LifeSite News
A German advisory council on ethics has told the government it should decriminalize incest between consenting adults. But Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democrats have wasted no time in rejecting the advice.
On Wednesday the National Ethics Council voted, by a two-to-one margin, to call for the decriminalization of incest. “Criminal law is not the appropriate means to preserve a social taboo,” the council explained in a statement. “The fundamental right of adult siblings to sexual self-determination is to be weighed more heavily than the abstract idea of protection of the family.” [Full text]
The Council held that, since the law did not prohibit non-incestuous sexual relations even when there is a possibility of genetic problems in offspring, it is not justified in prohibiting incestuous relations. Although it is not clear from the news report that the Council considered the point, it could also be argued that the use of contraceptive sterilization or contraception backed up by abortion would avoid genetic problems. In any case, conflicts of conscience could be expected if there is an expectation that health care workers will facilitate incestuous relationships.