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However, if A and B are more extensively fused, say through the more substantial sharing of internal organs, then B and C may well count as having sex. In such cases, B’s consent is not necessary for the permissibility of the sex act. After all, Chang and Eng fathered a total of 21 children between them, and their descendants are considered to have come from just one of the twins. Similarly, if A and B are minimally fused, as with Chang and Eng Bunker, then it seems implausible that B and C would count as having had sex. For any two non-conjoined individuals, having sex with one of them does not entail having sex with the other. Prima facie, having sex with A does not seem to entail having sex with B, given their separate genitalia. B does not want to have sex with C and does not give her consent. A and B are heterogenitally conjoined twins. These cases are complicated by the question of whether having sex with heterogenitally conjoined twins counts as having sex with both twins. First, consider cases involving heterogenitally conjoined twins, such as Chang and Eng Bunker. Given that valid consent is necessary for permissible sexual activity, let us examine cases in which consent is lacking from one twin. If any of these conditions are absent, then any resulting sexual action is non-consensual. Third, the agent must have the capacity to consent: she must grasp the value and consequences of the act, understand the information about what she is consenting to, and use that information to make an informed decision. Second, consent must be given voluntarily: the decision to either consent or not consent must be made by the agent herself an agent who has been coerced or threatened does not count as having given valid consent. First, an agent’s consent must be informed: she must have all of the information of the relevant facts about what the act involves. Valid consent requires the satisfaction of the following three conditions. Permissible sexual activity is widely taken to require the valid consent of each of the participants of the sexual act. While conjoined twins are typically classified by the point of fusion, for our purposes, they may be divided into two broad categories: homogenitally conjoined twins, who shared a single set of genitalia, and heterogenitally conjoined twins, with two distinct sets of genitalia. Identical clones that share the same set of genes, as well as some body parts. Highly counterintuitive, it is dificult to articulate the relevant moral difference between these cases.Ĭonjoined twinning occurs when a single embryo formed by a sperm and egg splits early in the development, but not completely. This observation generalises to prohibitions on a wide range of everyday activities, such as masturbation, blood donations, and taking drugs to cure one’s headache. I will argue that sex with conjoined twins is impermissible if one of them does not consent. This paper explores the implications of this requirement for the conditions under whichĬonjoined twins may have sex. This requirement explains why it is impermissible to have sex with non-human animals, children, and agents with severe cognitive impairments. It is widely accepted that valid consent is necessary for the permissibility of sexual acts. Written by University of Oxford student James Kirkpatrick This essay was the runner up in the Oxford Uehiro Prize in Practical Ethics Graduate Category