Chastity and Commutative Justice: A Case Analysis of Sexually Transmitted Infections

Abstract

This article canvases several sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It explains in detail their prevalence, how they are contracted, and their sequelae. The article closes by arguing that engaging in promiscuous sexual activity is a violation of justice. The advance the article makes is that typical arguments against promiscuous sexual activity focus on some aspect of the Church's sexual teachings. It is an underexplored terrain to develop an argument against such behavioral patterns from the standpoint of justice, insofar as appeals to justice are more ecumenical.

Keywords

autonomy HIV sexual activity and STIs social justice Thomism

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aral

S. O.

Over

Manhart

Holmes

K. K.

. 2006. “Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries.” In The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 2nd ed, edited by D. Jamison, J. Breman, and A.A. Measham, 653–689. Washington, DC: The World Bank. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11734/.

Bennett

J. E.

Dolin

Blaser

M. J.

, eds. 2009. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Vols. 1–2. Philadelphia, PA: Churchhill Livingston Elsevier.

Billock

R. M.

Mucha

P. J.

Samoff

, et al. 2020. “Network Interconnectivity and Community Detection in HIV/Syphilis Contact Networks Among Men Who Have Sex with Men.” Sexually Transmitted Diseases 47 (11): 726–732.

Bowers

J. R.

Branson

C. M.

Fletcher

J. B.

Reback

C. J.

. 2012. “Predictors of HIV Sexual Risk Behavior Among Men Who Have Sex with Men, Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women, and Transgender Women.” International Journal of Sexual Health: Official Journal of the World Association for Sexual Health 24 (4): 290. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2012.715120 .

Catholic Medical Association. 2021. “PrEP.” Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.cathmed.org/resources/prep/.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2018. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2017. https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc.59237.

Chesson

H. W.

Spicknall

I. H.

Bingham

, et al. 2021. “The Estimated Direct Lifetime Medical Costs of Sexually Transmitted Infections Acquired in the United States in 2018.” Sexually Transmitted Diseases 48 (4): 215–221. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001380 .

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. 1975. Persona Humana - Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics. Vatican: Libreria editrice vaticana.

Cruz

A. R.

Ramirez

L. G.

Zuluaga

, et al. 2012. “Immune Evasion and Recognition of the Syphilis Spirochete in Blood and Skin of Secondary Syphilis Patients: Two Immunologically Distinct Compartments.” PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 6 (7: 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PNTD.0001717 .

10.

Fujimoto

Flash

C. A.

Kuhns

L. M.

Kim

J.-Y.

Schneider

J. A.

. 2018. “Social Networks as Drivers of Syphilis and HIV Infection Among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men.” Sexually Transmitted Infections 94 (5): 365–371. https://doi.org/10.1136/SEXTRANS-2017-053288 .

11.

Ghanem

Khalil

Sanjay Ram

Rice

Peter A.

. 2020. “The Modern Epidemic of Syphilis.” The New England Journal of Medicine 382 (9): 845–854. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMRA1901593 .

12.

Gorgos

L. M.

Marrazzo

J. M.

. 2011. “Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Women Who Have Sex with Women.” Clinical Infectious Diseases 53 (Supplement 3): S84–S91. https://doi.org/10.1093/CID/CIR697 .

13.

Houlihan

C. F.

Larke

N. L.

Watson-Jones

, et al. 2012. “Human Papillomavirus Infection and Increased Risk of HIV Acquisition. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” AIDS 26 (17): 2211–2222. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAD.0B013E328358D908 .

14.

Joseph

R. J.

Ser

H.-L.

Kuai

Y.-H.

, et al. 2021. “Finding a Balance in the Vaginal Microbiome: How Do We Treat and Prevent the Occurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis?” Antibiotics (Basel) 10 (6): 1–39. https://doi.org/10.3390/ANTIBIOTICS10060719 .

15.

Kojima

Klausner

J. D.

. 2018. “An Update on the Global Epidemiology of Syphilis.” Current Epidemiology Reports 5 (1): 24. https://doi.org/10.1007/S40471-018-0138-Z .

16.

Korenromp

E. L.

Rowley

Alonso

, et al. 2019. “Global Burden of Maternal and Congenital Syphilis and Associated Adverse Birth Outcomes—Estimates for 2016 and Progress Since 2012.” PLOS One 14 (2): e0211720. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0211720 .

17.

Kreisel

K. M.

Spicknall

I. H.

Gargano

J. W.

, et al. 2021. “Sexually Transmitted Infections Among US Women and Men: Prevalence and Incidence Estimates, 2018.” Sexually Transmitted Diseases 48 (4): 208–214. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001355 .

18.

Kumar

Chesson

H. W.

Spicknall

I. H.

Kreisel

K. M.

Gift

T. L.

. 2021. “The Estimated Lifetime Medical Cost of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Trichomoniasis in the United States, 2018.” Sexually Transmitted Diseases 48 (4): 238–246. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001357 .

19.

Leitsch

2016. “Recent Advances in the Trichomonas Vaginalis Field.” F1000Research 5 (F1000 Faculty Rev): 162. https://doi.org/10.12688/F1000RESEARCH.7594.1 .

20.

