PARLIAMENTS FAILURE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 93, 22 April 1925, Page 4

PARLIAMENTS FAILURE

The comment of Dr. Fox, Superintendent of Christ-church Hospital, upon the difficulty encountered iv combatting venereal disease, may appear to be strongly worded, especially in its condemnation of women who disseminate the dis-ease-and refuse to seek treatment or to continue it until they are cured. But there is complete justification for strong condemnation in the facts 1 recorded by the Committee of the Board of Health which reported upon venereal disease in 1922. Records were then produced from tho clinics which showed that, while a good proportion of men continued treatment until cured, the women, except for a small percentage, ceased to attend while still infective. Evidence showed, moreover, that some of these women continued to spread the disease. Over such there appears at present to be no control, for many of them are not offenders against the law. It is true that venereal disease has been made notifiable, but this .will not help if persons suffering refuse to be persuaded to accept treatment. This refusal is not a new fact. The Board of Health Committee had incontrovertible evidence before it that there were people who refused to be persuaded, and tlie Committee was convinced that there must be power to deal with these most dangerous cases. It recommended, therefore, that the law should provide, under adequate safeguards, power to compel submission to treatment. This power Parliament has failed to give, though there haye been promises of amendment of the Social Hygiene Act. Parliament, then, because of its lamentable failure in public duty, must accept the grave responsibility for the state of uifttii'a reported from ChristcHuryh.