Indonesia, Vatican will defend traditional view about sex
Indonesia, Vatican will defend traditional view about sex
JAKARTA (JP): In the current run up to the world conference on
population in Cairo this September, Indonesia has joined forces
with The Vatican and many Latin American countries to defend the
view that sex should only be for the purposes of having children.
As officials prepare the various documents and declarations to
be read at the UN-sponsored conference, a debate has emerged as
to the question of people's sexual rights.
The powerful Western nations are pressing for recognition of
sex as a right. This view entails the concept that sex should
also be considered as a form of pleasure, aside from its
practical function as a means of reproduction, according to
Indonesian officials involved in the preparatory conferences.
Liberal groups argue that sexual activity is the right of
individuals, and people can have sexual relations without the
obligations traditionally imposed in most religions.
Indonesia is strongly opposed this view and is fighting to
have this line of reasoning deleted from the documents to be
presented in Cairo.
Indonesia, a country where religious values are still strong,
believe that sexual right only exist within the boundaries of
holy matrimony.
"Religious values and norms in Indonesia also support this
view," State Minister of Population Haryono Suyono, who has been
following the Cairo preparations, said.
The question of sexual rights is one of five issues that have
been left pending after the last preparatory committee meeting in
New York last April.
According to Haryono, when both sides -- the liberals and the
traditionalists -- aired their views on the subject, it was
apparent that Indonesia would find allies in the Vatican and many
Latin American countries.
Sex as choice
The liberals argue that sexual rights cannot be separated from
human rights, meaning that sex is the choice of the individual.
They also insist that, from the biological point of view, normal
sexual activity can improve one's mental and physical health.
The conservative groups argue against making sexual rights
universal since not all individuals are entitled to them. They
say sex outside of marriage cannot be justified and that the
prime function of sexual activity is only for the purpose of
reproduction.
Haryono said there is also a debate in the preparatory
committee on the question of abortion as a method of population
control.
While Indonesia subscribes to the World Health Organization
(WHO)'s view that both men and women should shoulder the
responsibility for using contraceptive devices, it cannot accept
WHO's suggestion that abortion could be considered as an option,
he said.
The conservatives are also opposing the liberals' proposition
that abortion is a right, he said.
Haryono said that at the Cairo conference, Indonesia will also
be pushing for its own concepts on population control. Instead of
using the familiar term 'family planning,' its program is more
aptly described as the 'planned parenthood concept,' he said.
"Under such a concept, there is no place for abortion."
Meanwhile, President Soeharto has been asked to address the UN
conference on population and development.
Officials said Soeharto was selected not only because he is
chairman of the 110-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), but also
because of his immense success in bringing population growth in
Indonesia under control. The President, who is expected to travel
to Cairo, is a recipient of various international awards on
population.
Thirteen other heads of states have been invited to address
the conference, including the United States, Zimbabwe, Mexico,
Niger and Norway. (par)