Marriage, Mental Handicap, and Sexuality

An examination of traditional sources for the Roman Catholic under-standing of marriage reveals that the ends of marriage might be ordered differently, given different contexts. This permits one working within that tradition to see marriage as a political and cultural entity existing independently o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Flannery, Kevin L. 1950- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage 2004
In: Studies in Christian ethics
Year: 2004, Volume: 17, Issue: 3, Pages: 11-26
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:An examination of traditional sources for the Roman Catholic under-standing of marriage reveals that the ends of marriage might be ordered differently, given different contexts. This permits one working within that tradition to see marriage as a political and cultural entity existing independently of the individuals who participate in it. Marriage is also the standard with respect to which sexual activity is judged to be proper or not, a standard that applies to all human beings by virtue of their rational nature. Understanding this allows one to understand how some people, including some of the mentally handicapped, might legitimately be prevented from marrying and even from engaging in genital sexual activity. It also allows one to solve some theoretical difficulties regarding contraception and homosexuality and connected with the fact that sterile couples cannot procreate and yet are permitted to marry.
ISSN:0953-9468
Contains:Enthalten in: Studies in Christian ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/095394680401700302