A Truly Human Life

The reactions to my letter criticising H.P. Dunn's moralistic views against abortion have only strengthened my argument that those who oppose abortion do so because they wish to see punishments for sexual activity retained.

But Jennifer Hyatt and Harry Theates (Salient 26/9/73), while trying to put me straight on the "real" nature of sexuality and the "true" meaning of marriage, have made some absurd assumptions about my point of view.

For wanting the removal of punitive laws which cause women's sexual lives to be full of distress in a way that no man's can be, I find myself accused of advocating :: "Sexual revolution"; "quickie, limited relationships"; "limitation or lack of total self-giving in a relationship", and so on. In fact, I neither advocate or deprecate such things. What I do find objectionable, however, is the idea that fulfilling human sexual relationships can flower in a coercive situation where freedom of choice is replaced by laws and rigid institutions.

For an excellent discussion of this entire question, I warmly recommend Wilhelm Reich's books, especially "The Sexual Revolution", written in the 1940s and recently enjoying a growing readership. Marriage, sexuality the family, abortion, etc. are all discussed within the framework of getting us out of the "sick" society and towards a truly human one.

Kay Goodger