Vampire Ethics

From personal stances to more formal written codes, ethics within the vampire community is a fairly common topic and, like so many others, one full of a wide range of opinions and perspectives. Ethics come in many different forms, depending on personal choices and what situations are involved, but everyone involved in the community should follow at least some sort of ethical code with some common basics included.

One of the most important but commonly and sadly overlooked parties involved in the community are the donors. Because of this, donor ethics in particular are not always discussed; so much emphasis is put on the ethics of the vampires, but donors also have ethical responsibilities. First, donors have the responsibility to ensure that they are clean and healthy. This includes being medically clean and free of communicable diseases, infections, or illness that could cause harm to them or to the vampire they are donating to; physically clean and following a proper hygiene routine; and mentally and emotionally healthy . In many ways, common sense is important here; if a donor is sick or extremely stressed, they have the responsibility to tell their vampire that they aren't able to donate until they are healthy and stable again. If the donor is physically donating (either via blood or other means that requires physical contact), it is not an unreasonable request for the donor to be tested for diseases at a local clinic and to show the results of the test to the vampire they are donating to. The donor should also keep in mind that if the same is not offered, it is also a perfectly reasonable request for the vampire to have the same testing if they will be in physical contact with the donor. If a donor finds they're too tired or have been donating too frequently, they need to tell the vampire they're donating to so the relationship can be adjusted so as not to hurt the donor. Similarly, the donor should tell the vampire if there is or will be a change in their life that will impact their ability to donate. The donor has a responsibility to be aware of what is happening and educate themselves as to how the vampire is going to feed, what training they have, and what the possible effects will be on them so they do not agree to something they do not want and do not panic when their vampire does feed on them. One of the main keys is open communication between the donor and vampire.

Ethics for vampires primarily relate to their interaction with a donor. The first ethical responsibility for any vampire is to be honest with themselves and their donor about if they truly are a vampire and truly need to feed; while there is nothing wrong with someone having a blood fetish rather than actually being a vampire, it would be unethical to use the guise of vampirism to find a donor to fill that desire, while the donor believes they are donating to meet a need. The next responsibility for a vampire is to educate themselves. If the vampire is a sang, they need to learn about anatomy and what methods of feeding are or are not safe. Psi vampires have the ethical responsibility to learn to control their feeding, so as not to constantly drain those around them. Also, psi vampires should inform and obtain consent from those they feed directly and significantly on (as opposed to simply wandering through a shopping mall and drawing from the collective energy of the people there). Vampires also have the responsibility to take every possible precaution to prevent harm to their donor or themselves. This includes everything from proper aftercare for the donor after feeding to confirming that both they and their donors are physically and mentally healthy. Vampires must also keep in mind the possible legal ramifications and resolve any ethical concerns they have due to them, which is most often handled by the commonsense requirements that all donors be of legal age and fully consenting. Vampires are responsible for respecting the wishes of their donors. All vampires also have a responsibility to their donor to keep open communication with them about their needs. If a vampire is not feeding enough, it is up to them to discuss it with their donor and come to an agreement about how to rectify the situation. Similarly, the vampire should tell their donor if they are or will be going through something in their life that is likely to change their feeding requirements.

Finally, one of the most important ethical responsibilities for both donors and vampires is mutual respect and lack of abuse or manipulation. One of the most unethical things possible is for a donor to use their being a source of sustenance over their vampire as a means of control or manipulation. Likewise, a vampire should never use their feeding as a threat or take it to an extreme where it becomes no longer consensual for the donor. Both parties [i]always[/i] have the option of ending the arrangement or choosing not to feed or donate. Also, many donors and vampires develop extremely strong bonds and connections ranging from energetic to emotional, and neither party should use those bonds to influence or manipulate the other.

While the finer details of ethics for those within the vampire community often boil down to personal choices and opinions, commonsense, caution, respect, and safety are the keys for most ethical concerns when it comes to vampires and donors.

Ethics Checklist

Vampires:

• Am I actually a vampire and so actually need to feed?
  
  
• Have I educated myself?
  
  
  • Do I know enough about anatomy to not injure my donor?
    
  • Do I know how to control my feeding?
    
  • Do I know how to care for my donor?
    
  
  
• Is my donor of legal age?
  
  
• Is my donor fully aware and consenting of donating?
  
  
• Is what I am doing safe?
  
  
  • Have both my donor and I been tested for diseases or illness?
    
  • Are both my donor and I mentally stable?
    
  
  
• Is the relationship with my donor healthy?
  
  
  • Am I being careful to not manipulate my donor?
    
  • Am I not allowing my donor to manipulate me?
    
  
  
• Am I communicating what I need with my donor?
  
  
• Am I being mindful of my donors needs and wishes?
  
  
  Donors:
  
  
• Is what I am doing safe?
  
  
  • Have both my vampire and I been tested for diseases or illness?
    
  • Are both my vampire and I mentally stable?
    
  • Has my vampire educated themselves?
    
  
  
• Is the relationship with my vampire healthy?
  
  
  • Am I being careful to not manipulate my vampire?
    
  • Am I not allowing my vampire to manipulate me?
    
  
  
• Have I educated myself about what my vampire needs?
  
  
  • Do I know how my vampire is going to feed?
    
  • Do I know what the effects of donating are?
    
  
  
• Am I communicating what I need and want with my vampire?