A Question of Adultery(1958)

Artificial Insemination - the burning problem of today

A Question of Adultery is a 1958 British drama that explores marriage, infertility, and morality through a courtroom lens. Mark Loring, consumed by jealousy, becomes sterile following a car accident that also costs his wife Mary her unborn child. When Mary proposes artificial insemination as a way to save their marriage, Mark reluctantly agrees to seek treatment in Switzerland. But when she becomes pregnant, his insecurity resurfaces and he abandons her, filing for divorce on grounds of adultery—despite the conception occurring through medical intervention, not infidelity. The ensuing trial becomes a cultural battleground, questioning whether artificial insemination constitutes adultery in the eyes of the law and the church. The film's provocative subject matter earned it a "Condemned" rating from the Catholic Church's National League of Decency, making it a landmark work in post-war cinema's willingness to challenge religious and social conventions around reproduction and marriage.