Stormy Daniels: The question no one is asking

Anderson Cooper’s 60 Minutes interview with Stormy Daniels drew the highest ratings for the show in ten years. Reaction was divided afterward, with some commentators criticizing her as “not credible” and others using the interview to disparage President Trump.

In the coverage I have seen, attention has been focused on money paid to her by Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer and on whether she had an affair with Mr. Trump, a claim he “vehemently” denies.

Here’s the question no one seems to be asking: Should they have had an affair?

“Whatever consenting people choose to do”

The alleged affair would have been between a married man and a porn star who was herself married at the time. I’m old enough to remember when pornography was widely understood to be immoral in all its forms. Sexual relations were to be reserved for heterosexual marriage.

If two married people, one a porn star, were alleged to have had an affair, the immorality of such an act would have been a major part of the story. But as they say, that was then and this is now.

The legalization of birth control in 1960 made sexual relations less likely to result in unwanted pregnancy. Roe v. Wade gave women the legal right to terminate such a pregnancy. The popularity of relativistic ethics has caused many to reject the notion of objective morality or absolute truth.

“Whatever consenting people choose to do” is the moral standard of our day. This mantra is applied to same-sex marriage, LGBTQ rights, and all manner of sexual behavior.

For instance, a former American Idol contestant returned to the competition last Sunday night as a drag queen, to the support and affirmation of the judges. Sixty-six religious leaders from a variety of denominations recently signed a letter advocating for abortion on demand. Actor and singer Ricky Martin told a reporter that he wants to “normalize” same-sex and open sexual relationships, claiming that they are “good for the world.”

Why…