Sexual intercourse

:This article is about sexual intercourse in humans and its societal implications. For biological copulation in general, see copulation.

Morality and legality

Various laws, moral rules and taboos surround sexual intercourse. See sexual morality for a detailed discussion.

Related Topics:
Taboo - Sexual morality

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Unlike some other sexual activities, sexual intercourse itself has rarely been made taboo on religious grounds or by government authorities. It is believed that all of the cultures that prohibited sexual intercourse entirely no longer exist, save the Shakers, a sect of Christianity which has very few adherents, although there are many communities within cultures who prohibit their members to engage in any form of sex, mostly these are religous orders such as monks, priests, nuns, etc. Within some ideologies, coitus has been considered the only "acceptable" sexual activity. Relatively strict designations of "appropriate" and "inappropriate" sexual intercourse have been almost universal in human societies. These have included prohibitions against specific positions, against intercourse among partners who are not married (this is called fornication) or at least one of whom is married, but not to each other (called adultery), against sexual intercourse with a close relative (called incest), and against intercourse during a woman’s menstrual period.

Related Topics:
Taboo - Shakers - Positions - Married - Fornication - Adultery - Incest - Menstrual period

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Most countries have age of consent laws specifying the minimum legal age for engaging in sexual intercourse. Sexual intercourse with a person against his or her will, or without their informed legal consent, is called rape and is considered a serious crime in most cultures.

Related Topics:
Age of consent - Informed legal consent - Rape - Crime

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There is a good deal of controversy about the kind of relationship one should have with someone else before engaging in sexual intercourse. This controversy is beyond the scope of this article; interested readers are encouraged to read the articles on chastity, evolutionary psychology, and sexual morality.

Related Topics:
Chastity - Evolutionary psychology - Sexual morality

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