Contraceptives Plan: Decision Rescinded

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31780, 10 September 1968, Page 18

Contraceptives Plan: Decision Rescinded

The decision approving in principle the installation of contraceptive-vending machines at the University of Canterbury was rescinded at a special meeting of the University of Canterbury Students’ Association last evening.

The meeting, attended by about 500 of the 5000 students at the university, had been called to discuss the decision of the association’s executive.

At the end of the meeting, however, when about threequarters of those attending had left, a motion approving in principle that contraceptives “be readily available to students” was passed by a substantial majority. Speaking to this motion, one student suggested that contraceptives could be available from the Student Union shop. Mr L. Wright, who moved that the executive’s decision to install a vending machine be rescinded, said that he did not believe that the availability of contraceptives to students would reduce the illegitimacy rate among them, or that contraceptives would be used to any greater extent If they were freely available. He moved “that this association rescind the executive’s motion of August 22 approving in principle the installation of contraceptive-vending machines in the Student Union buildings, subject to further negotiation.” This was carried on a show of hands, but by a relatively small majority. Mr Wright said: “We have suffered a lot in the eyes of the public because of the decision. It is unrealistic, and reflects no great credit on our intelligence if this is the most positive step ,we can take in combating illegitimacy.” Contraceptives, he said, were already available in Christchurch 24 hours a day, and that if students wanted to obtain them they could do so outside the university. Mr A. J. Simpson, who first raised the matter in the Students’ Association executive, said: “We decided to bring this matter to the fore to give the public such a fright that they would start talking about illegitimacy “Whether we like it or not illegitimacy is climbing in

New Zealand, and we must do something about it There are two things we can do. We can moralise and tell people that they should not be promiscuous—as the church has been doing for some time, without apparent success—or we can make contraceptives freely available,” he said. Mr Simpson said that the Minister of Justice (Mr Hanan) had told him, after a television interview in Wellington, that he had agreed with everything the students’ association was endeavouring to do on the issue. The president of the asso-

elation (Mr P. G. Nathan), claimed that illegitimacy had only been brought into the issue at a later date, in an effort to justify the installation of the machines. After the resolution to rescind the decision had been passed, several other motions in connection with illigitimacy and sex education were passed. These called for a student commission to be set up to investigate the need for a comprehensive sex-education programme in the university, and for the Government to institute a formal scheme of graded and continuing programmes within all public primary and secondary schools. The Government will also be asked to consider placing the Family Planning Association within the offices of welfare services. Last evening’s meeting became rowdy on occasion, and the chairman was changed six times throughout the meeting. A period of 25 minutes elapsed while the decision to admit newspaper reporters was deliberated. At the end of the meeting —which lasted for four hours —ll2 persons were still in attendance. Mr Wright, who resigned from the Students’ Association executive over the issue withdrew his resignation at the end of the meeting. His resignation had not been accepted by the executive.