Page:The Woman Socialist - Snowden - 1907.djvu/79

 can be relied upon to do is, to establish one moral code for men and women alike. Society then shall give no more quarter for an offence against morality to men than to women. At the present time the weight of atonement and the greater share of suffering for an immoral act committed necessarily by two people are put upon the woman. As though the poor woman were not already sufficiently unfairly treated by Nature, society must needs add to her cup of suffering, whilst she smilingly pardons the man. If a greater weight of responsibility ought to be borne by one of the offenders it ought to be by the man; for, nine times out of ten, the fault of the woman has been but a too tender loving, whilst his was a criminal selfishness. The daily horror of the forsaken and injured woman, alone with her disgrace and her punishment, makes one realise how sadly unfair and unrighteous are the laws of our times. Were the writer in power she would make the man, and not the woman, responsible for every concealment of birth and pre-natal murder. Perhaps then there would be fewer unwelcome children born to unwilling mothers, worn and weary with too much child-bearing, or too trustful