Bill To Ban Boxing Defeated In Lords

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29820, 12 May 1962, Page 11

Bill To Ban Boxing Defeated In Lords

(N JZ.P .A.-Reuter—Copyright)

LONDON, May 10 A bill to ban professional boxing in Britain introduced by Baroness Summerskill, was defeated in the House of Lords tonight. Lady Summerskill, a doctor and former Labour member of the House of Commons,, is

well known for her antiboxing opinions. Her views, based largely on the risk- of brain or other injury, commanded considerable support in the debate, but she was defeated by 29 votes to 22.

Lady Summerskill’s bill would have imposed a penalty of up to £2OO or three months’ imprisonment for organising a boxing match for profit. In her speech she asked for a * medical inquiry into the damage done by boxing. Those who supported boxing were a clear case of “emotion defying reason," she said. This "unsavoury traffic ip young bodies” should come to an end.

The Home Under-Secretary (Lord Bathhurst) said the Government would give any help it could if the Royal College of Physicians set up an inquiry. The medical bodies had differing views and should be given a chance to inquire into all the medical and physiological factors. Then perhaps Lady Summerskill could raise the matter again.

Lord Brain, one of several doc: r neers who took part in the debate, considered there was need for an investigation and said the Royal College of Physicians was prepared to set up a committee to study the whole matter from every medical point of view

However another doctor, Lord Taylor, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians? said it had no machinery for carrying out an investigation and thought the Government’s own social survey could do it. Later. Lady Summerskill said she considered Lord Brain's statement was “progress,"

Damaged Submarine.—A nuclear submarine, the U.S.S. Permit, which “rolled” and was slightly damaged when a 12.000-ton freighter ran over it last night, reached port safely today.— San Francisco. May 10.