Sexual ethics Flashcards
developments in ethical thought
premarital sex
-sex before marriage
-“So that husband and wife become in a way one heart and one soul, and together attain their human fulfilment” Pope Paul VI
-implies that unless you get married, you will never be fulfilled
-“humans love doesn’t tolerate ‘trial marriages’. it demands a total and definitive gift of persons to one another” Catechism
-‘trial marriage’ = where the couple intend to marry later
-for Catholic Church, premarital sex doesn’t express faithfulness, exclusivity and commitment
-don’t tolerate sex before marriage
-people who engage in premarital sex are committing a grave sin and are excluded from the sacramental communion until living in a morally correct way (but how would they know whether someone has done that?)
-Church of England does “accept that cohabitation is a step along the way towards that fuller and more complete commitment”
extramarital sex/ adultery
-sexual activity that occurs outside of a marriage, where at least one person involved is married to someone else
extramarital sex: how the Church protected women’s rights
-Lisa Sowle Cahill argues that historically wealthy, powerful men had concubines (a lower status woman who lived with them like a wife) as well as wives
-men having long term relationships with several women (polygamy) was common
-adultery was a crime that only women were accused of
-divorce was exclusively a male prerogative
-however, the Church banned adultery which made it impossible for men to have concubines and ban on divorce stopped men abandoning women
homosexuality
-in 2014, the first same sex marriage took place
-“do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a women, that is detestable” (Leviticus)
-Paul notes that “men committed shameful acts with other men” (Romans)
-Eve was made from rib of Adam
what are the flaws with using the Bible and applying to modern debates?
-Moore points out that many rules aren’t so forcefully imposed by Christians today, such as those that advocate beheading or those that forbid the wearing of garments made by two kinds of material (Leviticus)
-seems for Moore that inconvenient rules are ignored while others that pursue attacking minorities are supported
the Churches on homosexuality: Church of England
-opposes same sex marriage, requires homosexual clergy to remain celibate
-2017 Bishops of CoE issued a statement called ‘Marriage and Same Sex Relationships’ – affirmed that marriage is between man and a woman
-also affirmed that there is a place for homosexuals in the Church, some shame and repentance is appropriate for the way homosexuals have been treated
-however, when taken for a vote, it was rejected
-CoE remain split
the Churches on homosexuality: Catholic Church
-no sin involved in an inclination towards a member of the same sex, as such an inclination isn’t freely chosen and is a trial
-“there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar to God’s plan for marriage and family” Pope Francis
-Pope backtracked when stats showed that 150-200 gay men are murdered in Italy every year
-he said “if a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am i to judge?”
changing face of the Church
-“we implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. we commit ourselves to be in ministry and with all persons” the United Methodist Church
-some Christian churches have gone further, challenging traditional disapproval of homosexuality, maintain that quality of relationships is what determines its value
-believe that God made us all ‘imago dei’, implying all men and women are by nature good
-many liberal christians maintain that homosexuality is normal and natural and is not changeable or freely chosen
natural law on sexual ethics
-right and wrong are fixed truths, linking to what makes humans flourish
-“the natural style of intercourse is to be observed”
-Catholic approaches to sexual ethics draws upon Natural law: procreation = central to purpose of sexual intercourse and marriage
-no homosexual sex, premarital sex, extramarital sex, contraception, masturbation
-morally wrong as they don’t support the precepts or a flourishing society
-sex might feel good but is an apparent good
-teachings and laws can be interpreted
-example, extramarital sex could be moral as a way of resolving infertility such as the Bible when Abraham sired a child with his servant because his wife was infertile
-surrogate sex ‘might not be’ frowned upon
situation ethics on sexual ethics
-examples, woman in a prison of war camp who asked the guard (not her husband) to have sex and impregnate her so she could leave the camp
-can be seen as ethical
-HOWEVER, have been criticised for being exceptional circumstances and not suitable for a basis for a general moral theory
