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1. Discussion Ethics
Our society has its rules and ethics about mutual relationships and intimacy between children
or adolescents and adults. Keep your distance is the rule; fear of sexuality is its basis. In our
vision, this is not ethical. But we are also part of this society.
This double position, criticizing the society we are a part of, results not only in our handing out
sharp criticism, but also in formulating ethical principles that are acceptable to the same
society.
Why should we formulate our own ethics? There are several reasons:
Every group of humans should develop its own ethics,
Members, and especially young and new members, ask for some guidelines, and
Society, for example journalists and interviewers, ask for our opinions. If we have no
answer, it may appear that we have no ethics at all.
The four guidelines
The proposed text (Human rights in intergenerational relationships, 'First do no harm', in
newsletter E 13) has two sections:
the text about the four guidelines or principles, and
the cadre made around these guidelines.
The meeting discussing this, globally accepted the cadre, and concentrated its discussion again
on the four guidelines.
The first three principles are more or less the same, or at least based on the same more basic
principle: freedom of choice. The second principle, initiative, is doubtable. The fourth principle is
also doubtable and has another base.
Thus, if we stop numbering the principles and make one text from the first three, changing the
name of the second principle, and then adding the fourth one as a following text, a more logical
text will appear.
Initiative
The original text states:
“Initiative:
Even in a later stage of the relationship, it is always the children who make the choice
to have sex.”
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