Applied Ethics: Sexual Ethics

Sexual ethics is one of the most sensitive and contested areas of applied ethics. The AQA A-Level specification requires you to examine moral questions about premarital sex, homosexuality, contraception, and adultery, and to apply the major ethical theories (natural moral law, utilitarianism, situation ethics, Kantian ethics) alongside religious perspectives. This topic demands careful, respectful engagement with diverse viewpoints.

Key Definition: Sexual ethics is the branch of applied ethics concerned with the moral evaluation of sexual behaviour, relationships, and practices. It examines questions about what constitutes morally acceptable sexual conduct and on what grounds.

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Key Issues

Premarital Sex

Premarital sex (sex before marriage) has been historically condemned by most religious traditions but is now widely accepted in many Western societies. The ethical debate centres on questions of consent, commitment, emotional maturity, and the purpose of sexual relationships.

Traditional religious view: Sex belongs exclusively within marriage. Marriage provides the framework of commitment, stability, and mutual responsibility within which sexual expression is appropriate. The Catholic Church teaches that sex has two inseparable purposes — unitive (bonding husband and wife) and procreative (openness to new life) — both of which require the context of marriage.

Liberal view: Premarital sex is morally acceptable provided there is mutual consent, emotional maturity, and respect between partners. The moral significance lies not in the institutional status of the relationship but in the quality of the relationship itself.

Homosexuality

Homosexuality — sexual attraction to persons of the same sex — has been one of the most debated issues in religious and secular ethics. The ethical and theological arguments are complex and contested.

Conservative religious view: Homosexual acts are morally wrong because they violate the natural purpose of sex (procreation) and contradict scriptural teaching:

• "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination" (Leviticus 18:22).
• "For this reason God gave them up to dishonourable passions" (Romans 1:26–27).
• The Catholic Church distinguishes between homosexual orientation (which is not sinful) and homosexual acts (which are always sinful because they are not open to procreation).

Liberal religious view: The scriptural passages have been misinterpreted or reflect the cultural context of their time, not timeless moral truths. God's fundamental command is to love, and loving, committed same-sex relationships can express agape just as heterosexual ones can. Many liberal Christians, Quakers, and Reform Jews now affirm same-sex relationships and, in some denominations, same-sex marriage.

Secular view: Homosexuality is a natural variation in human sexuality. The moral evaluation of sexual acts should be based on consent, respect, and mutuality, not on the gender of the partners. Discrimination against LGBTQ+ people is a violation of human rights.

Contraception

Contraception — the deliberate prevention of conception — raises ethical questions about the purpose of sex, personal autonomy, and the sanctity of potential life.

Position	Key Argument
Catholic Church	Artificial contraception is morally wrong because it separates the unitive and procreative functions of sex. Only natural family planning (NFP) is permissible. (Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI, 1968)
Protestant churches	Most Protestant denominations accept contraception as a responsible exercise of stewardship over family planning.
Secular view	Contraception is a matter of personal autonomy and is essential for women's reproductive rights, public health, and population management.

Evaluation (AO3):

• The Catholic prohibition on contraception is widely challenged, even by many Catholics. Surveys consistently show that the majority of Catholic women in developed countries use artificial contraception.
• The distinction between natural and artificial contraception is criticised as arbitrary — both aim to prevent conception.
• However, supporters argue that NFP respects the natural purpose of sex in a way that artificial contraception does not.

Adultery

Adultery — sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than their spouse — is almost universally condemned across religious and ethical traditions.

• Religious condemnation: The Seventh Commandment states: "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). Jesus extended this prohibition to include lustful thoughts (Matthew 5:27–28).
• Ethical analysis: Adultery involves deception, betrayal of trust, and breaking of solemn promises. It causes significant emotional harm to the betrayed spouse and any children involved.
• Kantian analysis: Adultery treats the betrayed spouse merely as a means — it bypasses their rational autonomy by denying them the truth about the relationship.

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Natural Moral Law Approach

Aquinas's NML provides a clear and conservative framework for sexual ethics:

1. Primary precept — reproduction: The natural purpose of sex is procreation. Any sexual act that is not open to the possibility of procreation violates natural law. This condemns homosexual acts, contraception, and (arguably) premarital sex.
2. Primary precept — ordered society: Stable family structures, based on marriage, are essential for social order. Adultery and promiscuity undermine these structures.
3. Primary precept — education of the young: Children are best raised within stable, committed relationships — ideally marriage. This supports the traditional family model.
4. Real vs apparent goods: Sexual pleasure pursued outside its natural context (marriage, openness to procreation) is an apparent good that leads away from genuine human flourishing.