Before that, to the amazement of most of the world, we Brits legally shrieked that girls were not worth protecting from unwanted sexual advances after they turned 16, unlike males, considered unable to fall in love with other men ever (until 1967) or until they were 21 (until 1994) or 18 (2000).

Great Britain's legal establishment declared that any male having sex with a male was a criminal if the partner was that age - protect the poor innocent boys - but women could be penetrated legally as long as they were 16 or over.

We are now at the other extreme - even making a "lewd" proposition to a woman is morally repugnant, if not criminal. We can surely anticipate all sex being banned - artificial insemination the only legal way of procreating. Under clinical conditions (probably followed by births under comfortably sedated procedures).

I suspect many women are delighted by this progress. I know I, were I a female, would now be fighting for removal of monthly bleeding.