Marie Stopes and the Sexual Revolution

"Married Love", published in 1916, sold over one million copies and was translated into 13 languages. What made the book such a success was the author's passion as a woman combined with her cool dispassionate approach to sex. Her reputation rests on her radical and pioneering work in birth control. When she opened a birth control clinic in 1921, the Catholic Church mounted a furious campaign against her, and a Catholic doctor accused her of experimenting on the poor. Yet, even though she lost her case, she gained even greater popular support, and during the 1920s and 30s her name was constantly in the headlines. This biography looks at her life and views.