Clarke, J. Philip

English

epublications@Marquette

The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 32 | Number 4 Article 15November 1965Love and Control - A WarningJ. Philip ClarkeFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationClarke, J. Philip (1965) "Love and Control - A Warning," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 32 : No. 4 , Article 15.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol32/iss4/15Love and Control A W - arn1ntJ. PHILIP CLARKE, M.D. - _;c.rdinal Suenen's timely book _-'ue and Control has been wide! discussed _since its 1961 pub!' t' y A C 1ca 10n. t ana conferences in various cities the priest, married couple, and doc:tor comprising the speaking team have reit�rat�d and elaborated Ufod the Cardmal s statements regardincr sexu�l control practice in lov/mak�ng during times of per:odic continence. He writes:l V:e have already said that period' tmen:e doe� not mean living as b�o��:; and s1ster-1t allows a couple the f 11 of phys· l · . u range ica mt1macy, as we have pointed inal penetration, and ac of orgasm. Control of must be learned and (i.e. unintentional exr ejacu la t ions) may oc process.2 The purpose of this c to direct attention to cen undesired or harmful E such pra.ctice when perfo ually. Smee a highly mo pie practicing periodic may restrict sexual int about a week or less I �rnmber of days for sue' is most significant. ·ity shortis nature .ccidents" -vaginal r in the cussion is 1 possible,,cts fromed habit­·ated cou­Jntinence :ourse to cycle, a "control" out, as long as they do not reach the termi-11al. re�e�, whose absence will mean thatt ese m�1mac1es will play a greater rolethan ordmanly. The "all or nothing" t . tude has no�hing to do with this ques:i�� and we falsify the human and Ch . IMMEDIATELY UNDESIRL EFFECTS solution b · . nst1an h h y puttmg a couple m the position w ere t ey are faced with this dilemma e1ththe_r completely terminated intercourse ; no mg. T�e degree of expression of the· l will depend h ir ove b . d upo:1 ow successful they have een m evelopmg self-control This statement has be�n inter­preted by some as moral approval ofall degrees of sexual foreplay, vag-Dr. _C_larke is a. -member of the De t ofMed'.cme, the Denver Clinic; Ass�ciat Clmrcal Professor of Medicine, the Univer es1ty of Colorado School of Medicine, andPah Fellow of the American College of ys1c1ans. lSuenens, Leo Joseph (Cardinal) . L Nand Control-The Contemporary P;obl;;e ewman Press, p. l 04. ' 334 The chance of an ··accident" occurring intravaginally ming ad­vanced sexual stimulatiCJ1 ·, obvious. Less so is the fact that 11- ,die lubri­cating secretions may cc; ·11tin viable sper�atozoa. Hence, COfo· ption may p�ssibly (alb:::it rarely?) "�cur in the a sence of orgasm. An her cause why rhythm can fail! Congestion of the mak' organs prepared for but unrelic\·cd by or­gasm often leads to sevc·rc di�com-fort · h m t e testes and pros�atc. Unfortunately, exact scien1ific data on psycho-physiological effect of other .gratified or ungratified sexualbehavior are lacking. 2�2. LINACRE QUARTERLY DELAYED EFFECTS Repeated effects of unrelieved con­gestion of genital organs in the hus­band may lead to chronic posterior urethral congestion and irrigation and possibly congestive vesiculo­prostatitis.3 In the wife the pelvic congestion syndrom (Taylor's syn­drome) may occur. It corresponds to the engagement pelvis of the young girl "brought about by fre­quent petting without release."4 It is the off-repeated failure of these internal pelvic · organs to dis­engorge properly at the termination of the sex act which may contribute heavily to the genesis of this syn­drome. Symptoms include dysmen­orrhea, irritability, pre-menstrual tension, excessive vaginal discharge, fatigue, and possibly a characteristic dream pattern ("just too late-just short of"). The long term physical effects of repeated frustrations of autonomic nervous system mechanisms nor·.· mally terminated by orgasm are not known. However, in view of- blood pressure and cardiac rate elevations �nd �agotonic . effects upon gastro­u:itestmal motility and gastric secre­tions, 5 the poss ible  p rovocat ive � F.: Sexual Hygiene and Pathol­ogy, 2nd Edition, p. 320 (Lippincott). 41bid, p. 461-463. 5Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., Martin, C. E., and Gebhard, P. H.: Sexual Be­havior in the Human Female, p. 705, W. B. Saunders, 1953. NOVEMBER, 1965 effects toward circulatory (e.g. hy­pertension) and gastrointestinal (e .. g. peptic ulcer) derangements must be considered. Regarding possible adverse psychic effects from such practice, Freud has stated: 6 "I found that outbreaks of anxiety and a general state of anxiety pre­paredness were produced by certain sexual practices such as coitus inter­ruptus or undischarged sexual excite­m e n t ." This  pr inc ip l e  i s  still  acknowledged by psychiatrists. CONCLUSION I do not wish to indicate that physical or psychic disturbances would result from the occasional practice of such sexual brinkmanship as· is morally permissible, but the frequent habitual indulgence in such practice seems unwise. Here is a situation in which a morally accept­able sexual activity may carry with it possible pathophysiologic and psychologic disturbances if habitu­ally practiced. [Editor's note: Because of the the­ological complexities of the questionraised by Dr. Clarke, we asked Fr. John J. Lynch, S.J., one of our moral consultants, to comment briefly from a moral theologian's point of view. His discussion follows, p. 336.J6Freud, Sigmund: Inhibitions, Symptoms and Anxiety, Chapter IV, Volume 52, Great Books, Encyclopedia, Britannica. 335 

Love and Control - A Warning

https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4227&amp;context=lnq

Love and Control - A Warning

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

epublications@Marquette