Free Republic

Virginia E. Johnson, a writer, researcher and sex therapist who with her longtime collaborator, William H. Masters, helped make the frank discussion of sex in postwar America possible if not downright acceptable, died on Wednesday in St. Louis. She was 88. Her son, Scott Johnson, confirmed the death, The Associated Press reported. Dr. Masters was a gynecologist on the faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis when he began his research into human sexuality in the mid-1950s. Ms. Johnson, who joined him in 1957 after answering an advertisement for an assistant, worked alongside him for more...

More than 100 leading sex researchers and students from a broad range of disciplines gathered in Santa Fe, New Mexico in late March for "States of Sexuality," a three-day summit held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sexuality Research Fellowship Program. The program, sponsored by the Social Science Research Council and funded in part by the Ford Foundation, has provided support for more than 200 fellows and claims to have "cultivated new generations of scholars who address the complex nature of human sexuality and make contributions to a more thorough understanding of human sexuality." A highlight of the meeting was...

<p>Spurred by complaints from a conservative group, the National Institutes of Health is questioning government-funded researchers about the value of their work on AIDS and sexual practices.</p> <p>NIH spokesman John Burklow said his agency was responding to a request from Republican lawmakers, who were given a list of 157 researchers with NIH grants.</p>

<p>When House Republicans found out the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was spending taxpayer dollars on sex research projects — including a $147,000 grant for a Northwestern University study that paid women to watch pornography — they started asking questions. In July, the House narrowly rejected a bill offered by Rep. Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania Republican, that would have eliminated funding for some of the NIH sex projects. Now, it seems, the sex researchers are fighting back. An attorney for the American Psychological Association (APA) has sent out an e-mail "action alert," urging APA members to write or phone their congressmen "about the important public-health implications of your research." Karen Studwell, legislative and federal affairs officer in the APA's Washington office, offered several "talking points" for the psychologists, including: "Sexual behavior is a legitimate subject for scientific research. Diminished research in this area will lead to fewer interventions for promoting sexual health and responsible sexual behaviors. The public-health consequences could be severe. ... "Taxpayers can take comfort in the rigorous scientific merit review process in place at NIH." •John McCaslin, a nationally syndicated columnist, can be reached at 202/636-3284 or jmccaslin@washingtontimes.com.</p>