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ABORTION AND THE LAW
219 ABORTION
AND
THE
LAW
of THE LANCET SIR,-Much publicity is being given in the lay press to an alleged breach by a distinguished medical The question man of the law relating to abortion. To the Editor
has therefore been raised of how far this law is open to criticism on medical, social, and genetic grounds. We are aware that the subject is now being fully considered by a Departmental Committee. But we understand that the findings of this committee will not be made public in the immediate future. Many arguments have been advanced in favour of widening the grounds upon which it should be legally permissible for pregnancies to be terminated. It is to one only of these arguments-namely, the geneticto which we would like to draw attention. Certain recommendations have been made by a Departmental Committee on Sterilisation as to the categories of persons for whom facilities for voluntary sterilisation should be made available on genetic grounds. We associate ourselves with these recommendations. From the biological standpoint, we consider a sterilising operation to be a more significant and drastic procedure than a termination of pregnancy, in that the first measure destroys fecundity, while the second does not. We therefore think that facilities for the voluntary termination of pregnancy should be made available to those persons specified by the above-mentioned Departmental Committee as being appropriate candidates for voluntary sterilisation. We further think that similar facilities should be extended to women who have become pregnant as the result of an incestuous union or of rape. That a child who has been brutally conceived as a result of a criminal assault on its mother will be handicapped later in life by environmental and nurtural factors can scarcely be disputed. It is no less obvious that the child is liable to inherit from the father some, at least, of the qualities which prompted the action which gave it life. These are not qualities which anyone would wish to be perpetuated. The force of these considerations has been recognised by at least one foreign country. In Denmark there took effect on April 1st of this year a law according to which a pregnant woman may have a pregnancy terminated in the following cases :-
(1) If the termination of pregnancy is necessary in order to avert serious danger to the life and health of the woman.
If the woman has become pregnant as a result of incestuous union or of rape. (3) If there is obvious danger that the child, owing to hereditary disposition, will suffer from insanity, mental deficiency, from grave mental disorder, epilepsy, or serious and incurable physical disease.
(2)
REFRESHER COURSES UNDER THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
To the Editor
of
THE LANCET
SiR,-An article on this subject appears in your issue of June 25th (p. 1453). It may be of interest to some of your readers to know that in 1925 the Northumberland Insurance Committee, on the suggestion of Dr. Rutter, organised classes of a fortnight’s duration to be held under the auspices of the University of Durham College of Medicine (now the Medical School, King’s College, Newcastle-uponTyne) ; and these courses have been held yearly from that date up to the present time. Practitioners also attended from Durham, Lancashire, Cumberland, and Westmorland, by arrangement with the panel committees of those counties. The Medical School now takes part in the present. scheme of the Ministry of Health, and classes of a. fortnight’s duration are being held three times a year. I am,
Sir, yours faithfully, R. B. GREEN, Dean of Medicine.
Medical School,King’s College. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, July 19th.
A "HARMLESS" HAIR DYE
To the Editor
of THE
LANCET
SiR,-Might I refer to my letter on p. 108 of your issue of July 9th. It has been pointed out to me, and I agree, that, although I noted an analyst’s report of a 10 per cent. solution of dichromate of potash, nevertheless the instructions say that it is to be used with an equal quantity of warm water. As this omission is open to misinterpretation, I would be glad to make this correction and addition. Furthermore, if in further supplies of this product this concentration is materially reduced, it is proper to add that the zone of safety to its users would be very considerably enlarged. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, Harley-street, W., July 19th.
W. J. O’DONOVAN.
*** We have been informed that the said solution will not be issued at a greater strength than 3.50 per cent. as delivered, so that diluted with an equal quantity of water it would be applied to the hair at only 1.75 per cent.-ED. L.
an
A translation of this law appears in the Eugenics Review, Vol. 30, No. 1 (April, 1938). The grim predicament of the mother, the future well-being of the childthus inauspiciously launched into existence, and the interests of posterity, simultaneously call for a widening of the grounds upon which abortion should be permitted.
We are,
Sir, yours faithfully,
HORDER (President), HAVELOCK ELLIS, JULIAN HUXLEY, W. LANGDON-BROWN, E. MAPOTHER,
R. RUGGLES GATES, J. A. RYLE, C. P. BLACKER
Eugenics Society, 69, Eccleston-square, London, S.W.1, July 20th.
(General Secretary).
SOCIETY
FOR
RELIEF
OF
WIDOWS
AND
ORPHANS
MEDICAL MEN.-At a meeting of the court of directors of this society held on June 6th, with Mr. V v Warren Low, the president, in the chair, three new members were elected and the death of one was reported. Grants amounting to f2423 were voted as half-yearly payments to the 61 widows and 5 orphans in receipt of relief. Included in this sum was a special grant of f78 to enable three orphans to study for some OF
professional career. A widow of a deceased member applied for relief and was voted an annual grant of f50 from the ordinary funds and one of E25 from the Brickwell fund. It was decided that the proposed dinner to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the society should not be held. Membership of the society is open to any registered medical man, who at the time of his election is residing within a twenty-mile radius of Charing Cross. Relief is only given to the necessitous widows and orphans of deceased members. Full particulars may be obtained from the secretary at the offices of the society, 11, Chandosstreet, Cavendish-square, London, W.l.
