Catholics consider sexuality to be a gift from God meant to be an expression of the intimate love between two persons who are committed to each other in marriage. Besides the relational aspect, sexual intercourse also has the biological procreative purpose of giving life to children. The Church has always maintained that the family is the best place for children to be brought up. Thus, sex before marriage is not permitted because of the lack of the permanent bond between the two consenting adults and moreover, if children are born as a result of such an act, they are not brought into a stable environment. However, many practising Catholics generally make a distinction between permissive sexuality which involves the sexual activity with different partners simply for pleasure and not within the context of a loving relationship and a sexual relationship between two persons who are seriously committed to each other but are not yet in a marital relationship.
