SOCIAL EVIL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22700, 12 April 1937, Page 12

SOCIAL EVIL

• ALARMING PREVALENCE OFFICIAL DISCLOSURES CRIMINAL ABORTIONS FOUR THOUSAND A YEAR ' Comprehensive measures, economic, legal, medical and educational, to combat criminal abortion in New Zealand, are recommended in the report of the committee of inquiry set up by the Minister of Health, the Hon. P. Phraser, last August, to investigate the various aspects of the problem.

The committee estimates that recently there have been fully 4000 unlawful abortions annually in Now Zealand, and that about 13 per cent of all pregnancies have been terminated in this way.

The remedies proposed include:— (1) Financial, domestic and obstetrical help to families by the State. (2) The dissemination of birth-con-trol knowledge through responsible channels.

(3) Strict control of the importation and sale of contraceptives and prohibition, under heavy penalty, of their sale to young persons. (4) Strict control of the sale of drugs and appliances capable of being used to procure abortion.

The committee does not recommend any alteration of the law to make special provision for legalising induced abortion by a medical practitioner for good and sufficient medical reasons. It has no specific recommendation to make regarding the difficulty of securing convictions against persons charged with procuring abortion.

The members of the committee are:— Dr. D. G. McMillan, M.P. (chairman;, Mrs. Janet Fraser, Dr. Sylvia G. Chapman, Dr. T. F. Corkill and Dr. T. L. Paget. Findings Summarised The following is the committee's summary of its findings:— I. The committee is convinced that the induction of abortion is exceedingly common in New Zealand, and that it has definitely increased in recent years It has been estimated that at legist one pregnancy in every five ends in abortion; in otfyer words, that some 6000 abortions occur in New Zealand every year. Of these, it is believed that 4000, at a conservative estimate, are criminally induced either through the agency of criminal abortionists or by self-induction, either of which is equally dangerous. It is clear that death from septic abortion occurs almost entirely in such cases. Such deaths have greatly increased in recent years, and now constitute one-quarter of the total maternal mortality; in some urban districts it amounts to nearly half of the total maternal - mortality. New Zealand has, according to comparative international statistics, one of the highest death fates from abortion in the world. 11. The committee; after taking evidence from witnesses representing all

sections of the community, has formed f- the conclusion that the main causes for this resort to abortion are:—(l) Economic and domestic hardship; (2) •changes In social and moral outlook; ; ,(3) pregnancy among the unmarried; i and (4) ir> a small proportion of cases, fears of childbirth. These matters are fully discussed. Remedies Suggested 111. Consideration has been given to the possible Remedying of these causes:- ~ -the primary factor, certain-recommen-dations have been made regarding financial, domestic and obstetrical help -by the State. •" (b) To lessen any fear of childbirth where this exists, it has been recommended that the public should be informed that New Zealand now has a very low death rate in actual childbirth, and that relief of pain in labour is largely used. At the same time, the committee has advocated that further 'efforts in the direction of pain relief should be explored. - (c) For dealing with the problem of . the unmarried mother, the committee considers that the attack must be along the lines of more careful education of the young in matters of. sex, prohibition 'of the advertisement and sale of contraceptives to the: young, and a more tolerant attitude on the part of society toward these girls and their children. "(d).The committee believes, however, that the most important cause of all is a change in the outlook of women which expresses itself in a demand of the right to limit—or . avoid—the family, coupled with a widespread halfknowledge and use of birth-control

methods—often ineffective. These fail- . ing, the temptation to abortion follows. Blrth-Oontrol Knowledge The committee can see only two directions in which abortion resulting froim these, tendencies can be controlled:— j (1) By the direction of knowledge , through more reasonable channels, where, while the methods would be more reliable, the responsibilities and privileges of motherhood, 'the advisability of self-discipline in certain directons, and other aspects of the matter would be dscussed. The committee believes that it is through the agency of well-in formed doctors, and, to a certain extent, through clinics associated with our hospitals, that this • advice should be given. It is not, however, considered that this is a matter foi; the State except to a limited degree. (2) To appeal to the womanhood of New Zealand, in so far as selfish and unworthy motives have entered into our family life, ,to consider the grave physical and moral dangers, not to speak of the dangers of race suicide which are involved. This, it is considered, is a matter for all women's social organisations to take up seriously. Control of Contraceptives 1V„ Certain further measures of a more general nature came under the examination of the committee. The prohibition of the promiscuous Advertisement of contraceptives, and of their sale to the young; the licensing of the importation of certain types of contraceptives; the restriction of the sale or distribution of contraceptives to practising chemists, doctors, hospitals and clinics; the prohibition of the advertisement, or of the sale, except on medical prescription, of certain drugs and appliances -which might be used for abortion purposes; these measures are recommended. Thfe specific legalisation of therapeutic abortion (by doctors for health reasons) as a safeguard to doctors was fully examined, but is not recommended. The committee is satisfied that the present interpretation of the law is such that, where the reasons for the operation are valid, the doctor runs no risk of prosecution. The risks of an alteration in the laware'great.