Dale Amon at Libertarian Samizdata
says that the reason he’ll never vote Republican is because Republicans
are
"inherently anti-sexual". Well, I would beg to differ.
The fact remains, that the kind of unfettered sexuality that was produced by
the "sexual revolution" has left us less, not more, free. My generation
lives with the spectres of AIDS, sexually transmitted disease, and media images
that constantly reinforce sexual promiscuity as being something of value. Is it any
wonder that so many of my generation are disillusioned by it all? Let’s face it, if
people actually lived like the characters on Friends or Sex and the
City they would quickly realize that what is considered sexually
"liberating" is anything but.
It isn’t that Republicans are enforcing some arbitrary moral values, it’s that
we’re trying to ask the question "is this really where we want to go?"
Is it truly so much to ask that we ensure that parents have the chance to talk
to their children about sexuality rather than the state doing it for them? Is such
a thing as parental consent with the option of judicial bypass for extreme cases
a marker of extremism? Is fostering a culture that is rampantly sexual despite
the consequences a good thing? The answer to all of these question is no.
In the end, sexuality is more than just a personal issue. Libertarianism fails
in many cases because it assumes that many actions with negative societal
implications are strictly personal. Abortion, sexuality, and other such issues all
carry societal risks that need to be dealt with without conveniently dismissing
them as mere personal choices. I firmly believe that fostering a culture without
some limits to sexual practice violates some distinct and assignable obligations
to society, to paraphrase John Stuart Mill. In the end, to foster responsible
sexual behavior and to safeguard the life of the unborn is hardly forcing values
down anyone’s throats – it is protecting the values of society that all of us entered
into as part of the social contract. To say that Republicans are anti-sexual is
a gross misstatement. Sexual responsiblity is not anti-sexual, but a necessary
element of civilized life.
