ABSTRACT
Touch can be an extraordinary expression of love. In the 1980s, researchers realised that the ‘minimal touch’ rules surrounding preterm babies were holding them back from effective recovery; massaging these little ones gently for a few sessions a day helped them put on weight and thrive much faster – 47% faster – than those who did not receive the touch treatment. Men touch women, but everywhere forbid women from touching themselves: the ultimate contempt for their authority over the female body. The issues of sexuality, pregnancy and abortion pervade the way we think about women's bodies. Women have historically been seen passive vessels, hosts, objects. Some theories in philosophy suggest that the idea of moral obligation or duty does not apply here. It would be a kind and generous thing to sustain the creature for all those months, but morality would not demand that you do. The price is too high, and you didn't ask to be put in position.
