Sexual Rights of Young People: Dilemmas Concerning Sexual Autonomy

Abstract

World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) published its revised version of the Declaration of Sexual Rights in 2014. In 2016 WAS Youth Initiative started a process with International Planned Parenthood Federation to look into special issues in sexual rights of young people. The expert consultation discussions identified several ethical problems that make the implementation of sexual rights of young people challenging. In this lecture three of the problems will be discussed from the point of view of sexual ethics: evolving capabilities, risk-taking and discrimination. All of the problems share similar characteristics; the questions of autonomous decision-making and paternalism are deeply involved in all of them. In order to effectively analyse the problems a critical philosophical enquiry is needed, because all of the problems consist of two components: the philosophical dilemma of agency and informed decision-making, and the problem of surrounding cultural and social conditions, which doesn’t allow for best solutions to be applied, but instead relies on traditions, myths and unwarranted understanding of sexual risk and stigma. Thus in order to successfully penetrate the traditions and myths that stand in the way of capability based autonomy-supporting sexuality education, some typical ways of addressing the problems must be critically assessed and the traditional perspectives challenged.