Law, policy, biology, and sex: Critical issues for researchers.

Researchers should be aware of how sex-difference science is (mis)applied in legal and policy contexts.

Responsabilidade, consentimento e cuidado. Ética e moral nos limites da sexualidade / Responsibility, consent and care. Ethics and morals at the limits of sexuality / Responsabilidad, consentimiento y cuidado. Ética y moral en los límites de la sexualidad

Resumo Neste artigo pretendo apresentar alguns dos resultados de uma pesquisa de pós- -doutoramento, na qual acompanhei grupos virtuais e encontros presenciais de interlocutores adeptos de práticas sexuais tidas como "de risco", tais como o sexo bareback, em eventos exclusivos para homens cisgêneros. O objetivo aqui é analisar um certo regime de regulação ético-moral percebido em campo relativo à preocupação de se afirmar que essas práticas sexuais partem de valores como a "responsabilidade", o "consentimento" e o "cuidado". Nas dinâmicas observadas, esses valores se (re)constroem e fissuram a partir do atravessamento de elementos diversos como drogas e medicamentos, além de diversos tensores libidinais. É sobre a produção contextual desses conceitos e a sua relação frente às atuais políticas pública de prevenção que pretendo me debruçar no artigo.

Abstract This article presents some results of a postdoctoral research, in which I followed virtual groups and face-to-face meetings of interlocutors engaging at sexual practices considered "risky", such as bareback sex, in events exclusive for cisgender men. The objective here is to analyze a certain regime of ethical-moral regulation perceived in the fieldwork regarding a concern to assign to these sexual practices values such as "responsibility", "consent" and "care". In the observed dynamics, these values are (re)constructed and fissured at the intersection of diverse elements such as drugs and medications, in addition to several libidinal tensors. This article addresses these concepts contextual production and their relation to current public prevention policies.

Resumen En este artículo tengo la intención de presentar algunos de los resultados de una investigación posdoctoral, en la que seguí grupos virtuales y reuniones cara a cara de interlocutores que eran expertos en prácticas sexuales consideradas "en riesgo", como el sexo a pelo, en eventos exclusivos para hombres cisgénero. El objetivo aquí es analizar un cierto régimen de regulación ético-moral percibido en el campo con respecto a la preocupación de afirmar que estas prácticas sexuales parten de valores tales como "responsabilidad", "consentimiento" y "cuidado". En la dinámica observada, estos valores se (re) construyen y descifran a través del cruce de diferentes elementos, como drogas y medicamentos, además de varios tensores libidinales. Se trata de la producción contextual de estos conceptos y su relación con las políticas actuales de prevención pública que pretendo abordar en el artículo.

Aspectos éticos y sociales de la sexualidad de la mujer en el climaterio y la posmenopausia / Ethical and Social Aspects of Women's Sexuality in the Climacteric and Postmenopause / Ethical and Social Aspects of Women's Sexuality in the Climacteric and Postmenopause

RESUMEN Introducción: La esfera sexual en el ser humano tiene una notable relevancia, por ser un mundo de sentimientos y sentidos dentro del universo humano que genera armonía, bienestar, autoestima, ternura, complicidad, y protección, tan beneficiosos para cualquiera, por lo que la misma comprende también aspectos éticos intrínsecos que son de gran importancia. Objetivos: Determinar los aspectos éticos y sociales de la sexualidad de la mujer en el climaterio y la menopausia. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo transversal en las mujeres que acudieron a consulta de climaterio y menopausia del Municipio Playa, comprendidas en edades entre 40 y 64 años. El estudio se realizó entre el 1º de julio de 2017 y el 30 de septiembre de 2018. Variables estudiadas: Edad, etapa del climaterio, estado conyugal, principales síntomas referidos y factores sociales Resultados: Predominaron las mujeres más jóvenes comprendidas entre 40 y 44 años (25,3 %) y entre 45 y 49 años (22,9 %). El motivo de consulta no fue relacionado con problemas de la sexualidad, sino que la gran mayoría (79 pacientes; 95,1 %) asistió a consulta por otros motivos. Conclusiones: La mayoría de las pacientes presentan dudas, así como también síntomas relacionados con la sexualidad y no consultan por estos motivos. El aspecto ético resulta de gran importancia en estas mujeres, por lo que se recomienda brindarles asesoría sobre la sexualidad cuando acudan a la consulta, independientemente del motivo por el cual asistan.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The sexual sphere in the human being has remarkable relevance, as it is a world of feelings and senses within the human universe that generates harmony, well-being, self-esteem, tenderness, complicity, and protection, so beneficial to anyone, so that it also includes intrinsic ethical aspects that are of great importance. Objectives: To determine the ethical and social aspects of women's sexuality in the climacteric and menopause. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in women who attended the climacteric and menopause consultation in Playa Municipality. Ages ranged 40 and 64 years. The study was conducted from July 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018. Variables studied were age, climacteric stage, marital status, main referred symptoms, and social factors. Results: Younger women between 40 and 44 years (25.3%) and between 45 and 49 years (22.9%) predominated. The reason for consultation was not related to sexuality problems, the vast majority (79 patients; 95.1%) attended consultation for other reasons. Conclusions: Most patients have doubts, as well as symptoms related to sexuality and do not consult for these reasons. The ethical aspect is of great importance in these women, so it is recommended to provide advice on sexuality when they attend the consultation, regardless of the reason they attend.

