Need Seen For Relaxed Abortion Laws

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30531, 28 August 1964, Page 2

Need Seen For Relaxed Abortion Laws

Abortion laws should be liberalised in an effort to reduce or abolish clandestine back-street procedures, with their legacy of morbidity and even death, says a report from a recent conference of the International Planned Parenthood Federation in London. If abortion is to be performed at all it had better be done by competent gynaecologists in properly equipped hospitals, it added. “But the liberalisation of abortion laws is not enough. Concurrently efforts must be continued to produce the ‘perfect’ contraceptive, or series of contraceptives, so that the need for abortion—except in cases of unexpected, intercurrent illness during pregnancy—will virtually disappear.” the report said. Moral Standards

The conference also decided that whatever the great religions of the world may say, nineteenth century standards of sexual morality were going —and in the West had already largely gone—by the board.

“It may be wondered whether the old discipline of sexual restrain did not produce fewer emotional and psychological problems, especially among the young, than the new free-for-all.

“Throughout the conference only one voice—and that 'rom Egypt—was heard to advocate that young people should be taught or encouraged to restrain their sex impulses,” the report said. The general view at the conference seemed to be that the advocacy of pre-marital continence was a lost cause.