Sexual Ethics Test

One Hundred Plus Questions

Related to Sexual Right and Wrong

Cluster 7

Version 1.5

1. Regarding sexual activity by teenagers, with which statement(s) do you generally agree:

1. Teenage males should abstain from sexual relations unless married.
2. Teenage females should abstain from sexual relations unless married.
3. It is cruel to insist both that teenagers buck their natural sexual impulses by being abstinent and that they postpone marriage.
4. Teenagers should be allowed to have sex with others relatively close to their own age; but sexual relations should be discouraged when there is an age difference of several years or more, except within marriage.
5. Once teenagers have passed puberty, it should be understood that they have entered the world of adult sexuality; and there should be no age barriers.
6. Teenagers, once they feel ready, should be physically mentored in sexual relations by experienced adults.
7. I don't know.
8. Other. Please elaborate.

2. Regarding pregnancy precautions for teenagers, with which statement(s) do you generally agree:

1. Teenagers ought to be advised that, upon becoming sexually active, they should take precautions against pregnancy, unless fully prepared to start a family.
2. To encourage teenagers to take precautions against pregnancy is to encourage them to engage in sexual activity, when they should be discouraged from engaging in such activity.
3. I don't know.
4. Other. Please elaborate.

3. Regarding precautions for teenagers against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), with which statement(s) do you generally agree:

1. Teenagers ought to be advised that, upon becoming sexually active, they should take precautions against STDs.
2. To encourage teenagers to take precautions in anticipation of or during sexual activity is to encourage them to engage in sexual activity, when they should be discouraged from engaging in such activity.
3. I don't know.
4. Other. Please elaborate.

4. Should teenagers be encouraged to profile, at least in part for purposes of self-knowledge, their sexual orientation, tastes, etc.?

1. No, each individual must, in time, find these things out for him or herself anyway.
2. No, this would have the effect of engendering tastes in teenagers they are better off without.
3. No, each individual should either conform to straightness or remain abstinent.
4. No, there's no point since individuals change over time.
5. Yes, developing a profile as early as possible is important so that the individual can be changed to fit the expectations he or she is likely to face.
6. Yes, developing sexual self-knowledge is important, is a lifetime process, should begin early so that various kinds of unhappiness can be avoided, and should be encouraged by:
   1. Parents.
   2. Teachers.
   3. Medical personnel.
   4. Religious leaders.
   5. Writers.
   6. Anyone who puts the best interest of the teenager first.
7. I don't know.
8. Other. Please elaborate.

5. Is the intentional prevention of conception by means of drugs or devices morally wrong?

1. No, it is not wrong.
2. Not only is it not wrong, but contraceptive drugs and devices play a vital role in responsible sexuality.
3. Yes, it is wrong, because it masks the responsibilities and possible consequences of human sexual activity.
4. Yes, it is wrong because it thwarts the divinely ordained purpose of human sexuality.
5. I don't know.
6. Other. Please elaborate.

6. Is it morally wrong to take wealth or social status into account when choosing a marital partner?

1. Yes, because it denigrates love, hence the self.
2. Yes, it is a form of prostitution, which is wrong.
3. Yes, it is worse than prostitution, because it is throwing away one's life -- not just moments of one's life -- for material ends.
4. No, it may be a form of prostitution, but prostitution is not wrong.
5. No, because sharing in marriage is categorically different from taking money for sex.
6. No, it is hallowed by tradition and conventional practice.
7. No, it is just being practical.
8. No, when it serves a high end such as the establishment of important family alliances.
9. No, because a marriage between social peers means less inequality in marriage, which is healthy.
10. No, because the more often there are differences in wealth or social status the more even the distribution of wealth and status in society, which is healthy.
11. No, because having the means to provide amply for a spouse has factored even into human evolution; in other words, taking such means into account is part of our nature.
12. No, because marriage is about property and inheritance anyway; otherwise marriage as a formal institution would be pointless.
13. No, provided that each of the prospective marital partners are aware and accepting of it being taken into account.
14. I don't know.
15. Other. Please elaborate.

7. Is the exchange of money, goods, or services for sex morally wrong?

1. Yes, because it is an exchange of the deeply personal for the material.
2. No, offering sex for sale is an important service.
3. I don't know.
4. Other. Please elaborate.

