The Crime of Education
In 1929, Mary Ware Dennett was convicted for mailing her pamphlet, The Sex Side of Life, under the Comstock Act, which labeled sex education as obscene. Written for her teenage sons, the booklet offered honest discussions about sex and its natural role in life.
A Trial and a Landmark Appeal
Dennett’s trial gained national attention as her work was called “smut” by the prosecution. Convicted by an all-male jury in just 45 minutes, she appealed. In 1930, the conviction was overturned, setting a significant precedent for free speech and sex education.
Fighting for Change
Dennett’s case inspired debates on censorship and reproductive rights. Her lifelong activism, including co-founding the National Birth Control League, challenged the era’s restrictive laws, paving the way for future legal victories against censorship.
A Lasting Impact
Though the Comstock Laws remained in place until 1970, Dennett’s work, translated into 15 languages, continued to educate generations.
In January 897, Pope Stephen VI held the Cadaver Synod, exhuming Pope Formosus’ body to stand trial. The corpse, dressed in papal robes, was accused of crimes like violating canon law by becoming pope while already a bishop. A deacon was assigned to speak for him. pic.twitter.com/gyiVsW6iq4
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