CHS 3

• Public Aspect


  Concerned with the way in which matters of sex overtly affect others, and the basic governing principles are life, goodness, and justice
• Private Aspect


  Concerned with sexual relations between or among consenting adults, and the basic governing principles are goodness, justice, freedom, and honesty
• Types of Actions Involving Human Sexuality

  • Those that have such an adverse effect on people other than the participants that they should be forbidden by moral commandment or by law
  • Those that affect only the participants and should therefore be left up to the private moral deliberations of the people concerned
• Main Issue of Human Sexual Activity

  Whether we should greatly restrict such activities on the one hand, or allow a great deal of sexual freedom on the other
• The meaning and purposes of human sexual activity appear to be four-dimensional, involving (not necessarily in order of importance) procreation; pleasure; an expression of love for other people; and an expression of friendship and liking
• These purposes need not be mutually exclusive, and often they are not; however, sexual activity also may be limited to only one of these purposes
• Procreation


  A rather obvious purpose of sexuality
• Sexuality


  The deepest and most intimate expression of the love of human beings for one another
• One can love others without sexual activity, but when a love involving meaningful sex occurs, it is deeper than any kind of love
• Two people need not have sex in order to love each other, but deep and loving sex between two persons can add a rich new dimension to any love
• Society has often emphasized the procreative aspect of sex or viewed it as a 'necessary evil', while considering the loving aspect relatively unimportant
• Many archaic and unfair laws (unfair, that is, when applied to all human beings) have been repealed in many states and revised in accordance with the American Bar Association's suggestions
• Research reveals that sexuality as it is practiced did not and does not adhere to the general societal moral pronouncements and laws, and that human sexuality for many people is very limited and often unsatisfying due to societal taboos
• Research also reveals that psychologically, sexuality is extremely important to human living especially to human relationships
• The expression-of-love, friendship-and-liking aspects of human sexual activity should be emphasized at least as much as procreation and pleasure
• Views on Sexuality

  • Conservative/Restrictive view (emphasizes procreation or sex as 'necessary evil')
  • Advocates of complete freedom (emphasize pleasure)
  • Moderate position (accepts procreative and pleasure aspects while emphasizing expression-of-love, friendship-and-liking)
• Acts considered immoral and controlled by laws are rape, child molestation, and sadism performed on unwilling victims
• Harmful Effects of Immoral Acts

  Bodily harm and/or death, and the general perniciousness of forced sexual activity
• Most people generally agree that rape, child molestation, and sadism are immoral and should be forbidden by laws and/or moral taboos
• Activities considered by many to be against the public interest

  • Pornography
  • Homosexuality
  • Sex outside marriage (including premarital and extramarital sex and adultery)
  • Prostitution
  • Masturbation
  • Non-monogamous marriages
  • 'Unnatural,' or 'perverted,' sexual activity
• Agreement about the immorality of these activities is not as general or as clear as is agreement about rape, child molestation, and sadism
• Arguments Against Sexual Freedom

  • Violation of tradition and family values
  • The domino argument (allowing freedom leads to more dangerous violations)
  • Offensiveness to public taste
  • Social diseases and AIDS
• Violation of Tradition and Family Values

  Sexual freedom is seen as a violation of traditional Judeo-Christian moral 'absolutes' - heterosexual sex within marriage for procreation is the only morally permissible sexuality
• The Domino Argument

  Allowing sexual freedom will eventually lead to more dangerous violations like rape and child molestation, and undermine society's good institutions like the family
• Offensiveness to Public Taste

  Heterosexual relationships, monogamous marriages, and sexual activity within marriage are acceptable, whereas homosexual relationships, non-monogamous marriages, and sex outside marriage are not
• Social Diseases and AIDS

  Sexual promiscuity and freedom has led to an increase in diseases like syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, and AIDS, which are painful, destructive, contagious, and often fatal
• Arguments for Sexual Freedom

  • Individual freedom (consenting adults should be free to do what they want)
  • Traditions seen as irrelevant (Judeo-Christian traditions are outdated, marriage is just a contract, non-traditional relationships can be meaningful)
  • Refutation of the domino argument (no evidence that freedom leads to more serious violations, some countries with freedom have decreased crime)
  • Offensiveness to public taste (offensiveness is about manners not morality, discretion and solutions can manage public taste)
  • Social disease and AIDS (proper precautions can minimize risks, choices should be free like other health decisions)
• Laws can be made to punish specific abuses without restricting general sexual freedom
• Greater sexual freedom


  Enhances society by allowing fuller expression, deepening love, respect, and intensity in relationships
• Offensiveness to public taste


  Is not enough to halt activities and is more about manners than morality
• Discretion


  Should be used in public displays of pornography and sexual activities
• Activities

  Should be private matters among consenting adults if they do not violate ethical principles
• Solutions to manage public taste offensiveness

  1. Designated areas for nudity

  2. Clearly marked venues for adult content
• No conclusive evidence shows that these activities harm society; some studies show crime decreases where restrictions are relaxed
• Dangers of social diseases and AIDS

  Acknowledged, but proper precautions can minimize risks
• Choices about sexual activity


  Should be free, similar to how people choose to smoke or drink despite health risks
• Premarital sex


  Sexual relations that occur prior to marriage, referred to in the Bible as "fornication"
• Arguments against premarital sex

  • Undermining traditional morality and family values
  • Encouragement of promiscuity
  • Risk of social diseases and AIDS
  • Fostering guilt and ostracism
  • Issues with having children
  • The compatibility and experience fallacy
• Arguments for premarital sex


  Obsolescence of old traditions<|>Managing social diseases and AIDS<|>The promiscuity fallacy<|>Guilt and ostracism fallacy<|>Contraception and responsibility<|>Sexual experience and compatibility<|>Sexual pleasure<|>A private, not a public matter
• Marriage-type relationship


  Continuous and lasting (or intended to be), distinguishing it from temporary or transitory relationships