Every time I learn more about the way sex and sexuality has been created historically, I only become more ashamed and confused of our history, but also equally as fascinated. A socially constructed definition of morality that is held by a small percentage of the population, is somehow able to consume our politics. Not only that, but to control our social world and how women are able to interact in it. There has been such little research on the topic, especially in the time periods that were being discussed in the text, yet there is no level of difficulty in receiving ground and support from others.
According to the text, the Right wing opposed “sex education, homosexuality, pornography, abortion, and premarital sex.” Meanwhile, they were also supporting programs like the Adolescent Family Life Program, or the Teen Chastity Program, which received “15 million dollars to encourage teenagers to refrain from sexual intercourse, and to discourage them from using contraceptives if they do have sex, and from having abortions if they get pregnant.” It is extremely clear to see that restraining and controlling women was an influential goal here. The standards of morality create the expectation that women are unable to act upon their sexual nature. When these are not conformed to, she will be forced to bear the punishment, as there are no options for safe sex. She will undoubtedly be ostracized for the rest of her life as a result of her illegitimate child and it will live as proof to her mistakes, not that of the father’s.
It could be said that masturbation, homosexuality, contraceptives, and other sexual acts are considered deviant because they do not promote reproduction and that could be considered an important aspect of humanity. However, this is contradicted through not acknowledging children out of wedlock, simply for their lack of a formal union. If it was about reproductive rates, childbearing should be encouraged, regardless.
Based on this, I really don’t see how there was any other motivation to this mindset, other than to disenfranchise women. It’s unfortunate that rather than uniting to overcome this, women ended up attacking each other for their autonomy to express their sexuality. This negative view of sexual liberation, rooted from a cultural definition of morality, ended up dividing women and creating conflict within the feminist movement.