Human Reproductive Health and Sexuality

¶ … Human Reproductive Health and Sexuality

Ethical Sexuality:

There are moral issues that apply to human sexuality just as there are moral issues that apply to most other human interactions where choices and actions taken by one person affect others. While it may not presently be reflected in the law, there is certainly a moral obligation not to carelessly transmit known sexual diseases to others, especially to the extent that entails deceiving them or purposely misrepresenting one's health.

In principle, if it could be proven that one individual transmitted a sexual disease to another despite being aware of the risk and despite being asked about his or her sexual health, there may very well be a basis for a civil lawsuit. Unlike the common cold, many sexually transmitted diseases are incurable and not transmissible through the air. Furthermore, the moral responsibility is the greatest where one individual obtains consent for sexual relations by falsely misrepresenting the information necessary for the other individual to assess the risks to his or her health.

Unintended Pregnancy:

When a woman unexpectedly becomes pregnant, both partners are equally responsible where neither took any precautions or simply relied on the other to do so. Where the couple does discuss the issue and does select a method of contraception, failure of that method is the responsibility of whichever partner failed to use the agreed upon method; where no identifiable reason accounts for the failure, both partners are equally responsible for the known risk that materialized. As a matter of law in the United States, responsibility in that sense is purely academic because both partners are held equally responsible for the financial support of the child on public policy grounds.

Contraception and Birth Control Methods:

Barrier methods of birth control include diaphragm, male condom, and female condom. The diaphragm works by covering the cervical opening to prevent sperm from entering to fertilize an egg in the female. Ideally, the diaphragm is used with contraceptive agents to increase effectiveness. The male condom covers the entire penis to prevent any sperm from entering the female after ejaculation. The female condom works on the same principle, only instead of fitting around the penis, it is designed to line the inside of the vagina where it is intended to perform the same function (Taylor, Lillis, & LeMone, 2005).

Chemical contraception includes oral birth control pills, most of which contain various combinations of estrogen-based hormones designed to inhibit ovulation. Other forms of chemical contraception include skin patches and subcutaneous implants that perform the same essential function as oral contraception except directly through the circulatory system. Similarly, injectable contraceptives such as Depo-Provera eliminate the need for oral pills as well as for estrogen because Depo-Provera uses progestin instead of estrogen, which is safer for many women and associated with fewer side effects. Generally, chemical contraception methods work by inhibiting ovulation as well as by creating a more hostile vaginal environment through chemical changes in the composition of vaginal secretions (Taylor, Lillis, & LeMone, 2005).