Hospital Board wants answer on abortion clinic

Press, 27 April 1984, Page 5

Hospital Board wants answer on abortion clinic

The Canterbury Hospital Board will send a second deputation to Wellington as it is tired of waiting for an answer from the Government on a proposed Christchurch abortion clinic. Board members voted unanimously yesterday to seek a meeting with the Minister of Health, Mr Malcolm, as soon as possible. It has been eight months since the deputation first went to Wellington, and the board is still waiting to hear from Mr Malcolm about his subsequent meeting with the Abortion Supervisory Committee. A board member, Mr Tom McGuigan, said yesterday that it was about time that the board got a straightforward answer on its proposal to shift the

abortion service from Christchurch Women’s Hospital into a converted house in the grounds of Coronation Hospital. “I feel it is quite unreasonable for the board to have to wait this length of time for what many consider, and I know our staff do, a serious problem,” he told the board’s meeting. About 120 abortions were performed at Christchurch Women’s Hospital last month, putting a heavy strain on staff, patients, and other hospital services. The Government had given about $600,000 to set up abortion clinics in Wellington and Auckland several years ago, he said. In spite of the Abortion Supervisory Committee’s agreement 2%

years ago that a separate Christchurch clinic should be built, the Canterburyboard seemed no nearer to getting a definite reply from Mr Malcolm. “In this city we have been fobbed off now for three to four years on this particular question,” Mr McGuigan said. Mrs June Gardiner suggested that Mr Malcolm would be more likely to refuse support if the board “put a pistol to his head.” Another board member, the Rev. Simon Acland, said the board had been left in limbo while positive steps had been taken elsewhere. At least if Mr Malcolm replied, the board would know where it stood, he said.