When thinking of sexual morality the first thing that comes to mind is sex. The idea of sex is very controversial, which is why it generates such passionate emotions from people. Strong opinions are formed towards the aspects of sexuality. For example some people deem it inappropriate to masturbate no matter the circumstances, while others view this activity as very natural. In actuality, sex is most certainly difficult to resist in today’s time. It has become a big part of the american culture and it in almost everything we look at. Whether it be in the poster ad for the clothes we want, or the romance in movies we go to see, sex is everywhere. The impending concern is to define if the actions committed are sexual are they considered morally honorable or misguided.
The question at hand is the moral permissibility of sexual behavior. There are three views on this topic and they are conventional, liberal, and moderate. Conventional states that sex is morally acceptable only between a man and woman who are legally married(Vaughn). This is the strictest view of them all. They consider any sex that is not procreational to be intolerable. This includes oral sex, sexual contraceptives, anal sex, and masturbation. This view provides the most religious standpoint. Those who believe in this point of view tend to judge others who participate in premarital sex, extramarital sex, same sex marriage, and pornography. In today’s society this view would be the least popular.
The next view is liberal, which expresses that if basic moral standards are respected than any sexually activity is permissible taking into account that both adults are enlightened and consenting. This viewpoint is very contradictory towards the conventional viewpoint. Every act of sexually behavior that is condemned by conventionalist is justified by a liberalist considering that the relevant moral principles must be obeyed. Now this viewpoint is a little closer to societies’ stance, but the judgment of its rightness is still debatable. The third and final view is moderate. This view conveys the answer is sex is permissible, whether in marriage or not, if the consenting partners have a serious emotional connection. This view is more accepted by people today because it does not require marriage, but it does demand there be a commitment towards one another. Provided that both partners, care for each other, love one another, or show affection than sex is morally allowed. Out of all the viewpoints, moderate seems to be the most reasonable due to the fact that is combines both the other views without being too strict or too loose.
Sexual activities cannot be deemed immoral simply because they are venereal. Morality is the distinction between right and wrong. There has to be some understanding of whether the action being performed is even believed to be wrong. The variation between conventional and liberal viewpoints on sexuality is whether or not the performance of sex is to reach an end goal. Conventionalist believe that creating a child should be that goal and that if any sex is implemented without this goal intended than it is an abomination. In this mindset, all sex sexual activities are not detected as immoral. They may be opposed but not as much to pronounce immortality. Liberalist on the other hand believe sex to be just for the enjoyment. The yearn of being pleasured by the contact of another human being through sexual activity is all sex is about. This mindset states that sex is for contentment and in ways can be distinguished as right. Being one sided on a situation so broad is very difficult. This is why the moderate viewpoint is highly sustainable. It allows one to have the feelings of sexual pleasure with a committed partner without the affliction of having procreation be the end goal. It also takes away the judgmental aspects that comes with both the other views. Conventionalists would deduce your sexual actions with the opposite sex to be impermissible if no marriage is involved even if there is a devoted faithfulness between you both and Liberalist would concluded the restriction on sexual acts to be a misdeed.
Ethically there are a few variant perspectives on the morality of sex. As in all ethical situations, there are three main frame of references that are considered to evaluate sexual morality. The first being through the natural law theory. In this theory it states that morally right actions are governed from what is natural in nature. It coincides with the Catholic outlook on sex. They believe that what is natural is for a man and woman who are bound together by marriage is that they are permitted to partake in limited sexual activities as long as their motivation is to conceive a child. This means that they frown upon those who engage in homosexuality, masturbation, and oral or anal sex. The next theory is Immanuel Kant’s theory, which suggests that there are set universal rules and that it is up to everyone as an individual to uphold to those rules. In terms of sexual morality, Kantians seem to have a more liberal viewpoint. In Kant’s theory, he states how it is unjustifiable to treat someone as a means to an end. In using someone you are violating their ability to provide their own personal consent.
The way that correlates with the liberal mindset is in how two consenting adults enact in sexual activities together because they are informed of all the consequences. There is no way to treat someone as an means to an end because they provide their consent to participate in intercourse. The last theory is that of a Utilitarian, who believes that what is right is what provides the most favorable outcome for all that are involved. In the eyes of a Utilitarian sex will not be deemed as morally wrong because in the long run. Utilitarians do not mind if sexual actions can cause risks, such as sexual transmitted diseases, social problems, emotional distress, unplanned pregnancies, and maybe even family issues, if it overall produces psychological happiness for all that it may concern. While all these theories have reasonable standpoints one that is most memorable for its exceptfulness would be Kantianism due to its ability to hold anyone and everyone responsible for actions they are involved in.
Sexual desire is an interpersonal motivational state of someone that results in the interest of sexual activities. It is proven that in today’s time, society is wired to think on sexual relations a certain way. There is no longer the simplicity of a monogamous relationship without all the erotic ways of thinking. Based on attractiveness, gender, and the environment in which someone was raised, a person’s sexual morality can be determined. Some believe in having a long lasting relationship that ends in matrimony, these people most likely believe in the conventional way of living. The intention of having a child through basic sexual behavior is enough to sustain them. Others live life through short term relationships. They are more liberal in that way. They strive for carnal experiences and tend to experiment based on their sexual desires. That leaves the moderate approach, which suggests that sexual activities can be tamed, even though there is a sexual desire, because both participating members have to provide consent without any coercion.
In the end, there is no unambiguous way to determine the morality of sex. There are so many factors involved, but it can all come down to your views whether it be conventional, liberal, or moderate. There are still questions to be answered and new information to be discovered. As of now the most favorable view is the moderate standpoint because just as the name suggests, it is the median to the situation at hand. It provides individuals with a sense of justification for their sexual behaviors and it does so without no discrimination from others for their actions or self hatred towards themselves. Whether sex is morally right or wrong is a question to comprehensive to answer, but that does not stop us from wondering.
