SENTENCES FOR ABORTION: WOMEN’S PROTEST

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 August 1948, Page 3

SENTENCES FOR ABORTION: WOMEN’S PROTEST

(P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The Christchurch branch of the National Council of Women, at its meeting last evening, passed a resolution supporting Mr R. G. Gerard, M.P., (Ashburton) in his question in the House of Representatives on Wednesday on. the sentences of probation imposed in the Supreme Court, Christchurch, by Mr Justice Fleming, on a man and a woman who had appeared on two charges of the unlawful use of an instrument to procure abortion. It was also decided to ask the Dominion president, Mrs Beaumont Bates, to get in touch with all branches of the National Council of Women in New Zealand by telegram asking that they also support Mr Gerard in raising the question. Miss M. G. Havelaar said it seemed terrible to her that probation was the only sentence imposed. Members, she. was sure, would agree with her that it was high time they did something about it, she said. Mrs C. L. Crowley urged that the council “vehemently protest against the ridiculous sentence imposed.” An urgent remit which had been prepared by the society's solicitor for submission to the Dominion conference of the National Council of Women in Auckland next month asked that the conference urge the Minister of Justice to amend the criminal law of New Zealand to provide that any person receiving any fee oi* monetary reward in respect of an illegal operation for abortion should be chargeable with aiding and abetting in the commission of the illegal operation.