Controversy about abortions

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33034, 29 September 1972, Page 5

Controversy about abortions

(N.Z. Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Sept. 28. The Minister of Health (Mr Adams-Schneider) says the State does not arrange abortions, but the Department of Health says it does. A statement from the department says that “Statearranged abortions are being offered New Zealand women found to have been infected with German measles during the early danger period of pregnancy.” “The rubella diagnostic service, launched last May, has investigated hundreds of suspect mother-to-be contacts, of whom only eight have been found to be definitely infected,” the statement says. “Each of the eight has been offered the opportunity of surgical termination of their pregnancy.”

The chairman of the Medical Association of New Zealand (Dr Randal Elliott) said yesterday that abortions on the grounds of rubella infection were carried out in New

Zealand, but were not arranged by the State. It was up to doctors themselves to decide the course of action after receiving in* formation from the rubella diagnostic centre.

Dr Elliott was commenting on a statement from Dr K. F. Green (Rotorua) who said that abortion on the ground of a potentially deformed child was illegal in the present interpretation of the law. Doctors he knew were worried about recent Department of Health statements. Dr Elliott said abortion on this gound was carried out either in the public or private hospital system, and that he would be among those who counted rubella infection aS a sufficient ground. Doctors such as Dr Greene were right to act otherwise in good faith, and doctors were given no directive on the issue.

"We are doing these operations in the interests of the mother on the ground that a blind, deaf, cardian, or crippled baby would affect her mental health,” Dr Elliott said.

Other doctors might have other moral judgments on the matter.

Dr Elliott said there were few of these operations performed at the moment in New Zealand, although a world-wide outbreak of rubella in 1966 meant that there were more cases at that time;