Sex: we can't have it both ways.

I analyse the tension between a plausible liberal view of sex work and the similarly plausible idea that rape and other forms of sexual violence are made morally worse by their sexual nature. I find no conclusive reason to drop the liberal view of sex work, at least as long as the concept of voluntary and informed consent at the core of it is robust enough to account for the realities of prostitution around the world; nor should we abandon the idea that rape is no ordinary immoral act: reducing sexual violence to non-sexual violence would misrepresent the relevant phenomena and perpetuate injustice.

Pathways to pleasure: Older adult women's reflections on being sexual beings.

Older adult women make up a growing part of the population, and yet literature on the sexual activity over their life spans is lacking. This qualitative interview study explored the experience of 16 women aged 57-91 to better understand sexual pleasure over a lifetime. The participants described having to challenge cultural rules to create a supportive environment for sexual expression. Having access to Novel contexts in which to learn, cultivating Intimacy with partners and with oneself, being Creative with sexual activities, and Extending one's sense of sexual possibility into advanced age (NICE) supported sexual pleasure as women aged.

Sexualidade nos estudantes de Medicina: aspectos bioéticos / Sexuality in Medical students: bioethical aspects

A sexualidade humana constitui uma dimensão central da identidade pessoal e da dignidade da pessoa, sendo, por este motivo, impossível desmembrar a dimensão sexual do ser humano. Neste sentido, qualquer reflexão acerca da sexualidade, que se queira séria, não pode ser reduzida às dimensões relacionadas com a biologia, a saúde, ou com os comportamentos, sendo necessário levar em consideração outras dimensões fundamentais. O interesse pelo diálogo bioético é uma dimensão social da Bioética, a qual caracteriza-se por ser pluridisciplinar e pluralista, e também por seu carácter de abertura ao público em geral. Este artigo é uma pesquisa bioética elaborada a partir dos descritores "sexualidade", "bioética" e "adolescentes" utilizados em bases de busca de periódicos nos últimos 5 anos. A partir deles, foi extraída uma profunda reflexão sobre a transformação ideológica, no que concerne aos conflitos, aos interesses e à evolução que a sexualidade provoca nos adolescentes inseridos na sociedade atual. No que diz respeito à não adoção das práticas seguras relacionadas à sexualidade e seus conflitos diante da vulnerabilidade a que se expõem os adolescentes na sociedade atual, devem-se priorizar ações programáticas e desenvolver estratégias de educação em saúde que possibilitem vincular a informação à reflexão, com possibilidades de mudança de atitude, escolhas e de comportamentos, que reduzam os riscos próprios desta fase.(AU)

Human sexuality is the central dimension of one's personal identity and dignity; therefore, it is impossible to dismember the sexual dimension of an individual. In this respect, any serious reflection about sexuality cannot be limited to biology, health or behavior, with other fundamental dimensions having to be taken into account. Bioethical dialogue is a social dimension of Bioethics, which is characterized as multidisciplinary and pluralistic, and also by its openness to the public in general. This article is a bioethical research, elaborated from the terms "sexuality", "bioethics" and "adolescents", used in search bases of journals in the last 5 years. From them, it was possible to make a deep reflection on the ideological transformation led by sexuality on the adolescents of the present society concerning conflicts, interests and evolution. Regarding the non-adoption of safe practices related to sexuality and its conflicts in view of the vulnerability to which adolescents are exposed in the current society, it is fundamental to prioritize programmatic actions, and to develop health education strategies, which can make possible to link information and reflection, with the possibility of changing attitudes, choices and behaviors that reduce the risks inherent to this phase.(AU)

Advancing an Ethic of Embodied Relational Sexuality to Guide Decision-Making in Dementia Care.

