ce of auto-suggestion which became
an obsession. Such cases are not uncommon. This is clearly shown by
the absurdity of her manner of acting, which was both useless and
pernicious, while she might easily have got out of her difficulty in
other ways. If our judges and juries had a little more knowledge of
human psychology and a little less of the Code in their heads, they
would have had some doubts on the mental integrity of the accused, and
would have ordered an expert examination by a mental specialist. But,
apart from this point, I put the question--can we expect from a woman,
maternal sentiments for a child resulting from sexual surprise
bordering on rape?

In the preceding chapter I have demanded the right of artificial
abortion to women rendered pregnant by rape or against their will, and
I think the case of Frieda Keller supports my contention. I do not
intend to justify the assassination of a child already five years of
age; but I wish to point out that the absence of maternal love is
quite natural in such a case. It is precisely the instinctive aversion
of Frieda Keller for her child, otherwise inexplicable, which shows
most clearly that it was a case of imposed maternity, or sexual
satisfaction on the part of the father alone.

The tragic case of this unfortunate woman well illustrates the
brutality and hypocrisy of our customs regarding the sexual question,
and shows what terror, shame, torment and despair may be caused by the
point of view of the so-called rules of morality. In the presence of
these facts I do not think I can be accused of exaggeration: it is
only parchment-hearted jurists and government officials who can remain
indifferent in such cases.

Penal servitude for life for the poor victim of such cruelty is a kind
of "mercy" which rather resembles bitter irony. The law of St. Gall
can do only one thing to repair the evil; that is to change its laws
and liberate the victim as soon as possible.

In ordinary infanticide the true assassin is not usually the mother
who kills her child, but rather the father who abandons the woman he
has made pregnant, and disowns the result of his temporary passion. In
the case of Frieda Keller, maternal heredity, the results of
meningitis, stupidity, irreflection, want, shame, fear, a pathological
obsession, and finally the unworthy conduct of the father, all
combined in making this unfortunate girl a victim rather than a
criminal. Her child was not only a source