Traditionally the sexuality of mentally handicapped people was feared by those who made the rules governing Western societies. Where sexual needs were admitted at all, rigid rules were laid down in order to prevent thementally handicapped members of a society from procreating. Thus arose the segregated and isolated colonies for defectives, prohibitions on marriages (Berg and Nyland, unpublished; Grunewald and Limier, 1979) and laws permitting sterilization of the mentally incompetent which became widespread, particularly intheUSA. The reasons forsterilization were summed up in the much quoted judgement of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: It is 1?etterfor all the world, if, instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crimes, or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind. The principle that sustains compulsory vaccination is broad enough to cover cutting the fallopian tubes. .. three generations of imbeciles are enough. (Buck v Bell, 274 US 200(1927)). Sterilizations continued, even though evidence to demonstrate theireffectiveness in preventing the birth of mentally handicapped children was lacking (Grunewald, 1979). More recently people have viewed the mentally handicapped asa sexually oppressed group(Kempton, 1977a). Although the ‘¿ normal' socio-sexual model is to finda mate,marry and have children, when a retarded person expresses, or worse, acts out these desires, many perceive it as excessive or shocking (Hall, 1975). A review of the literature shows up the conflict in viewpoints between parents, professionals, and mentally handicapped people themselves. In addition, there is literature concerned with helping mentally handicapped people to develop their potential for loving relationships in ways which are socially acceptable (see for example Lee and Katz, 1974). Let us start with the parental viewpoint.
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