjack as divorce commonly is, love requires it
• what is homosexuality

  sexual attraction to the same sex
• what do some claim are the 'causes' of homosexuality

  - Sigmund Freud claimed homosexuality is a personality disorder from dysfunctional childhood relationships

  - could be caused by hormonal differences

  - scientists are trying to find a 'homosexual gene' but this could provide downsides
• what are the changes to the law in the UK relating to homosexuality

  1967 - homosexuality legalised in England and Wales

  2001 - age of consent for homosexual sex reduced to 16 from 18

  2005 - civil partnership legalised for same-sex couples, providing increased legal rights

  2010 equality act - made discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal

  2014 - marriage legalised for same-sex couples (in some non-conformist churches at the discretion of the pastor)
• in what countries are gay marriages legal, and in what countries can you receive the death penalty for being homosexual

  legal - germany and australia

  death penalty - nigeria, quatar
• what happened in 1990

  the WHO removed homosexuality from their classification of diseases as psychologists and scientists showed that homosexuality is a normal and positive variation of human sexuality
• what is section 28

  a law passed in 1988 by Margaret Thatcher which prohibited schools promoting the acceptance of homosexuality.

  removed in 2000 in Scotland, and 2003 in the rest of the UK
• what's an example of homosexual discrimination

  Alan Turing 1952, he broke the german naval enigma code which helped Britain defeat the Nazis but was prosecuted for homosexual acts and accepted chemical castration as oppose to a prison sentence - he killed himself 2 years later
• what are the differences of homo and hetero sexual sex

  homosexual men have a higher rate of HIV and other STIs

  due to lack of calculation, shame, the nature of it
• what are some biblical verses on homosexuality

  genesis verses on marriage and sex

  Sodom and Gomorrah - the men of these towns wished to rape the male disciple visitors, so the angels destroyed their cities due to their promiscuity. 'wicked thing'

  Leviticus 20 and 18: homosexual sex is "detestable" and an "abomination", 'they are to be put to death'

  1 corinthians 6: homosexual sex is "sexually immoral", and these people shall not "inherit the kingdom of God" "flee from sexual immorality"

  Romans 1: men committed shameful acts with other men and received due penalty for their error
• what does 'arsenokoites' mean

  possible suggestions:

  - homosexuality

  - cultural purity rules, or paedophilia between men and boys

  - male pagan prostitution or masturbation

  - refers only to abusive, promiscuous homosexual relationships not loving, exclusive homosexual relationships
• what does Peter Vardy say in response to the bible verses on homosexuality

  Countryman - Leviticus 18:22, the most famous Bible quote condemning homosexuality may have simply been referring to Israelite purity laws - lots of natural things seen as impure, e.g. menstruation, masturbation - heterosexual sex was the only exception as reproduction was imperative to survival at the time. Jesus showed contempt for these purity laws, and they are not mentioned in the New Testament as being used for moral guidance

  Sodom and Gomorrah actually condemns rape, failure to help the poor, lack of hospitality and violence, not homosexuality

  Differing views on the meaning of arsenokoites

  these verses are no more binding than the ones illustrating not to mix cloths, and given the uncertainty and discrepancy of the Bible verses one cannot discriminate solely based on these words
• what do the RCC believe about homosexuality

  that it's 'intrinsically disordered', and they recommend only 'warm companionship' with no sex.

  however they aren't a hate group and encourage 'respect, compassion and sensitivity' towards homosexuals
• what do the anglican church believe about homosexuality

  episcopal - more liberal, support gay pride. in 2005, Bishop Gene Robinson was the first gay man to be appointed as a Bishop, but this was controversial and resulted in the fundamentalist African churches breaking off, as they had strayed too far from the Bible's teaching on homosexuality

  CofE - allows a blessing but not marriage, some break-off groups support it but others say homosexual relationships are only okay without sex

  African fundamentalists - conservative, not accepting and take the Bible literally (Divine Command theory). extreme fundamentalists = Westboro baptist church, hate group heavily against homosexuality
• what are some arguments for contraception

  - Protestant churches believe that there's a distinction between sex for unitive purposes and procreation, which is why marriage is primarily for companionship and secondarily for procreation

  - couples need to be able to provide financially for their family

  - contributes to the well-being in society (provides autonomy)

  - condoms reduce the spread of STI's which can cause health problems
• what are some arguments against contraception

  - feminists have argued that contraception reduces the companionship element in a relationship by making sex an end in itself without consequences, and can diminish male respect for women

  - means of power, e.g. Chinese government in 1983 made women with one child have an IUD inserted, and a spouse in a couple with 2+ children be sterilised. also in the west, enforced contraception has occurred on mentally ill/young women in their 'best interests'

  - promiscuity - contraception can encourage promiscuity and adultery as there are no serious consequences to sex, legitimising sexual permissiveness
• what is IVF

  In Vitro Fertilization - a woman is given hormones to cause ovulation and her eggs harvested - the egg is fertilised outside the woman's body and then implanted back into her uterus

  defective surplus embryos created by the process are destroyed
• what are some religious views on the status of the embryo

  augustine and aquinas - a human person isn't formed until a soul is implanted at 40 days after conception (for men) or 90 days after conception (for women), so causing a miscarriage prior to these dates isn't murder

  RCC - unclear on when ensoulment occurs, so maintain that it's right to treat an embryo as a person from conception, so IVF/abortifacient contraceptives are murder

  Anglican - embryos deserve respect, but this shouldn't rule out abortifacient contraceptives/abortion as this respect should be weighed against the respect for the life and health of the mother. support IVF
• what is Singer's view on the status of the embryo

  views are speciest, and moral status should depend on sentience, supports abortion provided it's best for all those involved
• what are some arguments for accepting childlessness

  Divine Command - only God can give life as he has ultimate power, so we should't play him by creating a child artificially

  RCC - children are a gift from God

  Situation ethics - adoption is a good alternative for infertile, loving couples
• what are some arguments for overcoming childlessness

  - law: allows IVF/embryo experimentation for up to 14 days

  - God gave scientists and doctors talents which should be cherished, exercised and used wisely

  JS Mill, contractarian view
• what are some scholars on freedom of sexuality

  Bshp Gene Robinson - 'follow the word of God, not the words of God"

  JS Mill and Jeremy Bentham and Singer

  Peter Vardy (cultural context)

  Desmond Tutu - 'I would rather live in hell than an anti-gay heaven'

  Joseph Fletcher and Bshp John Robinson

  Jack Dominion, catholic psychologist

  law

  john boswell - catholics only began to prejudice homosexuals after Aquinas

  peter stamford
• what are some scholars against freedom of sexuality

  aquinas and augustine

  Dr philip giddings - argues we can't just ignore bits of the bible however unpopular