Sexual Morality

Conventional

Sex is only morally acceptable within marriage, and perhaps only in ways that do not
cut off the possibility of procreation.

Arguments for the limit of marriage:

1. Social utility - The well-being of society depends on a stable family life, and sex
outside of marriage destabilizes the family.
2. Personal excellence - Non-committed sex leads to a division between one’s
sexuality and other aspects of one’s person, and consequently, to missing out
on the highest form of relationship. (Punzo)

Argument for the limit of procreation:

Natural law theory - The natural end of human sexuality is to generate children who
should be brought up properly. Thus, only sexual relations between a married
man and woman that can lead to procreation are moral.

Liberal

Sex is judged morally like any other action: It is only immoral if it breaks some well-
established moral rule. Examples of relevant rules are 1. not harming another
person, and 2. not using another person, by undermining their voluntary
informed consent through deception and coercion (Mappes). (Erickson – adult
prostitution is morally acceptable because it doesn’t break any such rule.)
A liberal may respond to the other positions by arguing that many forms of sexuality
are moral but also imprudent.

Sex with Love (Moderate)

Sex is only moral if the partners are in love, since sex without love reduces a humanly
significant activity to a merely mechanical performance, which leads to the
negative consequences of dehumanization and psychological disintegration.
Some argue that it is possible to love several people simultaneously.

Feminist
Conventional sexual morality is oppressive to homosexuals and lesbians, and also to
all women since it is tied to the patriarchical institutions of marriage and
traditional sex roles. Conventional sexual morality is a double standard since in
reality it applies most heavily, or perhaps only, to women.
Some feminists are liberal about sexual relations. But others question the ability of
women to freely consent to heterosexual sexual relations given their economic
and social inequality, or argue that women are harmed by heterosexual sexual
relations because their self-assertiveness and sense of self-possession are
undermined (West), or because certain sexual practices are inherently
degrading to women.

Homosexuality

Homosexuality, though common, is one of the most controversial sexual practices.

Many people reject conventional sexual morality but also find homosexuality
morally problematic. Some reasons given for this response:
1. Homosexual acts are repulsive and offensive.
2. Homosexuals are inherently promiscuous and cannot achieve enduring love
relations. Consequently, homosexuality undermines the family structure (Social
utility and Georgia sodomy statute; responses by White and Arthur).
3. Homosexuals have a greater tendency to molest children than heterosexuals.
4. Homosexuality is contrary to nature (Natural law theory and Georgia sodomy
statute; responses by White Arthur).
5. Homosexuals are more likely to spread AIDS. As a sexual practice, it seriously
threatens public health (Georgia sodomy statute; response by Arthur).
There are strong counter arguments against each of these claims, including that they
are based merely on opinion or murky concepts, or are not backed up by
evidence. The challenge to non-conventional opponents of homosexuality is to
draw a relevant difference between homo- and heterosexual sexual practices.