Doctor Says Statement On Pill Misreported

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31772, 31 August 1968, Page 14

Doctor Says Statement On Pill Misreported

(N.Z. Frees Association) AUCKLAND, Aupgust 30. Sir Charles Burns, the master of the Wellington branch of the Roman Catholic doctors’ Guild of St Luke, Saints Cosmas and Damian, has disowned remarks attributed to him in a Wellington report circulated by the Nfew Zealand Press Association. The report appeared in morning newspapers on Thursday, August 22. He says in a letter to the “New Zealand Herald," that the report said that he believed it was a matter for the individual Catholic doctor’s conscience to decide whether to prescribe contraceptive pills for contraceptive purposes. “This statement was not made by me and I seek the opportunity of putting the records straight for the benefit of those concerned,” he says. “The publication of this statement arose, I understand, out of a conversation which took place here in Wellington between a newspaperman and myself. “The question was put to me as to whether Catholic doctors would feel themselves bound to accent the ruling | laid down by the Metropoli-

tan of New Zealand and Archbishop of Wellington (the Most Rev. P. T. B. McKeefry) on the occasion Of a conference of members of the Guild of St Luke, Saints Cosmas and Damian at Wairakei the previous week-end. “This ruling was to the effect that Catholic doctors could not adhere to Papa) teaching and at the same time prescribe the contraceptive pill for contraceptive purposes. “What I did say was as follows: Catholic doctors are bound to accept the ruling of the Archbishop in that he was only underlining that of Pope Paul, as published in his encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae.’ “When pressed to comment further as to whether Catholic doctors would in fact from now on refuse to prescribe contraceptive pills for both Catholic and non-Cathollc persons, I said that to attempt to answer Such a question would be quite improper, and would be an intrusion into the delicate field of the individual doctor’s conscience. “1 stated quite categorically that in my view this was not a matter for discussion in the : public press," Sir Charles Burns said.