Sexuality and intimacy are universal needs that transcend age, cognitive decline, and disability; sexuality is a fundamental aspect of the human experience. However, supporting sexuality in long-term residential care presents ethical challenges as this setting is both a home environment for residents and a workplace for health practitioners. This is particularly complex in the case of residents with dementia given the need to balance protection from harm and freedom of self-determination. Despite such complexity, this challenge has received limited critical theoretical attention. The dominant approach advocated to guide ethical reasoning is the bioethical four principles approach. However, the application of this approach in the context of dementia and long-term care may set the bar for practitioners' interference excessively high, restricting assentual (i.e., voluntary) sexual expression. Furthermore, it privileges cognitive and impartial decision-making, while disregarding performative, embodied, and relational aspects of ethical reasoning. With an interest in addressing these limitations, we explicate an alternative ethic of embodied relational sexuality that is grounded in a model of citizenship that recognizes relationality and the agential status of embodied self-expression. This alternative ethic broadens ethical reasoning from the exclusive duty to protect individuals from harm associated with sexual expression, to the duty to also uphold and support their rights to experience the benefits of sexual expression (e.g., pleasure, intimacy). As such it has the potential to inform the development of policies, organizational guidelines, and professional curricula to support the sexuality of persons with dementia, and thereby ensure more humane practices in long-term residential care settings.

Morals or markets? Regulating assisted reproductive technologies as morality or economic policies in the states.

BACKGROUND: The availability of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in the medical marketplace complicates our understanding of reproductive public policy in the United States. Political debates over ARTs often are based on fundamental moral principles of life, reproduction, and kinship, similar to other reproductive policies in the United States. However, ARTs are an important moneymaking private enterprise for the U.S. biotechnology industry. This project investigates how the U.S. states regulate these unique and challenging technologies as either moral policies or economic policies. METHODS: This study employs ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to estimate the significance of morality and economic policy variables on ART policies at the state level, noting associations between state-level political, economic, and gender variables on restrictive and permissive state-level ART policies. RESULTS: Economic variables (reflecting the biotechnology industry) and advocacy for access to ART on behalf of infertility patients increase the chances of states passing policies that enable consumer use of ARTs. Additionally, individual ART policies are distinct from one another in the ways that morality variables increase the chances of ART regulations. Surprisingly, the role of religious adherence among state residents varied in positive and negative relationships with individual policy passage. CONCLUSIONS: In general, these results support the hypothesis that ART laws are associated with economic as well as moral concerns of the states-ARTs lie at the intersection of issues of life and reproduction and of scientific innovation and health. What is most striking about these results is that they do not follow patterns seen in the legislation of abortion, contraception, and sexuality in general-those reproductive policies that are considered "morality policy." Similarly, economic variables are not consistently significant in the expected direction.

Managing Professional and Nurse-Patient Relationship Boundaries in Mental Health.

Caring nurse-patient relationships in mental health settings are key components in helping patients recover. These professional relationships provide a safe, trustworthy, reliable, and secure foundation for therapeutic interactions; however, nurses face challenges in setting and maintaining relationship boundaries. Although patients ask for special privileges, romantic interactions, and social media befriending, or offer expensive gifts, nurses must recognize that these boundary violations may erode trust and harm patients. These violations may also trigger discipline for nurses. Professional relationship guidelines must be applied with thoughtful consideration, and nurses must monitor their emotions and reactions in these relationships. The current article is a sharing of personal experiences about boundaries augmented by evidence in the literature, and focuses on managing potential boundary violations (i.e., social media, sexuality, over-involvement, and gift giving) in mental health settings. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(1), 45-51.].

Intimacy and Sexuality in Institutionalized Dementia Care: Clinical-Ethical Considerations.

Intimacy and sexuality expressed by nursing home residents with dementia remains an ethically sensitive issue for care facilities, nursing staff and family members. Dealing with residents' sexual longings and behaviour is extremely difficult, putting a burden on the caregivers as well as on the residents themselves and their relatives. The parties in question often do not know how to react when residents express themselves sexually. The overall aim of this article is to provide a number of clinical-ethical considerations addressing the following question: 'How can expressions of intimacy and sexuality by residents with dementia be dealt with in an ethically responsible way?' The considerations formulated are based on two cornerstones: (1) the current literature on older peoples' experiences regarding intimacy and sexuality after the onset of dementia, and (2) an anthropological-ethical framework addressing four fundamental pillars of human existence namely the decentred self, human embodiment, being-in-the-world and being-with-others. The resulting considerations are oriented toward the individual sphere, the partnership sphere, and the institutional sphere. The continuous interaction between these spheres leads to orientations that both empower the residents in question and respect the complex network of relationships that surrounds them.