AND
THE
LAW
of THE LANCET SIR,-Much publicity is being given in the lay press to an alleged breach by a distinguished medical The question man of the law relating to abortion. To the Editor
has therefore been raised of how far this law is open to criticism on medical, social, and genetic grounds. We are aware that the subject is now being fully considered by a Departmental Committee. But we understand that the findings of this committee will not be made public in the immediate future. Many arguments have been advanced in favour of widening the grounds upon which it should be legally permissible for pregnancies to be terminated. It is to one only of these arguments-namely, the geneticto which we would like to draw attention. Certain recommendations have been made by a Departmental Committee on Sterilisation as to the categories of persons for whom facilities for voluntary sterilisation should be made available on genetic grounds. We associate ourselves with these recommendations. From the biological standpoint, we consider a sterilising operation to be a more significant and drastic procedure than a termination of pregnancy, in that the first measure destroys fecundity, while the second does not. We therefore think that facilities for the voluntary termination of pregnancy should be made available to those persons specified by the above-mentioned Departmental Committee as being appropriate candidates for voluntary sterilisation. We further think that similar facilities should be extended to women who have become pregnant as the result of an incestuous union or of rape. That a child who has been brutally conceived as a result of a criminal assault on its mother will be handicapped later in life by environmental and nurtural factors can scarcely be disputed. It is no less obvious that the child is liable to inherit from the father some, at least, of the qualities which prompted the action which gave it life. These are not qualities which anyone would wish to be perpetuated. The force of these considerations has been recognised by at least one foreign country. In Denmark there took effect on April 1st of this year a law according to which a pregnant woman may have a pregnancy terminated in the following cases :-
(1) If the termination of pregnancy is necessary in order to avert serious danger to the life and health of the woman.
If the woman has become pregnant as a result of incestuous union or of rape. (3) If there is obvious danger that the child, owing to hereditary disposition, will suffer from insanity, mental deficiency, from grave mental disorder, epilepsy, or serious and incurable physical disease.
(2)
REFRESHER COURSES UNDER THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
To the Editor
of
THE LANCET
SiR,-An article on this subject appears in your issue of June 25th (p. 1453). It may be of interest to some of your readers to know that in 1925 the Northumberland Insurance Committee, on the suggestion of Dr. Rutter, organised classes of a fortnight’s duration to be held under the auspices of the University of Durham College of Medicine (now the Medical School, King’s College, Newcastle-uponTyne) ; and these courses have been held yearly from that date up to the present time. Practitioners also attended from Durham, Lancashire, Cumberland, and Westmorland, by arrangement with the panel committees of those counties. The Medical School now takes part in the present. scheme of the Ministry of Health, and classes of a. fortnight’s duration are being held three times a year. I am,
Sir, yours faithfully, R. B. GREEN, Dean of Medicine.
Medical School,King’s College. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, July 19th.
A "HARMLESS" HAIR DYE
To the Editor
of THE
LANCET
SiR,-Might I refer to my letter on p. 108 of your issue of July 9th. It has been pointed out to me, and I agree, that, although I noted an analyst’s report of a 10 per cent. solution of dichromate of potash, nevertheless the instructions say that it is to be used with an equal quantity of warm water. As this omission is open to misinterpretation, I would be glad to make this correction and addition. Furthermore, if in further supplies of this product this concentration is materially reduced, it is proper to add that the zone of safety to its users would be very considerably enlarged. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, Harley-street, W., July 19th.
W. J. O’DONOVAN.
*** We have been informed that the said solution will not be issued at a greater strength than 3.50 per cent. as delivered, so that diluted with an equal quantity of water it would be applied to the hair at only 1.75 per cent.-ED. L.
an
A translation of this law appears in the Eugenics Review, Vol. 30, No. 1 (April, 1938). The grim predicament of the mother, the future well-being of the childthus inauspiciously launched into existence, and the interests of posterity, simultaneously call for a widening of the grounds upon which abortion should be permitted.
We are,
Sir, yours faithfully,
HORDER (President), HAVELOCK ELLIS, JULIAN HUXLEY, W. LANGDON-BROWN, E. MAPOTHER,
R. RUGGLES GATES, J. A. RYLE, C. P. BLACKER
Eugenics Society, 69, Eccleston-square, London, S.W.1, July 20th.
(General Secretary).
SOCIETY
FOR
RELIEF
OF
WIDOWS
AND
ORPHANS
MEDICAL MEN.-At a meeting of the court of directors of this society held on June 6th, with Mr. V v Warren Low, the president, in the chair, three new members were elected and the death of one was reported. Grants amounting to f2423 were voted as half-yearly payments to the 61 widows and 5 orphans in receipt of relief. Included in this sum was a special grant of f78 to enable three orphans to study for some OF
professional career. A widow of a deceased member applied for relief and was voted an annual grant of f50 from the ordinary funds and one of E25 from the Brickwell fund. It was decided that the proposed dinner to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the society should not be held. Membership of the society is open to any registered medical man, who at the time of his election is residing within a twenty-mile radius of Charing Cross. Relief is only given to the necessitous widows and orphans of deceased members. Full particulars may be obtained from the secretary at the offices of the society, 11, Chandosstreet, Cavendish-square, London, W.l.