Social conservatism is a political ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. The accepted goals and ideologies related to preserving traditions and morality often varies from group to group within social conservatism. Thus, there are really no policies or positions that could be considered universal among social conservatives. There are however a number of general principles to which at least a majority of social conservatives adhere, such as support for puritanical morality and traditional family values, often based on a specific understanding of Abrahamist values, and opposition to sexual permissiveness.
As an application of these general principles, social conservatives in many countries generally: favor the pro-life position in opposing euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, and abortion; oppose both eugenics (inheritable genetic modification) and human enhancement (transhumanism), while supporting bioconservatism; support abstinence-only education, school prayers, gun ownership, capital punishment, and define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, thus opposing same-sex marriage (some may even support a constitutional ban on gay marriage); disapprove of affirmative action; support the continued prohibition of recreational or medically non-beneficial drugs; oppose prostitution and brothels, polygamy, divorce, civil unions, gay adoption, same-sex parenting, federal funding for birth control, premarital sex, sodomy, incest, and non-marital sex; advocate traditional gender roles; and object to pornography and what they consider to be indecency and promiscuity. Some may also oppose the teaching of evolution in public schools, preferring creationism.
Read more about Social Conservatism: Overview, Social Conservatism and Other Ideological Views, Social Conservative Factions of Political Parties
Famous quotes containing the words social and/or conservatism:
“The things women find rewarding about work are, by and large ,the same things that men find rewarding and include both the inherent nature of the work and the social relationships.”
—Grace Baruch (20th century)
“The world is burdened with young fogies. Old men with ossified minds are easily dealt with. But men who look young, act young and everlastingly harp on the fact that they are young, but who nevertheless think and act with a degree of caution that would be excessive in their grandfathers, are the curse of the world. Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don’t know what they are conserving.”
—Robertson Davies (b. 1913)