LITTLE STIGMA

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21480, 23 July 1941, Page 7

LITTLE STIGMA

EVIL OF ABORTION I JUDGE EXPRESSES ANXIETY ' YOUNG MAN SENT TO GAOL (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Tuesday Bernard Mervyn Godfrey Staples, i aged 24, labourer, who had pleaded ! guilty of attempting to supply an obnoxious thing with intent to procure a miscarriage, was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment by Mr Justice Blair, who said the case had given him a great deal of worry because it was abundantly plain that abortion was unfortunately very common in New Zealand. “ Apparently even educated people appear to consider that murdering a child before it is born does not carry the stigma or horror that murdering a child after it is born engenders throughout the whole community,” said His Honour. “ People look i upon the procuring of abortion as I something of which, if it can be sucI cessfully done, they can go to the \ length of boasting.” His Honour said prisoner was one of those unfortunate enough to be ; found out, but he would be failing in , his duty if he were to say the case could be met by probation. j Charge Made by Chemist ! The prisoner’s record was perfectly j clean, but the records of such people j always were, and they did not offend ; again, of course. Professional abor- : tionists did, but not people in prisI oner’s class. | His Honour said that according to j the evidence of accused a charge of : 26s was made by a chemist for stuff j which he had no doubt was per- ' fectly useless, but perhaps it was bet- | ter not to say much about that because he had no doubt that the police, if they thought the evidence was there, would take further action. He thought something should be done against a man who supplied the wherewithal for abortion.