-that was the point of SE, help deal with moral decisions when the usual moral rules don’t seem to apply
-focuses upon; particular situation, interests of individual person, love and justice, selfless unconditional love — imply that one might be permitted to break traditional moral rules are sex
-pragmatic approach, sets aside fixed moral truths in order to put the person and their relationship at the heart of decisions
-always open to breaking traditional ethical rules, decisions are made situationally
Kantian ethics on sexual ethics
-freedom (autonomy), consent is priority, consensual promises, always considering the value and worth of people involved, dignity, equality
-categorical imperative first formulation: universalisability (applying maxims to everyone universally)
1. extramarital sex – can’t rationally will that everyone will cheat in marriage, destroys idea of marriage, its self defeating and undermines trust
2. homosexuality – condemned homosexuality as unnatural, modern Kantian interpretations argue that there’s no inherent contradiction in universalising it, if relationship = consensual and respects human dignity then it is moral
3. premarital sex – believed sex was only moral within marriage, otherwise people would use each other as means to an end (for pleasure), however, modern Kantian thinkers might argue that consensual premarital sex doesn’t treat people as just means to an end
-second formulation: means to an end: no; rape, forced marriage, objectifying people
-sex within marriage is about union and sexual enjoyment
utilitarianism on sexual ethics
-often called libertarianism:
-consenting adults do as they want, protects freedom of choice,’harm principle’ = important, praises safe sex avoids unwanted pregnancies, HIV etc.
-Bentham wanted greatest wellbeing for everyone thus believed that rules of marriage protect those involved against pre and extra marital sex
-Mill was concerned with extent to which religion forbids certain behaviours, envisaging a free liberal society, moving away from constraints of religion
-fought for: artificial contraception being available to poor, women’s rights, gender equality, marriage that promotes equal partnership
-sex is “a principle of quality admitting no power or privilege on the one side, nor disability on the other”
evaluation of Natural Law on sexual ethics
-is it an unnatural act always wrong if it is mutual and consented to? (-)
-is what is natural always right? what about sexual abuse within marriage? (-)
-it is illogical to say that an infertile couple can have sex – what about love, commitment, connection? (-)
-Aquinas was celibate, what does he know about sexual relationships? (-)
-can masturbation and homosexuality be argued to be natural? (-)
-is it natural to only have one partner and a monogamous relationships if sex is centred purely on reproduction? (-)
-Leiser: to condemn people for using their sexual organs for pleasure, example, elderly couples cannot reproduce, reveals prejudices and irrational taboos of society (-)
-without contraception world over populated and spread of STI? (-)
evaluation of situation ethics on sexual ethics
-focuses on the individual, which makes it more likely to lead to happiness for a greater number of people (+)
-It also provides a way of making ethical decisions which take into account the fact that everyone is different (+)
-ensures that no-one is unfairly condemned for who they love and choose to have sex with (+)
-It could lead to a situation where actions which society views as morally reprehensible are allowed (-)
-example, it could be argued that sex with someone younger than 16 is acceptable if both consent to the relationship and feel loved as a result (-)
evaluation of Kantian ethics on sexual ethics
-emphasises importance of equality and not treating others as a tool for our own pleasure (+)
-recognised the importance of pleasure within a marriage (+)
-sexual relations always recognise other person as free - never means to an end (+)
-ignores the importance of emotions within a relationship (-)
-just because something cannot be universalised doesn’t mean it is wrong, would be no variation (-)
evaluation of utilitarianism on sexual ethics
-emphasises importance of pleasure within a relationship (+)
-allows sexual freedom and choice (+)
-emphasised importance of consent, equality and sharing pleasure and love mutually (+)
-realistic – allows for contraception and safe sex (+)
-flexible and subjective so can be applied to individual situations (+)
-hard to apply hedonic calculus to specific situations (-)
-Mill says that sex is a lower pleasure but don’t human experience sex differently from animals – sex is more important (-)
-teleological – can’t always predict outcomes (-)
-do emotions/passion cloud our judgement (-)
