be
held by otherwise sane people in perfect sincerity. But we cannot help
questioning the reasoning faculties of people holding such beliefs.

Let us see where the belief of "sex relations for procreation only"
would lead us to. In a normal healthy couple impregnation follows one
connection. So if a couple wanted to limit themselves to three or four
or six children, they would be entitled to have relations only three,
four or six times in their lives. For it must be remembered that
during pregnancy sexual relations would be prohibited, as during
pregnancy no further impregnation can take place, and no intercourse
must take place which has not for its purpose the conception of a new
human being. If the people were believers in big families, and agreed
to have twelve children--no anti-Malthusian would expect more than
that--they would be entitled to twelve relations during their marital
life. Assuming that not every act is followed by pregnancy, but that
it takes on the average three or four times to bring about the desired
result, we will have it that during the wife's childbearing period the
couple may indulge in sex relations from once in three or four years
to once or twice a year.

Can a sane person knowing anything about the sexual instinct make any
such demands from married people living in the same house and perhaps
occupying the same bed? It must be borne in mind that as soon as the
wife has reached the menopause all relations must cease, because she
can no longer become pregnant, and intercourse without a probable or
possible pregnancy is a sin. Also remember that no matter how
beautiful, young and passionate the wife may be, if she has some
little trouble which makes pregnancy impossible, sex relations must be
absolutely abstained from. And of course if the husband or wife is
sterile, all relations must be renounced forever, no matter how strong
the libido may be in one or both.

It is strange that Nature did not act according to the formula of our
sex fanatics; no pregnancy, no intercourse. If she had meant it to be
that way, she would have abolished sexual desire in woman immediately
after the menopause. Unfortunately this is not the case. For we know
that the sexual libido in women after the menopause is often and for
several years stronger than before. Why? Nor has Nature abolished the
sexual instinct and the passionate desire for sex relations in all
those men and women who are for some reason or other