chapter 6 Flashcards
pg. 53
who was roy jenkins?
labour home secretary under wilson
from dec 1965
what began to happen to society in the early 1960s?
‘civilised’ societal standards were beginning to drop
this gradual evolution was expected
due to the affluence and youth culture
what are the major liberal reforms of this period?
abolition of capital punishment
abortion act
sexual offences act
divorce reform
was labour’s intention to reform uk?
no original plans in manifestos to address moral issues
wilson was conservative on these issues
how are moral question laws decided
free votes - MPs can vote on their personal conscience and not a party belief
what is a case that boosted discussions of the end of capital punishment?
ruth ellis - young mother
convicted of murdering her abusive boyfriend in 1955
became last woman to be hanged
how was the end of capital punishment established?
a 1965 free vote made it abolished on a trial period of five years
permanent in 1969
what is another reform relating to crime and punishment?
jenkins refused to authorise the beating of prisoners
ceased after 1967
brought in majority verdicts for english juries rahter than demanding unanimity
how was divorce allowed prior to the 1960s?
only allowed if one party had committed adultery
when and what was the divorce reform act?
1969
allows a no fault divorce if the marriage had ‘irretrievably broke down’
-lived apart for 2 years and both partners agreed
-lived apart for 5 years and one did not want the divorce
how did statistics of divorce change during this time?
in 1950 there were fewer than 2 divorces per 1000 marriages
mid 1970s nearly 10 in 1000 were divorced
mix of growing female independence and the act
when was abortion legalised and what were the previous terms?
1967
strictly medical grounds
otherwise high fees for private clinics or dangerous backstreet abortions
how many illegal abortions were performed each year?
100,000-200,000 per year
35,000 admitted to hospitals with complications
between 1958-60, 82 women died
when did the Abortion Law Reform Assosciation begin campaigning?
-1945
the legal obstacles must be removed to solve this
thalidomide disaster in 1959-62 helped the case
what was the thalidomide disaster?
-the drug prescribed for women w morning sickness was found to produce deformities in children
in reaction many now believed abortion should be allowed when deformity is showing
