Helen Suzman condemns the Immorality Act in Parliament

On 23 February 1962, a member of Progressive Party Helen Suzman condemned the Immorality Act, saying that the law was bringing misery and deprivation in its wake and turning policemen into "peeping toms". Suzman made these statements in the House of Assembley, introducing an amendment to the Immorality Act. The amendment was intended to do away with sections making it an offence for White and non-White people to have relations. In 1959, 12 Members of Parliament (MPs), including Suzman, broke away from the United Party (UP) and formed the Progressive Party, with an openly liberal plan of action. The plan included a demand to extend the franchise to South Africans eligible to vote. In the general election of 1961, the Progressives were nearly wiped out, and only Suzman retained her seat in the House of Assembly, suggesting that their Plan of Action was not well received by voters.