8. Is sex industry work to be socially valued?

1. No, because such work exploits weakness, in fact, tendencies to vice on the part of customers.
2. No, because it represents the exploitation of vulnerability on the part of the workers.
3. No, because it exploits something transcendental in humanity itself for base material ends.
4. No, because it trades in a material way on the deeply personal, which is far more important than any material benefit.
5. No, because it entails and encourages immoral acts.
6. No, because it is beneath human dignity.
7. No, because it is intrinsically sexist.
8. No, because it weakens the fabric of society.
9. Yes, because it brings pleasure to many.
10. Yes, because it contributes to the economy.
11. Yes, because it provides a necessary outlet.
12. Yes, because it enriches sexual knowledge and experience.
13. Yes, because it helps to make us more accepting of our sexuality.
14. Yes, because it helps to anchor more deeply our right to free speech.
15. Yes, because it helps us to know our own tastes better.
16. I don't know.
17. Other. Please elaborate.

9. Can purely sexual behavior itself be intrinsically wrong or is it unwelcome behaviors, such as violence and force, which, when mixed with sexual behavior, can make for wrongness?

1. Sexual behavior can be intrinsically wrong, as when a married person has an extra-marital affair with the consent of all parties, including his or her spouse.
2. Only unwelcome behaviors can make for wrongness, not purely sexual behavior itself.
3. I don't know.
4. Other. Please elaborate.

10. Is the use of material that focuses on the human body and human sexual activity, when for purposes of sexual arousal, morally acceptable? (We are talking about erotica.)

1. Yes, such material is acceptable, whatever its form.
2. Yes, but only written erotica is acceptable.
3. Yes, but not photographs or film of actual people, that is:
   1. Not in the nude,
      1. With regard to photographs or film of children.
      2. With regard to photographs or film of adolescents.
      3. With regard to photographs or film of adults.
   2. Not in erotic poses,
      1. With regard to photographs or film of children.
      2. With regard to photographs or film of adolescents.
      3. With regard to photographs or film of adults.
   3. Not with female nipples showing,
      1. With regard to photographs or film of adolescents.
      2. With regard to photographs or film of adults.
   4. Not with pubic hair showing,
      1. With regard to photographs or film of adolescents.
      2. With regard to photographs or film of adults.
   5. Not with genitalia showing,
      1. With regard to photographs or film of children.
      2. With regard to photographs or film of adolescents.
      3. With regard to photographs or film of adults.
   6. Not faking sex acts,
      1. With regard to photographs or film of children.
      2. With regard to photographs or film of adolescents.
      3. With regard to photographs or film of adults.
   7. Not actually performing sex acts,
      1. With regard to photographs or film of children.
      2. With regard to photographs or film of adolescents.
      3. With regard to photographs or film of adults.
   8. Not ever.
4. Yes, but not graphic depiction of sex acts, even drawings.
5. Yes, but not graphic depiction of genitalia, even drawings.
6. Yes, but not live, as in phone sex and video feeds.
7. Yes, but only if no person has engaged in extra-marital sex in the creation of the erotica.
8. Yes, but only if it has other socially redeeming value.
9. No, because erotica de-personalizes both the human body and sexual activity.
10. No, because erotica is designed to arouse lust, which is wrong.
11. I don't know.
12. Other. Please elaborate.

11. Is the depiction of violence or its effects, when for purposes of sexual arousal, morally acceptable?

1. Yes, the imagination is morally free; it is one area that should know no bounds, especially with respect to sexuality.
2. Yes, because the effect is cathartic; such depiction helps get violence out of one's system.
3. Yes, it is an expression of something deeply and authentically human; and it should be accepted as such.
4. No, the association of violence with pleasure reinforces violent tendencies, which is bad for society.
5. No, because it is designed to arouse lust, which is wrong.
6. I don't know.
7. Other. Please elaborate.

Go to test instructions.

Go to cluster 1.

Go to cluster 2.

Go to cluster 3.

Go to cluster 4.

Go to cluster 5.

Go to cluster 6. (Previous)

Go to cluster 7.

Go to cluster 8. (Next)

Go to cluster 9.

Go to cluster 10.

Go to personal information questionnaire.

Go to report: The Theory of Human Sexuality and Marriage.

Go to home page.

Your feedback is welcome!

First draft completed, December 21, 1998; posted, December 21, 1998; new url, January 28, 2004; last modification, December 7, 2008

Copyright ©1998-2008 by Norman E. Anderson