A Nonideal Theory of Sexual Consent

Abstract

This paper explores how and when consent to sex can be possible for people whose decisional autonomy is compromised, such as people with moderate dementia and people in unequal power relationships. It argues that the possibility of consent is dependent not just on people’s capacities, but on their partners and their environment. It proposes tools for scaffolding and enabling the possibility of good quality sexual consent under nonideal conditions.