Sexual Politics

Congratulating Wesleyan

Far from being criticized, Wesleyan University should be congratulated for revealing the ethical assumptions and the practical destination of the politics of sexual identity.
Continue Reading »

The Atlanta Fire Chief Fired

The story of Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran’s dismissal is circulating widely, and for what looks to be good reason. Continue Reading »

Planned Parenthood and Other Catholic Volunteer Opportunities

The Biology Department of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota publicizes volunteer opportunities on their webpage.Good idea. We should all be encouraged to serve the common good as best we can.  Continue Reading »

Is It Legal—or, Who’s the Victim?

One of the more intractable aspects of sexual politics today for traditionalists is the emergence of the courtroom as the arena for settling every debate. Even when they have a democratic majority, not to mention centuries of sexual-marital mores, on their side, the contrary will of one-to-five politically-appointed individuals can prevail. Of course, judicial activism is an old problem, undemocratic and arbitrary, placing monumental decisions in too few hands. But there is another problem, an indirect one that follows precisely from critics taking seriously the courtroom’s power. We could call this problem the “legalization” of debate, meaning not whether something is legal, but instead the conversion of moral, social, religious, and other dimensions of an issue into legal, or legalistic, terms, or at least the neglect of them because of a focus on what the judges will say.

  Continue Reading »

Woodstock Comes to Washington

If any further proof were needed that the Woodstock generation has taken over the federal government, President Clinton’s “AIDS Czar,” Kristine Gebbie, gave a speech a few months ago at a conference on teen pregnancy that should put the matter to rest. (Her office attempted to rewrite the . . . . Continue Reading »

Man, Woman, and Public Policy

Our generation's gender philosophy has harmed men, women, and their . . . . Continue Reading »

Undertakings and Promises

For Christians, as for everyone else, the topic of sexual ethics is today one of widespread confusion, contention, and uncertainty. In this essay I propose to deal with the specific question of the kinds of promises and undertakings people ought to make when they engage in sexual relations. But I . . . . Continue Reading »