An Assistant Professor of biology at the University of Illinois, he was fired for promoting premarital sex.
His response said in part: ...the events described are... symptoms of a serious social malaise... caused by the hypocritical and downright inhumane moral standards engendered by a Christian code... already decrepit in the age of Queen Victoria... With modern contraceptives and medical advice readily available... there is no valid reason why sexual intercourse should not be condoned among those sufficiently mature to engage in it without social consequences and without violating their own codes of morality and ethics.
[...] A mutually satisfactory sexual experience would eliminate the need for many hours of frustrating petting and lead to happier and longer lasting marriages among our young men and women.
The UI Board of Trustees supported Henry, as did Lyle H. Lanier,[1][2] who served as the Dean of its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, while the University of Illinois Senate voted to reprimand Koch but not to censure him.
[6][7] Following his dismissal from Illinois, Koch met free love advocate Jefferson Poland, and together they founded the Sexual Freedom League in New York City.