Roger Ebert, my favorite movie-and-everything-else critic, gives some historical perspective on America’s road to sexual freedom and enjoyment. He spotlights a letter to the Daily Illini, written by an assistant professor of biology, that sparked off a national furor in 1960, but has since been forgotten, even by Wikipedia.

The letter:

With modern contraceptives and medical advice readily available at the nearest drugstore, or at least a family physician, there is no valid reason why sexual intercourse should not be condoned among those sufficiently mature to engage in it without social consequences and without violating their own codes of morality and ethics. A mutually satisfactory sexual experience would eliminate the need for many hours of frustrating petting and lead to happier and longer lasting marriages among our young men and women.