e solely to procreate.Natural Law: A natural law theorist would view homosexuality as immoral, since it is not considered to be in accordance with nature. However, whether or not a natural law theorist would believe that it is morally wrong to discriminate against homosexuals is another question. Under natural law, treating all humans as equal is the morally right thing to do. Additionally, natural law dictates that these moral values must be followed regardless of the consequences. Let's say, hypothetically, that societal acceptance of homosexuality has the negative side effect of turning a large portion of the world's population gay, it would be irrelevant under the qualifying principle of double effect. "All humans should be treated as equals" is a natural law. Not accepting homosexuals, or discriminating against them is a situation where others are not treating certain humans as equals. Therefore, under natural law, discriminating against homosexuals is immoral.Natural Rights: The theory of natural rights stresses individual liberty as the foundation of morality. Therefore, it seems fairly straightforward to suggest that not only should society be more accepting of homosexuals under natural rights theory, but the actual practice of homosexuality is morally acceptable as well. Or more accurately, it is morally wrong to infringe upon a person's freedom in the case of homosexuality. Conclusion The five theories are distinguishable from each other on a basic level in one or two ways; what the theory values (freedom, nature, etc.), and whether it is a consequentialist (utilitarianism) or nonconsequentialist (Kantian theory) theory. In dissecting the two debates, I have found that applying the theories helps identify the values involved. The application also illuminates the complexity of the issues. Utilization of the theories is not nearly enough to come to a conclusion on either debate. Most of the work in findi...