Subjectivity About Sexual Ethics Among Korean Undergraduate Students Using Q Methodology.

PURPOSE: Most undergraduate students are in the phase of gaining mental and physical autonomy from their parents as they expand their worlds. The ways that sexual ethics are established during this time may have an important influence on healthy lifestyles and the maintenance of social order. This study aims to determine a typology of undergraduate students' sexual ethics and the characteristics that compose the types. METHODS: Q methodology, which analyzes the subjectivity of each type of attitude, was used. The 44 selected Q statements from 43 participants were classified into the shape of a normal distribution using a 9-point scale. The collected data were analyzed using the PC-QUANL program. RESULTS: The results revealed three discrete groups of students with respect to sexual ethics: traditional absolute purity type, open-minded compromise type, and rational responsibility type. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that different approaches to educational programs on sexual ethics are recommended for undergraduate students based on the three types studied.

Citizenship, human rights, and dementia: Towards a new embodied relational ethic of sexuality.

Sexual citizenship and sexual rights scholarship have made important contributions to broadening citizenship and more fully accommodating rights related to sexuality. However, this scholarship has concentrated primarily on the sexuality and intimacy-related needs of younger people and those who are not cognitively impaired. Consequently, it has inadvertently served to marginalize persons living with dementia who reside in long-term residential care settings. We argue that supporting sexual rights for persons with dementia requires a particular human rights ontology for citizenship-one that recognizes that corporeality is a fundamental source of self-expression, interdependence, and reciprocal engagement. This is an ontology that underpins our model of relational citizenship and that grounds our articulation of an ethic of embodied relational sexuality. In our view, this ethic offers important direction for the development of policy, legislation, and clinical guidelines to support sexual rights for persons with dementia in long-term residential care.

Sexual health and religion: a primer for the sexual health clinician (CME).

INTRODUCTION: Sexual health is an integral part of the multifaceted human experience that is driven both by biological factors and psychological facets. Religion may provide a moral code of conduct or a sexual compass as to sexual norms and behaviors. AIM: The aim of this study was to summarize the integration of sexuality and religion. METHOD: A review of published literature and religious texts was conducted. RESULTS: The integration of religion with country or state politics and laws is a complicated dilemma and will not be discussed in the scope of this article. The extent to which an individual incorporates their religious doctrine into their sexual life is a personal and individualized choice. The sexual medicine health professional will likely encounter a diverse patient population of distinct religious backgrounds, and a primer on religion and sexuality is a much needed adjunctive tool for the clinician. CONCLUSION: Because religion can influence sexuality and dictate, in part, the behavioral and medical treatments for sexual complaints, the clinician should be familiar with religious guidelines regarding sexuality, and treatment should be customized and individualized. Failure to do so can impact compliance with the therapeutic interventions. Religious awareness also solidifies the therapeutic alliance between clinician and patient as it demonstrates respect and acknowledgment for patient's beliefs and autonomy.

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind? An anthropological-ethical framework for understanding and dealing with sexuality in dementia care.

Contemporary bioethics pays considerable attention to the ethical aspects of dementia care. However, ethical issues of sexuality especially as experienced by institutionalized persons with dementia are often overlooked. The relevant existing ethics literature generally applies an implicit philosophical anthropology that favors the principle of respect for autonomy and the concomitant notion of informed consent. In this article we will illustrate how this way of handling the issue fails in its duty to people with dementia. Our thesis is that a more inclusive philosophical anthropology is needed that also heeds the fate of this growing population. Drawing on the tradition of phenomenology, we will chalk out an anthropological framework that rests on four fundamental characteristics of human existence: the decentered self, human embodiment, being-in-the-world and being-with-others. Our aim in this article is thus to tentatively put forward a broader perspective for looking at aged sexuality in institutionalized people with dementia. Hopefully the developed framework will mark the beginning of a new and refreshed ethical reflection on the topic at hand.

School-based gay-affirmative interventions: first amendment and ethical concerns.

Public health professionals and educators have developed effective school-based interventions to reduce prejudice and stigma against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. Such interventions can reduce the harm caused to sexual minority youths by stigma and can improve health outcomes. However, critics have warned that these interventions attempt to control speech and religious beliefs protected by the First Amendment. We review this critique and assess the legal and ethical arguments. We conclude that, both legally and ethically, there is great leeway for schools to implement LGBT-affirmative interventions. Still, we recommend that interventionists attend critics' concerns using principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Using CBPR approaches, interventionists can achieve better community acceptance and cooperation and more successful interventions.