CHASTITY OF N.Z. WOMEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18791, 28 May 1923, Page 5

CHASTITY OF N.Z. WOMEN

STATEMENT BY’ BOARD OF HEALTH. [Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, May 25. The Board of Health, at a meeting considered the recent public reference to the figures given in the report of its committee on venereal diseases as indicative of promiscuous sexual intercourse in the Dominion. The following resolution was passed: The board having consulted the Gov eminent Statistician, from whom the figures were originally obtained, confirms the statements made in the committee's report in the section under "occurrence of promiscuous sexual intercourse.” This section affirmed that the evidence showed that promiscous intercourse was very prevalent, and not confined to any particular social strata. This was strikingly demonstrated in Table A. of the appendix, which showed that during the period 1913-1921 there were 10.841 illegitimate births and 33,738 legitimate first births within one year of marriage. If to illegitimate births were added the total number of live births occurring within tho first seven months of marriage, namely, 12,235, which might safely be considered to have been conceived before marriage, the total of 23,076 births in which conception took place ex-maritally was obtained. In other words, more than 50 per cent, of the total first births occurring within 12 months of marriage resulted from sexual contract prior to marriage. The board points out that out of a total of 44,579 births registered, 23,076 were conceived prior to marriage. The board regrets that a too sweeping inference has been drawn from these figures. Ths committee was immediately concerned with rousing the public conscience as to tho prevalence of promiscuous intercourse as a cause of dissemination of venereal disease, the committee not con sidering the question of chastity of women generally, and it was quite improper for anyone to use the committee’s observation as a reflection on New Zealand women. The percentage of ex-marital conceptions to all first births was approximately 25 per cent. It must be common knowledge, says the report by the Government Statistcian, that the majority of first births occur within the first year of marriage. The committee’s words in the report “within twelve months of marriage” should therefore have guarded against anyone saying that of women becoming mothers for the first time each year more than half had been unchaste.