Sex, ‘the’ family,and the Religious New Right

A blend of critical analysis and positive alternatives to the Religious New Right's treatment of sexual and family issues is developed. The single issue approach of the New Right is analyzed. Authoritarian and reproductive-sexual issues are discussed in light of attempts to legislate religious beliefs. Key topics include: equal rights for women, family violence, abortion rights, homosexual rights, sex education in the schools, The Family Protection Act, The Teenage Chastity Bill, The Consenting Adults Bill, and positive alternatives to the repressive New Right. The traditional family is defined as a minority group attempting to control sexual-intimate expression. Competing conceptualizations of privacy and the right of individuals to make their own sexual choices are presented.