A Matter of Perspective

The case you're thinking of is Spanner from the so-called European Court of Human Rights. I say so-called because it's a basic human right to do what one wishes with one's own body. Basically, it was politics that decided that case. England had just joined the Court's jurisdiction and most British subjects weren't sure if they wanted to. As a result, instead of using law as a basis for deciding the case, to make sure the UK won, the "judges" turned their backs on Human Rights and stated contact could only be for "manly pursuits." Needless to say, the issue presses my buttons: 1) legal issues should be decided by law not politics and 2) the very idea that people aren't entitled to determine what they wish with their own bodies (understandable is that right is curtailed if they go to prison) is just wrong. Sorry, didn't mean to get on my soapbox but things, from my perspective, have been going downhill for quite sometime.

Given what some judges get up to in private the decision was a bit strange. I can see how the state might have to intervene in certain cases but if an adult who is not under duress or a mental disability makes an informed decision to engage in an act in private with other consenting adults I think the law has no business getting in the way.

Its been a long time since I read the case but I think it involved nails so if anyone is worried no nails were harmed in the writing of the story.

If you are in a domestic situation and an authority (social worker, police officer, doctor, etc) suspects that the spanking in a relationship is abuse, then you are screwed.

The "victim" saying that it isn't abuse, that it's just fun and games, is rarely believed because clearly she must have problem if she is in that sort of relationship. Worse, battered spouses (the real ones, not those who have decided to add spice to life) often defend their abusers so laws have been written with that in mind.

As for "we can do whatever we want with our bodies - as long as everyone is a consenting adult" - when I stumbled over an apotemnophilia site I was forced to agree that there have to be limits. You might want to have your healthy legs removed so you can have legless sex, but you doing so puts a burden on society. As for breath play - if everything goes right you slowly lose brain cells due to oxygen starvation and if one little thing goes wrong then someone could die.

In many parts of the world, certain sexual acts (oral, anal) between consenting adults - even between those who were married - were at one point illegal. And in some parts of the world they still are.

Goodgulf

Watcher's storytelling talents continue to delight me. After I read his story I did not review any other comments, I just dove right in to comment. Watcher's voice is especially strong in how he contrasts the twins. Jennifer, superficial, defiant and irreverent and Jessica, captivated by the school pastoral setting, sensitive to the caring attitude of the teachers, the dusty library with real books- I pegged her as a poetess. Once again I am spellbound and so focused was I on the tenderness of the final spanking scene between the Mistress and Jessica, when the phone rang I almost jumped out of my chair. Isn't it interesting how a Mistress can be one person to Jennifer and a completely different person to Jessica? Our human nature that guides us toward or away from certain people has always been a mystery to me; Watcher caught it exactly. Watcher has a talent for designing distinct characters. I particularly noticed how his text flowed across the page and I was sorry it ended.

Great story. Can't wait to read more of your work.