By Katie Ascough - 22 November, 2019
David Quinn, Iona Institute
David Quinn of the Iona Institute has claimed that Ireland is reaching the next taboo: adult incest. In an Iona Institute blog, he identifies the momentum of the sexual revolution, which continues to propagate its “remorseless logic”, as the driving force behind yet another attempt of today’s culture in moving towards all things sexualised with impunity.
According to a report in The Irish Times, adult incest and lowering the age of consent from 17 are being tabled by the Law Reform Commission in a major review of sexual offences laws. The Irish Times article states: “Consenting intercourse between an adult brother and sister, even if there is no risk of pregnancy, is a crime. ‘One might question if such conduct should be criminal,’” said member of the commission and NUI Galway lecturer in law Tom O’Malley.
In reaction, Mr Quinn stated that the taboo against incest “exists mainly for genetic reasons, but if a brother and sister commit to having no biological children of their own (they might use donor eggs or sperm if they preferred), then by what logic can liberals [resist] the inevitable working out of their own belief that anything goes between consenting adults?
“If this was proposed even a few years ago, there would almost certainly have been a public outcry of some sort, and anyone suggesting this was where the liberal reduction of all sexual relations to consent alone would lead, they would have been condemned for scare-mongering.
“But here we are. The ultimate sexual taboo is on the point of being kicked over and it is deemed worthy only of paragraph 13 of a little-noticed article in last week’s Irish Times.”
