Remembering a pioneering sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer : NPR

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

Earlier than Dr. Ruth, it appeared little outdated girls by no means, ever talked frankly about intercourse.

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RUTH WESTHEIMER: The primary factor for you, Joan (ph)…

JOAN: Sure.

WESTHEIMER: …Is to have an orgasm.

RASCOE: Ruth Westheimer, the acclaimed intercourse therapist, died yesterday on the age of 96. And what a life she had. She was born to an orthodox Jewish household in Germany who despatched her to a Swiss orphanage as a way to escape the Holocaust. Her mother and father have been killed in Nazi camps. Westheimer was educated on the Sorbonne. She helped battle for Israel’s independence and was educated as a sniper. As an grownup, she moved to New York and started educating human sexuality at a number of completely different universities. In 1980, her media profession started with an area radio present, “Sexually Talking.”

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WESTHEIMER: Good night. That is Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Proper right here, 97 WYNY…

RASCOE: And Dr. Ruth turned a popular culture icon. Together with her tiny body and thick accent, she disarmed individuals who discovered intercourse discuss shameful or taboo. She was a frequent visitor on late-night TV, and whereas she was entertaining and sort of lovable, Dr. Ruth was centered on educating, not titillating. Right here she is talking with “Tonight Present” host Johnny Carson.

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WESTHEIMER: The way in which you’ll be able to speak about studying, writing, arithmetic, you too can speak about intercourse. And in the event you do it in good style, and in the event you do it correctly, then it may be – all the things might be talked about.

RASCOE: That is Ruth Westheimer, Dr. Ruth, who died yesterday in New York on the age of 96.

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