The Contagious Diseases Acts Flashcards
What were the main ideas around gender roles in the 19th Century?
- Men worked and women remained at home to oversee the work of the servants
- Women were to counterbalance the moral taint of the public sphere for husbands
- Womens education focused around domesticity - music, singing drawing, modern languages to make them cultured and entertaining
- Women remained chaste until marriage
- Women only wanted sex to reproduce after marriage so men used prostitutes to curb sexual need
- Couples could only marry once the man could provide for the women or any prospective children
Why did many working class women turn to prostitution?
- To support their families
- It was a sure fire way to make money in a culture where women were prohibited from having sex before marriage as prostitution was seen to help young single or betrothed men satsified
Why were the three main reasons the Contagious Diseases Acts were introduced
- Social attitudes to prostitution and gender roles
- The war effort
- Health of the public
Why did the war effort in Crimea lead to the introduction of the Contagious Diseases Acts?
- By 1864 venereal disease accounted for 1/3 of sick cases in the army
- Reporting of the Crimean War highlighted the terrible living conditions suffered by soldier
- Despite experiencing and extended period of peace after Crimea, people were aware of a need for a fit army
Why did social attitudes lead to the introduction of the Contagious Diseases Acts?
- In 1859 compulsory medical exams of soldier were bonded due to their dislike to intimate examination so prostitutes were now to be examined
- Evangelical Christians condemned the use of prostitutes as they said is ruined the holy union of marriage
- Many men thoughts illicit commercial sex was inevitable and just needed to be regulated/contained
Why did the health of the public lead to the introduction of the Contagious Diseases Acts?
• After the war there were annual reports on the health of the army conducted by the government
Welfare increased to ease the difficulties of workers who lost jobs due to sickness
What was established in 1862?
A parliamentary committee to investigate how to reduce venereal disease
What were the two approaches to the issue of venereal disease?
- Liberal - improved hospital care, penalties for men hiding they had the disease, better barrack sanitation and leisure activities for military men
- Conservative - regulation of prostitutes like in Hong Kong and India with compulsory examination by army doctors
Who was associated with the two approaches of venereal disease?
Liberal - John William Acton and Florence Nightingale
Conservative - Sir John Liddell
Who was John William Acton?
London surgeon specialising in urinary and genital organs
How did John William Acton help the passing of the CDAs?
- His book highlighted both the medical and moral issues that prostitution caused
- Said that charity and moral help had not solved the problem thus there was a need for the medical profession to deal with the disease through examinations
- The book convinced many that there was a need for government intervention to prevent the spread of venereal disease
- Wanted to stop the idea that once a woman became a prostitute the woman was on a road to ruin and could be saved
What years were the Contagious Diseases Acts passed?
1864, 1866, 1869
What did the initial Contagious Diseases Act say?
- Applied to specifically named naval ports/garrison towns
- Allowed police to arrest prostitutes and order them to undergo internal investigation
- If infected with venereal disease they were detained until cured
- If they refused examination they could be thrown into jail and have a trial to prove their virtue
What did the 1866 CDA do?
- Extended the act to mean all known prostitutes were to undergo examination every three months
- Also said that any prostitute within 10 miles of a naval port/garrison town had to under go regular examinations
What did the 1869 CDA do?
- Extended the acts laws to all garrison towns
* Allowed suspected prostitutes to be held for up to 5 days before examination
What was the long term impacts of the CDAs on the health of prostitutes?
- Elongated the lives of prostitutes as one of the causes of premature deaths was reduced
- Occurrence of scabies was reduced
What was the negative impact of treatment on women who had venereal disease?
- Mercury treatment for syphilis was unsafe and useless against the disease
- There was no treatment for syphilis and the treatment merely reduced symptoms
- The speculum used was invasive and many women feared being falsely accused incase they examination gave them the disease/ruined their purity or that of a virgin
Why did the acts lead to fear amongst middle and upper class women?
- There was ambiguous wording regarding the acts of ‘common prostitute’
- False accusation would ruin a woman reputation, cases where women who were falsely accused committed suicide such as Mrs Percy in 1875
Why did the acts not help prostitutes?
- Social attitudes remained the same and women found it hard to leave the profession
- Women were still blamed for the spread of the disease
- Rescue shelters for women and children often refused to treat any woman who had been in a government hospital for treatment for venereal disease
Why did the Ladies’ National Association begin?
- Moral opposition to the Acts seeming to legalise prostitution
- The treatment of women under the acts
- The National Anti- Contagious Disease Act Extension Association did not allow women to join as they believed it would weaken the movement
Why did the Ladies’ National Association, Quakers and Unitarian oppose the acts?
Opposed the acts on 8 counts that were
• Passed through parliament in secrecy
• Undermined legal protection provided to both men and women
• Offence of prostitution unclearly defined
• Unfairly punished one sex for the vie of prostitution
• Made the path to evil easier for men
• Examinations were cruel, degrading and brutalised women
• Would increase disease rather than prevent
• Solution to disease was ‘moral’ not ‘physical’
Why did Elizabeth Wolstenholme not lead the Ladies’ National Association?
- Seen to be too radical
* Openly opposed marriage and realised the moment would require a more acceptable leader
Why was Josephine Butler chosen to be the leader of the Ladies’ National Association?
- She was married to an anglican church minister
- Was a mother but daughter died after falling down the stairs
- Was a moral figure who was known for trying to achieve the salvation of women, specifically prostitutes
- Very charismatic
How did Butler’s leadership also limit the influence of the LNA over the Acts repeal?
- She had no first hand experience with prostitutes in Portsmouth and Devonport and other port towns where the acts affect the most women
- A lot of her work could be seen to be indulgent - saw herself as moral crusader and brought picture of her dead daughter to lock hospitals for prostitutes to cry over
