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SEXUALITY AND A TRULY HUMAN CIVILISATION Sexuality in Global Perspective Introduction Catholic sexual ethics as greatest challenge to Catholic youth their parents’ struggle to observe such norms reservations about John Paul II can Catholic sexual mores be presented credibly in our age? 1. A CATHOLIC CUL-DE-SAC? McIntyre: no dialogue without a common story today’s dominant norm: personal pleasure and fulfilment Catholic natural law approach: God’s plan written in nature’s design Human sexuality unique ontologically not functionally functionally for continuation of species ontologically: a meeting place of body and spirit, common biology and individualised persons individual genetic differences very small but critical challenge: to hold together biological and personal values Loss of vision over last 30-40 years bitter dispute between proportionalism and intrinsic goods approach proportionalism: a balance of premoral goods and evils intrinsic goods: some goods can never be acted against directly Problems with scope of this debate anthropology shaped by modernity individualistic and consumeristic blurs categories of good/bad and right/wrong In Genesis account humanity is bipolar sin is loss of harmony within couple then between couple and God, couple and nature but human preservation dependent upon harmony and cooperation morality not a refinement but a precondition for human survival and flourishing Immorality not violation of code or command but threat to human solidarity parallel to epidemiology a search for ailments that cumulatively undermine human solidarity and survival 2. PROPORTIONALISM AND SEXUAL DILEMMAS Advantages of proportionalism a way through difficult cases in a rapidly changing world example of pregnant 14 year old Shortcomings of proportionalism tendency to view goods in rational balances moral character mainly formed by solidarity, bonding and modelling the powerful impact of the reflexive character of moral acts example of Vietnam veterans 3. EPIDEMIOLOGY AND SEXUAL HEALTH Devra Davis, When Smoke Ran Like Water linking individual deaths statistically to unhealthy practices and environments difficulty of linking individual moral acts with bad outcomes Signs of moral morbidity in our world statistics on global fertility, STD’s and pornography CONCLUSION Trying to endorse Catholic sexual mores by debate over individual acts not fruitful goodness/badness of individual acts well covered by correct understanding of conscience Seeing sexual acts as primarily individual choice and fulfilment leading to global problems more productive to stress Catholic vision of sexuality as a share in God’s self-giving and invitation to selftranscendence