Human Sexuality and the Quaker Conscience; 1973 Rufus Jones Lecture

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Friends General Conference, 1973. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Pamphlet. Good. [2]. 22 pages. Illustrated cover. This is one of the rarer works of this extraordinary individual--visionary, doctor, organizational leader, advocate, and to many prophet. Includes sections on Human Sexuality and the Quaker Conscience; Sexuality and Society in Conflict; Basic Sociosexual Issues; and Some Thoughts, as well as Notes and Additional Reading. In the matter of moving towards some resolution of the crucial issues and dilemmas that relate to sex, it would seem as if our only way, whether as fellow citizens, parents, or Quakers, is to hew to our own standards and values, each one for ourselves, while affirming--and confirming by our attitudes and actions--the rights of other people to their own. Such affirmation would make it possible to provide adequate sex information and education for all ages, and sexual information and counseling and contraceptive services to those sexually active persons who need and desire them. On the Yale University campus, where every incoming freshman is made aware of the availability of just such services, the college chaplains observe how little casual sex or promiscuity exists, and the health services report a phenomenally low venereal disease and premarital pregnancy rate. Mary Steichen Calderone (July 1, 1904 - October 24, 1998) was an American physician and a public health advocate for sexual education. Her most notable feat was overturning the American Medical Association policy against the dissemination of birth control information to patients. Calderone served as president and co-founder of the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) from 1954 to 1982. She was also the medical director for Planned Parenthood. She wrote many publications advocating open dialogue and access to information at all ages. Her extensive work with popularizing sexuality education has often been compared to Margaret Sanger's campaign for birth control. She married Dr. Frank A. Calderone. Frank Calderone was then a district health officer in New York and eventually became the chief administrative officer of the World Health Organization. In 1953, Calderone joined the staff of the controversial Planned Parenthood Federation of America as its Medical Director. Her tenure there was prolific. In 1958, she organized a national conference that instigated the movement to legalize abortion. Her biggest success at Planned Parenthood came in 1964 when she overturned the American Medical Association policy against physicians disseminating information on birth control. Calderone did not believe that her work should be limited to preventive measures against pregnancy. In 1974, the American Humanist Association named her Humanist of the Year. Calderone was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1998.