Female Masturbating in the womb?

Fascinating account of foetal masturbation found at The Clitoris.

'The following quote was printed in the book The Clitoral Truth by Rebecca Chalker; it originally appeared in a letter in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 175, Sept 1996 page 753.

'"We recently observed a female fetus at 32 weeks' gestation touching the vulva with fingers of [her] right hand. The caressing movement was centered primarily on the region of the clitoris. Movements stopped after 30 to 40 seconds, and started again after a few moments. Further, these light touches were repeated and were associated with short, rigid movements of the pelvis and legs. After another break, in addition to this behavior, the fetus contracted the muscles of the trunk and limbs, and the climax, clonicotonic movements [rapid muscle contractions] of the body, followed. Finally she relaxed and rested. We [several doctors and the mother] observed this behavior for about 20 minutes."'

If it is masturbation to orgasm that this foetus is engaging in, then it provides additional weight to our standpoint that masturbation is both normal and beneficial. It also turns the notion on its head that masturbation is something evil - this would imply that even foetuses are sinful; which flies in the face of those religions who view babies as pure and innocent.

One question posed by the above website is whether masturbation and orgasm are necessary for healthy foetal development? If this is the case, Kitty pointed out to me that newborns are then prevented from engaging in masturbation for the next two years as they're constantly wearing nappies. Would babies be less fretful if they weren't prevented from calming themselves with masturbation; is part of their fretfulness down to 'sexual' frustration?