Liang

T. J.

2009. “Hepatitis B: The Virus and Disease.” Hepatology 49 (5 Suppl): S13–S21. https://doi.org/10.1002/HEP.22881 .

21.

Lin

K. Y.

Sun

H. Y.

Lee

T. F.

, et al. 2020. “High Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Coinfections Among At-Risk People Living with HIV.” Journal of the Formosan Medical Association 120 (issue 10): 1876–1883. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JFMA.2020.12.008 .

22.

Markley

J. D.

2024. “Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV: Bioethical, Clinical, and Epidemiological Considerations.” The Linacre Quarterly 91 (4): 386–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/00243639241239068 .

23.

McHugh

P. R.

2004. “No Veterinarian to ‘The Naked Ape’ I.” Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on Brain Science 6 (4): 19–24.

24.

McKinnon

L. R.

Achilles

S. L.

Bradshaw

C. S.

, et al. 2019. “The Evolving Facets of Bacterial Vaginosis: Implications for HIV Transmission.” AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses 35 (3): 219–228. https://doi.org/10.1089/AID.2018.0304 .

25.

Menezes

C. B.

Frasson

A. P.

Tasca

. 2016. “Trichomoniasis - Are We Giving the Deserved Attention to the Most Common Non-Viral Sexually Transmitted Disease Worldwide?” Microbial Cell 3 (9): 404. https://doi.org/10.15698/MIC2016.09.526 .

26.

Mitchell

Marrazzo

. 2014. “Bacterial Vaginosis and the Cervicovaginal Immune Response.” American Journal of Reproductive Immunology 71 (6): 555. https://doi.org/10.1111/AJI.12264 .

27.

Murray

S. M.

McKay

P. F.

. 2021. “Chlamydia Trachomatis: Cell Biology, Immunology and Vaccination.” Vaccine 39 (22): 2965–2975. https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0264410X21003261?token=20349A2664CDD5A92344BE8504E27B0DBCA0013C38B535BD4A25171BEF1E28006734B68A500BCB60969623AB0A00827F&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20210829213238 .

28.

Napier, S., and J. T. Travaline. 2024. A Catechism for Health Care Insights from Catholic Teaching on Human Life, Medical Ethics, and Love of Neighbor. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press.

29.

Obarska

Szymczak

Lewczuk

Gola

. 2020. “Threats to Mental Health Facilitated by Dating Applications Use Among Men Having Sex with Men.” Frontiers in Psychiatry 11: 584548. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYT.2020.584548 .

30.

Patel

Borkowf

C. B.

Brooks

J. T.

Lasry

Lansky

Mermin

. 2014. “Estimating Per-Act HIV Transmission Risk: A Systematic Review.” AIDS 28 (10): 1509–1519. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAD.0000000000000298 .

31.

Peric

Weiss

Vulliemoz

Baud

Stojanov

. 2019. “Bacterial Colonization of the Female Upper Genital Tract.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20 (14): 3405–3423. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJMS20143405 .

32.

Petrin

Delgaty

Bhatt

Garber

. 1998. “Clinical and Microbiological Aspects of Trichomonas Vaginalis.” Clinical Microbiology Reviews 11 (2): 300.

33.

Rhonheimer

2011. The Perspective of Morality: Philosophical Foundations of Thomistic Virtue Ethics. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press.

34.

Rowley

vander Hoorn

Korenromp

, et al. 2019. “Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Trichomoniasis and Syphilis: Global Prevalence and Incidence Estimates, 2016.” Bulletin of the World Health Organization 97 (8): 548–562P. https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/8/18-228486.pdf .

35.

Senkomago

Henley

S. J.

Thomas

C. C.

Mix

J. M.

Markowitz

L. E.

Saraiya

. 2019. “Human Papillomavirus–Attributable Cancers — United States, 2012–2016.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 68 (33): 724–728. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/uscs .

36.

Stern

S. W.

2018. The Trials of Nina McCall: Sex, Surveillance, and the Decades-Long Government Plan to Imprison “Promiscuous” Women. Cambridge, MA: Beacon Press.

37.

Tobian

A. A. R.

Gray

R. H.

. 2011. “The Medical Benefits of Male Circumcision.” Journal of the American Medical Association 306 (13): 1479. https://doi.org/10.1001/JAMA.2011.1431 .

38.

Weinstock

H. S.

Kreisel

K. M.

Spicknall

I. H.

Chesson

H. W.

Miller

W. C.

. 2021. “STI Prevalence, Incidence, and Costs in the United States: New Estimates, New Approach.” Sexually Transmitted Diseases 48 (4): 207. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001368 .

39.

Wijers

Hoebe

Dukers-Muijrers

Wolffs

van Liere

. 2020. “The Characteristics of Patients Frequently Tested and Repeatedly Infected with Neisseria Gonorrhoeae.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17 (5): 1495. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH17051495 .

40.

Workowski

K. A.

2021. “Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021.” MMWR Recommendations and Reports 70.

41.

World Health Organization. 2016. Global Health Sector Strategy on Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2016-2021. https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/84faf147-4baa-4657-b051-b619757e9f3f/content.

42.

World Health Organization. 2021. Global Progress Report on HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2021. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240027077.