AAIDD POSITION STATEMENTS

AAIDD/ARC Position Statements

SEXUALITY

POLICY STATEMENT

People with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities , like all people, have inherent sexual rights and basic human needs. These rights and needs must be affirmed, defended, and respected.

ISSUE

For years, people with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities have been thought to be asexual, having no need for loving, fulfilling relationships with others. Individual rights to sexuality, which is essential to human health and well-being, have been denied. This loss has affected them broadly in gender identity, friendships, self-esteem, body image and awareness, emotional growth, and social behavior Our constituents frequently lack access to appropriate sex education in schools and as adults and to training in parenting and child-rearing. At the same time, people with cognitive limitations often engage in sexual relations as a result of poor options, manipulation, loneliness or physical force rather than as an expression of their sexuality.

Moreover, the general public maintains other out-of-date views of the sexuality of our constituents. Many people have an unfounded fear that parents with mental retardation cannot raise or financially support their children and thus will require more government support, including placement of children in the foster care system.

POSITION

Every person has the right to exercise choices regarding sexual expression and social relationships. The presence of mental retardation and related developmental disabilities, regardless of severity, does not, in itself, justify loss of rights related to sexuality.

All people have the right within interpersonal relationships to:

Develop friendships and emotional relationships where they can love and be loved and start and stop the relationships as they choose.
Dignity and respect.
Privacy, confidentiality, and freedom of association.

With respect to sexuality, individuals have a right to:

Sexual expression, reflective of age, social development, cultural and moral values, and social responsibility.
Information to allow informed decisions, including sex education about such issues as safe sexual practices, sexual orientation, sexual abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases.
Protection from sexual harassment as well as from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and sexual relationships with paid staff.
Have sexual relationships, including marriage, with individuals of their choice.

With respect to sexuality, individuals have a responsibility to:

Consider the values, rights, and feelings of others.
Seek input from families, friends, religious leaders, and others on the personal and societal values associated with sexuality.

With respect to the potential for having and raising children, they have the right to:

Choices related to birth control, including the decision to have and raise children, with supports if necessary; to accept personal responsibility for these decisions; and to have control over their own bodies.
Have, on an individual basis, access to the proper supports to assist them in raising their children within their own home.
Choose for themselves whether or not to be sterilized, regardless of the severity of their mental retardation.

Adopted: The Arc, Congress of Delegates, 2004
AAIDD Board of Directors, 2004