UNMARRIED MOTHERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16819, 23 August 1922, Page 7

UNMARRIED MOTHERS.

SYMPATHY REQUIRED. In connection with tile proposal to admit single women to St Helen’s Hospital, the following letter was received at to-day’s meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board from the Minister of Health : “In reply to your resolution of July 27. I must say that while in sympathy with the feeling that, at the time of childbirth a single woman should receive the utmost consideration and should not be debarred from the facilities provided for married women, it must be pointed out that as the original intention in the establishment of the St Helen’s Hospitals was for the reception of the wives of working men unable to pay the full cost of medical and nursing attention, the hospitals are not on the scale which would be needed if they are to he open to all classes of the community. In Christchurch the St Helen’s Hospital can barely provide for the married women, and in the Salvation Army Home and the Essex Home provision is made for single women. It appears to me that E is the duty of the board to extend the already existing accommodation for such cases at Essex Home. 1 understand that there is ample room on the site to provide for such extensions.” Mr F. Horrell said that lie agreed with the Minister. The Essex Home was meeting all the demands made upon it, and no girls had been turned away as far as he knew. Dr P. C. Fenwick: l moved the resolution in sympathy with the girl who has made one mistake. 1 hope the Essex Home will discriminate between the girl who has made one mistake and the girl who makes recurring mistakes. The chairman : That is done now at the Essex Home.