The War On Women: The Chamberlain-Kahn Act of 1918

[Tx4obama]

I am not shocked nowadays very often by things I read or hear about, but I was pretty shocked last night while watching a H2 History Channel show on demand titled - "How Sex Changed the World: Sex and War".

I was shocked both by the fact that I had never heard of the Chamberlain-Kahn Act and also by the fact that our government (men) passed this Act and actually did what they did to women in 1918.

In the Sex in War episode it was stated that women were rounded up, arrested, and could be held indefinitely based only on a ‘suspicion’ that they ‘might’ have a venereal disease.

Even women that were not prostitutes were arrested and indefinitely detained - if I remember correctly they said that over a total of 100,000 women had been rounded up and detained.
Women that drank too much alcohol could be arrested and held indefinitely.
Women that might be just walking down the street if they were deemed to be ‘inappropriate’ they could be arrested and also held indefinitely.
They said that MANY of the women that were detained had no signs of having a venereal disease but they also were forced to undergo treatment (injections of mercury) and were not released for many months.

If you get a chance to watch the episode I recommend doing so.
On my cable it’s available now on demand in the H2 section.
The H2 channel will also be re-airing the episode: Sex & War - Thursday, Jun 27, 10/9c

From Wikipedia

In 1918, the Chamberlain-Kahn Act gave the government the power to quarantine any woman suspected of having a Sexually transmitted disease (STD). A medical examination was required, and if it revealed an STD, this discovery could constitute proof of prostitution. The purpose of this law was to prevent the spread of venereal diseases among U.S. soldiers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_the_United_States#Legal_measures

[niyad]

1. according to some, there is no war on women. thank you for posting this--I had forgotten

about this disgusting piece of legislation

[niyad]

2. did a quick google on this to refresh my memory--and came across this little gem

. . . .

It took rampant STDs during WWI to get the federal government involved in sex ed. In 1918, Congress passed The Chamberlain-Kahn Act, which allocated money to educate soldiers about syphilis and gonorrhea. During this time, Americans began to view sex ed as a public-health issue. The American Hygiene Association, founded in 1914 as part of the Progressive-era social purity movement, helped teach soldiers about sexual hygiene throughout the war. Instructors used a machine called the stereomotorgraph to show soldiers microscopic slides of syphilis and gonorrhea organisms, as well as symptoms of the diseases on the body of an actual soldier.

. . . .

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2009/10/27/the-sin-of-yielding-to-impure-desire.html

[Dawson Leery]

3. k/r

[sheshe2]

4. Thank you Tx...

What a horrible piece of our past history that you brought to light.

So sad that so very little has changed. Men are still abusing women...and no I am not talking about the abuse in ones home or personal life.

I am talking about members of today's GOP, that continue to purposefully ignore women and their rights.

They take away women's right to chose. They deny basic health care to women. They continue to inject their antiquated beliefs on what is right.

These are our duly elected representatives. They sanction rape, they bless it.

They disgust me, and they Shame this Nation!