Therapeutic Abortion Disclosed By Doctors

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29942, 2 October 1962, Page 9

Therapeutic Abortion Disclosed By Doctors

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

LONDON, September 30. Three doctors from Beckenham, Kent, disclose in the ‘British Medical Journal” that they had terminated a local woman's pregnancy after she had caught German measles from her young son. Babies of mothers who develop German measles during early pregnancy can be seriously affected. The doctors writing about the epidemic of German measles in their area between March and July last year, say the woman was 10 weeks pregnant when she developed the disease.

"Following discussions and consultations a therapeutic abortion was eventually carried out” the article goes on. “Although this was the only case it caused us and the gynaecologist much distress and concern.”

One doctor told the "Daily Mail” "it is not very rare for pregnancies to be terminated because of German measles, but the fact that we

had only one in a population of 7000 shows they don’t happen very often. The operation was carried out because of the recognised risk to the baby. In this case the mother was very distressed.” The “Daily Express” points out abortion in Britain is regarded as ethical when two or more doctors agree that allowing pregnancy to continue might endanger a mothers health. It would be thought unethical and possibly illegal, purely to avoid the birth of a deformed child. It was estimated hundreds of “therapeutic abortions” were carried out by doctors yearly.