BIRTH CONTROL

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 119, 16 November 1937, Page 17

BIRTH CONTROL

RIGHT ADMITTED

ABORTION MENACE

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) ; -. : AUCKLAND, November 15. The abortion menace in New Zea-. land and the use of contraceptives were among the chief subjects dealt with in a report of the public questions committee submitted to the Presbyterian Assembly tonight. The committee was complimented on the courage and realism of its report, which admits the right to birth control by other means than abstinence. .-.-. The convener of the committee, the, .Rev. J. T. Macky, said the chief cause, of criminal abortion was the lowering. oiV.moral standards, for which tIW Church must accept responsibility.. They must ' instruct their young., people that this evil . thing would, 'riot*.'■'■■ be so much stamped out by, law as overcome by nobler fdeais;': Wherever conception would. be': wrong or inadvisable, th*ey could not condemn the use of scientific v means of prevention if thoughtfully and conscientiously applied. The Rev. P. G. Hughes said that contraception had been practised from the time of Adam, and the choice today was between a blundering method and- a"'scientific method. Twentieth century man had made his choice. The principal, Mr. Dickie, called the report .a r'most Christian report." The Youth Committee was instructed: to prepare literature dealing with sex relations from the Christian point of' tisW. -■■.■ ;.'^ "-':: ' ■ The Government was urged to mtroduce: legislation the adver-, tisement of abortifacients and allowing: their sale only on medical prescription.Serious complaint', was made of the; weakness of the law, which allowed' the vast majority of criminal abor-; tionists'to:escapeand the Government; was asked to make the law more effective, 'V-v ,/ ; V-;.;: ;■■.:',, ■'„ ; Mr.- G;''CruickshanK, formerly a Sti-pendiary-Magistrates pointed out how. the' existing■•:law- favoured the abor-, tionist;, and made-several suggestions; for its amendment. . •• .; The debate was adjourned.