Pre-Marital Sex

My opponent's arguments may look convincing at surface value. Nevertheless, they are ultimately built upon nothing but logical fallacies and irrational presuppositions. Moreover, under my opponent's current suggestions, two people should avoid having sex even the night before their marriage. This is ludicrous, and I hope to demonstrate this much in my essay. =====> A Critique of Witty11's Opening Arguments <===== Contention 1: STDs A. "Having sex with only your spouse is healthier than having sex with multiple partners." Along with being unfounded, this assertion relies on an illegitimate assumption. Two people may choose to never get married and yet remain completely monogamous for the rest of their lives. [1] B. "There are extremely lower chances of getting a STD if a person waits to have sex until they are married than if they don't." There are also extremely low chances of getting into a car accident if you never drive a car. Look, some human activities involve certain amounts of risk. However, the risks associated with sex can be mitigated through contraception and other methods. Only the deeply irrational would choose to almost never have sex or drive cars because there are risks associated with those activities. Contention 2: Sex and Emotional Health A. "Premarital sex can lead to emotional problems that can be avoided if a husband and a wife wait to have sex until they are married." My opponent hasn't provided any compelling reasons to suppose that any of this is true. On top of this, two people can choose to be in a deeply committed and loving relationship without ever wanting to get married. Contention 3: Sex and Pregnancies "Unwanted pregnancy is easier to avoid [under marriage]." I'm not sure what my opponent is trying to say. Wedding rings don't magically add to the efficacy of contraception. Contention 4: Single Parent Households A. "Single parent families tend to have more problems whereas two parent families don't." This contention is based upon a plethora of irrational assumptions. People can use contraception to avoid getting pregnant. Moreover, women can still choose to get an abortion if they do accidentally get pregnant. On top of this, unmarried couples are not guaranteed to separate when they end up creating a child. Contention 5: Single Parent Households [part 2] My opponent's fifth contention makes the same mistakes as his fourth contention. As such, it suffers from all of the same problems. =====> In Defense of Premarital Sex <====== Contention 1: Sex, in and of itself, is a non-moral activity. Sex does not carry with it anything that distinguishes it from other human activities in ethical terms. It can be used maliciously (e.g. rape), and it can be used in love. The negative consequences of sex, many of which my opponent has mentioned, can all be mitigated through a variety of different means, including contraception. Avoiding sex doesn't have anything to do with the alleviation of suffering or the maximization of happiness of conscious creatures. Consequently, it is simply irrational to think that abstinence is noble in any way. ::Conclusion:: The absurd implications of my opponent's proposal simply make this resolution untenable. Two people may choose to be in a loving committed relationship and may not want to get married. Or they may be unable to get married if they're members of the same sex. [2] Being abstinent all the way until the arbitrary deadline of marriage is not normal in humans; it's not praiseworthy, and it's not morally virtuous. ::References:: 1. http://en.wikipedia.org... 2. http://en.wikipedia.org...(2008)