Motherhood and the Relationships of the SexesHartley, C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine)
Philosophy
Motherhood and the Relationships of the Sexes
Hartley, C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine)
Mothers; Sex; Women -- Social and moral questions
This need not discourage us too much. It will not serve to leave matters
to official action alone. If the victory against venereal diseases is
to be won, strong signs of general interest must be shown. More even
than this is necessary. The interest shown must be of an enlightened
character. I feel it is urgent to emphasise this need for wise, and
not hasty, action. Women have of late been taking a quite new concern
in sexual questions, in particular in venereal diseases, so intimately
connected with their interests. This is as it should be. But I have been
forced to the knowledge that this interest, unbacked by wide knowledge
and still more by experience of the facts of life, often leads them into
folly. The possession of the vote by women has been expected to achieve
immediate magical effects; it has been forgotten that women voters would
be neither united in their aims nor possessed of the political capacity
which would enable them infallibly to gain all for which they wished.
Women ought not to hope to solve the ancient, fierce enigmas which have
vexed mankind in every modern civilised society.
In my opinion, the greatest cause of error in women’s judgment arises
from the tendency (doubtless due to what their sex has suffered) to throw
the whole blame for sexual sins on men. Some women carry sex antagonism
like a flag, which they flourish in every wind. These are, of course, a
small minority; but the majority of women fail to take a wide, sane view
of both the question of prostitution and that of venereal diseases.
Let me give an illustration. I recently attended a meeting where a paper
was read on the Report of the Venereal Disease Commission. The reader
of the paper, being a woman doctor, took the wise view that the most
important matter was the cure of the disease. In the discussion that
followed, it was plainly evident that few of the audience agreed with
her. These were women who had read about, and to some limited extent
thought and studied these questions. Yet the general view was that _the
men ought to be punished_. One speaker, who stated that she was married,
said that _no true woman could or ought to forgive a husband who had
become infected with venereal disease_.
Now, it is this view, here so crudely expressed, that I am writing to
combat. Such an attitude of blame and unforgiveness has to be changed,
or no legislation or public action will effect a real cure. _Women are
really responsible for the secrecy of these diseases._ And what is the
result? _Because these infectious diseases are secret they are largely
uncured._
I hasten to say that I am not taking an unfair view of the position. It
is, of course, easy to understand the attitude taken up by women. Blame
is not easily avoided. I would, however, ask them very earnestly to
consider whether there is not some confusion in their minds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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