Further to May 7th post

I too doubt that the state should be involved in the enforcement of things like the incest taboo. And I agree that the fear of disorder, the excesses of the media, and the desire of authorities to exert control, conspire to extend the power of the state into spheres of personal life that would be better served by other intermediary institutions. But I’m concerned about what happens when the state tries to withdraw. The sodomy taboo is an interesting case in point.

In the 1970’s the criminal code was amended and sodomy, among other things, was decriminalized. People who were concerned about this were assured that it was merely a matter of getting the state out of the bedrooms of the nation and that the intermediary institutions like churches, schools, voluntary associations, families and individuals would still be free to support the taboo if they felt it necessary. But, over the years, through the institution of the courts, the practice of sodomy has become a right. The definition of legal marriage has been extended to include same sex couples, and human rights tribunals work to curtail the freedom of intermediary institutions to support the sodomy taboo.

Now, without rehashing the homosexuality debate, it seems to me that this is the likely trajectory of the incest taboo. If it were simply to be decriminalized that would be one thing, but surely we can expect incest between consenting adults to become a protected freedom, then a right, then marriage to be extended to such relationships, as has already happened in some countries, and so it goes. Those who express concern will be characterized as “sibliphobes” and the word “incest” will become as quaintly offensive as the word “sodomy” is in the paragraph above.

My underlying concern is not so much with the policing of incest, or sodomy, or polygamy, or masturbation, or adultery, or marriage, or anything else for that matter. It’s just that I wonder if we will eventually discover that, in the interest of personal freedom, we have dismissed or compromised some taboos that are essential to the institution of the family. And that we can’t come up with another really effective institution for the care and nurture of the next generation.

When all is said and done, it seems to me this process has a life of its own. I don’t have any solutions. In fact, I don’t even know how big a problem it is. I’m just sitting here on the sidelines, observing and scratching my head, and wondering what’s next.