Contagious Diseases Act Flashcards
Why were concerns raised about the health of the military in the 1860s?
Many of the soldiers ended up contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
What were the terms of the first Contagious Diseases Act 1864?
Applied to specific garrison towns and ports in England and Ireland:
- Authorised police to arrest women on the street that they suspected to be prostitutes, to register them and ensure they attended a medical examination.
- If found to be diseased they could be detained for up to three months for treatment or until they were cured.
What arguments were presented in 1862 that led to the passing of the first Contagious Diseases Act of 1864?
- That there would be less women infecting soldiers and the number of STD would decrease with this Act.
- It would reduce the amount of prostitution in England as many women would be scared of the Act.
How was the first Contagious Diseases Act received?
There was a lot of controversy when it came to the contagious diseases Act. For example, many people saw it as unequal as men where not being treated the same way as women even though they where the ones using prostitutes.
Some people thought it was a good Act as they saw a reduction of prostitutes on the streets as many of them left towns and moved to places where the contagious diseases Act as not in place.
What were the terms of the second and third Contagious Diseases Act?
The second contagious diseases Act widened the scope of the Act as it now meant that the Act could be enforced in more military areas. Also it authorised a system of periodic fortnightly inspections which where compulsory.
The Third Act extended the Act to 5 more districts and extended the amount of time a women could be held in hospital.
How did the Contagious Diseases Acts affect women? Give detailed examples.
The contagious diseases Act changed women’s lives dramatically as not only where prostitutes being harassed by the police but normal women on the street where being picked out and degraded and accused of being a prostitute.
Why was Elizabeth Wolstenholme important?
Elizabeth Wolstenholme was so important due to the fact she played a big role in fighting against the contagious diseases Act.
How successful had the repeal campaign been before 1869? Explain your answer.
The repeal campaign had not been that successful as there wasn’t a lot women could do that the time as they where already seen as second class citizens.
Why was the Ladies National Association important in the campaign for repeal?
The LNA was important in the campaign for repeal due to the fact they where the first core foundation which women could look towards when it came to repealing the Act.
How significant was the Leadership of Josephine Butler in the campaign for repeal? Give examples of what she did/her strengths/weaknesses
She was a good leader
Ran previous campaigns
Had a large following
She knew what she was doing.
What other examples of leadership can you find and why were they important in the campaign for repeal? (you can think about leadership generally as well).
You should be able to appeal to a large audience so that they can be on your side.
Be able to understand what the public wants and how they want it done.
Be able to actually have an effect.
What were the regional electoral leagues and how did they campaign for repeal?
These where leagues within different areas which campaigned against the contagious diseases Act.
What campaigning methods were used and how effective were they? Give specific examples.
Demonstrations
Meetings
pamphlets
Why was the leadership of James Stansfeld important?
He supported the repeal of the contagious diseases Act. He also had some power of changing things for women.
When were the acts repealed and how?
Parliament finally repealed the Acts in 1886. this was due to the pressure of the public and the mass support towards the people fighting against the Acts.
