37
based on] the infallible word of God,
”93
may resent and protest against the promotion of an
egalitarian, secular morality, the provision of timely and detailed information pertaining to sex,
and the advocacy of a kind of independent thinking that may place absolute parental and religious
authority in question. Such citizens will continue to be dissatisfied and, to that extent, the model I
have laid out is unsuccessful. However, accommodation of theistic perspectives that extol
psychological insularity and reject the values of autonomy and equality cannot be achieved
without undermining the basic interests of child citizens. This is morally intolerable. That said,
those who subscribe to the natural law perspective, despite their disapproval of particular forms
of sexual behavior, have good reason based on their own intellectual tradition to encourage this
very kind of approach because of its important contribution to the development of reason,
deliberative decision-making, autonomy, and personal responsibility.
A number of anti-traditionalists undoubtedly will lament classroom discussion of
religious views (including fundamentalist, Muslim, and “far right” perspectives) on matters like
homosexuality, gender relations, and abortion, along with the implementation of clear moral
directives for younger teens and adolescents. But, as George notes, “unlimited freedom is the
enemy, not the friend, of everyone’s well-being,”
94
and this is especially true for non- or semi-
autonomous youth considering engaging in sexual activities. Moreover, along with sexual, racial,
and gender diversity comes religious and moral diversity, and this, like the others, often plays a
constitutive role in citizens’ lives. Genuine autonomy is benefited by an ample knowledge of
various and competing belief systems (including those based on sectarian commitments), as well
as ethical debates and disagreements. Without a doubt, exposure to this kind of sex education
may cause spillover effects into students’ developing conceptions of the good, which may
become informed by the school’s and other students’ treatment of various facets of sexuality.
93
James Carper, quoted in Zimmerman, 220.
94
George (1995), 40.
Convention