1. Sex and Relationships Sex is an extremely wide term covering a range of issues… Promiscuity Cohabitation Cyber Sex Rape Masturbation Sexual Violence Prostitution Trans sexuality Marriage and divorce Homosexuality Pornography

2. Why do we need Sex Ethics? Sex has a unique role in human life for reproduction. It has a destructive potential (rejection, loss, exploitation, STIs) Sexual attraction marks the beginning of a potential union (physically, emotionally and spiritually) and can be extremely positive (love, tenderness and commitment). “Human sexuality is like a run away car” Richard Holloway It can be destructive or creative, but we are never quite in control of it.

3. Mutual Consent This is a huge issue in sex ethics. Under what conditions can you agree that someone consents to sex? Must it be verbal? At what age? (mental maturity is hard to define) Under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Mental disabilities? (Rational decision?) Mutual Consent?

4. Same sex marriage In December 2005 same sex marriages became legal in Britain. Gay couples had the same rights then as heterosexual couples in areas such as pensions, property, social security and housing. However Church weddings are still not allowed. In the US it varies from state to state. Same sex adoption is now legal- before a couple had to decide who would adopt the child giving the other partner less parental rights. Roger Lockyer and Percy Steven were one of the first gay couples to marry in a civil ceremony after waiting 39 years. They are now seen as each others next of kin.

5. Sex without consent Rape happens when a person has sex that he or she didn't agree to. It includes intercourse in the vagina, anus or mouth. Sometimes it happens when one person forces another to have sex. Sometimes this involves violence.It Can also happen when the victim can't think clearly due to drugs or alcohol. Rape is a felony offence. This means it is one the worst crimes a person can commit. Rape can happen to men, women or children. It causes both physical and emotional harm.

6. Facts about rape About 5% of women are raped at some point in their life. It's not just the girls. About one in ten rape victims is a man. Only 17% of rapes are performed by strangers. We are much more likely to be raped by someone we know. Only 20% of rapes are reported to the police.

7. A recent study by police more than a third of women raped had consumed alcohol immediately before the attack. Judges can now decide whether a woman was too drunk to give consent.

8. Pornography – Derives from the Greek word porographos which means ‘writings of harlots’. (Literally writings of prostitutes) Religious believers are universally opposed to porn. American serial killer Ted Bundy admitted in an interview that porn seriously effected his life and was reflected in his crimes. Porn can violate the status of human beings in ‘the image’ of God – Religious believers see it as degrading, something which discourages dignity, equality and holiness. Porn involves addiction, porn makes millions of pounds each year. It involves the subordination of women – it can be demeaning towards women. It also demeans the nature of a loving relationship between man and wife. Typically, Bundy would rape then murder his victims by bludgeoning, and sometimes by strangulation. He also engaged in necrophilia.

9. Judeo – Christian thought on sex and relationships The predominant view of the Old Testament emphasised the joy of sex and assumed that marriage and parenthood were natural. Reproduction of family lines was very important. In the few gospels where Jesus addressed sex he condemned adultery and divorce. ST PAUL It was St Paul who first presented the Christian ideal of celibacy (“It is well for a man not to touch a woman… I wish all men were as I myself am”). He cautioned that sex along with other things in this world could slow the quest for eternal salvation.

10. St Augustine of Hippo I hereby renounce my rather colourful past… We must put aside bodily pleasures for higher ideals. Sex before the fall of Adam and Eve was uncontaminated by raging passion and controlled and restrained by the mind. With original sin came this passion and burning sexual desire and a loss of control over the body. Therefore all sexual desire is tainted with evil. Original sin is therefore transmitted through the sexual intercourse! Thus, the requirement of the virgin birth: Jesus could be free from original sin this way. Celibacy was reconfirmed as the highest ideal and sex was regarded as a necessary evil to continue the species.