Time.com is running a piece talking about the application of the Lawrence v. Texas court case that struck down the state's sodomy laws as grounds for legalizing incest between adults.
First and foremost, this is not about legalizing pedophilia. That being said, I think that this idea is profoundly disturbing. The biological reasons to argue against this idea are of no consequence, since sex does not need to be procreative. However, the reason that incest differs from other types of consenting sex, is the underlying power dynamic that exists in families.
Parents exert strong influence on their children, even once those children become adults. This is akin to, but more powerful than, teacher-student relationships. The child may not even be aware that they are being coerced into sex.
The privacy arguments that have been used to strike down laws against sodomy, simply do not apply because the issue of consent is completely different.
Reade the article.
First and foremost, this is not about legalizing pedophilia. That being said, I think that this idea is profoundly disturbing. The biological reasons to argue against this idea are of no consequence, since sex does not need to be procreative. However, the reason that incest differs from other types of consenting sex, is the underlying power dynamic that exists in families.
Parents exert strong influence on their children, even once those children become adults. This is akin to, but more powerful than, teacher-student relationships. The child may not even be aware that they are being coerced into sex.
The privacy arguments that have been used to strike down laws against sodomy, simply do not apply because the issue of consent is completely different.
Reade the article.
Technorati Tags: incest, time.com, ethics
1 comment:
You may want to check out our pro/con article on incest on Debatepedia. I have posted a quote of your post there.
http://wiki.idebate.org/index.php/Debate:_Legalization_of_adult_incest#Con
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