Contagious diseases acts

3 years it was passed

1864

1866

1869

1864 act

Passed in an almost empty HOC w/ no debate

Gave police in garrisons + port towns power to arrest proustitues for medical examinations

Failure to comply = arrest

Diseased = lock hospital until cured

1866 act

Examinations ro be performed on all suspected prositutes every 3 months

Prositutes could be identified by a single police officer in front of a magistrate

1869 act

Prositutes could be detained 5 days before examination + up to a year in lock hospitals, subject to fornightly examinations

Established 15 protected distristcts including Windsor + Southampton

Extended to all garrison towns

Fro contagious disease act

Reduction of VD is moral duty of the state

Protecting helath of militray

Protecting public health coz not may go voluntary

Againn contagious idea sed act

Humiliated and degraded women by putting all blame on them

Can say any women is a portraiture

Not enough to stop VD

2 good gov implements

Free medical treatment for prostitute VD

→ some traveled to protected districts for it

→ once cured given a clearance document, can use as assurance or to get higher prices

Medical checks increased working life of prostitute 3-4 years

If a woman married or entered work, name removes from police registries

What is

Free medical treatment for prostitute VD

→ some traveled to protected districts for it

→ once cured given a clearance document, can use as assurance or to get higher prices

Medical checks increased working life of prostitute 3-4 years

If a woman married or entered work, name removes from police registries

3 good things giv inplnented

Evidence of effectiveness

Army hospital admissions for siphyllus:

Protected areas: 37/1,000

Unprotected: 194/1,000

Why did some groups oppose it!

Wanted prositutes to reform instead of staying in profession

Some police saw it as unnecessary and distracting from real crime

Only checked women so minute deffect

Lack of medical knowledge of cured eg: mercury to cure siphylkus

When did opposition to contagious ideases act increase?

1869 when gov set to expand it across the country

Demands to repeal

Why was speculum hated?

Instrumental rape

Degrading

Ruined a virgins sexual inocence

Could cause fetishes for sexually active women