In the 1920s, after a year of marriage, Marie Stopes began studying medical books in the British Library and realised that she was still a virgin because her husband was impotent. As a result, she had her marriage annulled on the grounds of non-consummation, although her husband denied this in court, describing Stopes as ‘super-sexed to a degree that was almost pathological’.
In preparing her legal case, she gathered information that had previously only been available to the medical elite and decided that women had a right to know the real truth about sex by writing the first ever manual on the subject.
Published in 1918, ‘Married Love’ was based on theories she had derived from self-observation, discussions with married friends and a thorough study of all the text books available as she trained to become a doctor. Although it was banned for obscenity in America, it was a best seller in Britain and was crucial to breaking down taboos about sex and reproductive health.
Marie Stopes taught women about the facts of life but, more than that, she encouraged them to enjoy their sex lives and expect more from their husbands, giving them tips on achieving orgasm, whilst also advising them to be attentive to one another’s sexual needs.
Inundated by letters from women seeking advice on things like birth control, in 1921 she opened the first family planning clinic. By doing so, she broke the link between sex and babies, allowing women to see sex as something enjoyable in its own right.
Marie Stopes changed lives and I, personally, am one of the many women has reason to be grateful to her, since I had cause to use the facilities available at one of her clinics four years ago yesterday.
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