Protection of Conscience Project Library
Service, not Servitude
Extract
Concerning the problem of abortion several articles of which have since appeared some time in the Journal, personally I defend the right to the life of a human being, even if he is only a few days old, is innocent and cannot defend himself.
Borreman E. (Correspondence) L’avortement therapeutique (French). Can Med Assoc J. 1971;104(5):421.
Extract
. . . Is the fetus entitled to the same protection as the adult human being? . . . I would challenge any reader to define a human being in any other way than in such relational terms as mother, son, wife or neighbour; only as we relate to people in these terms do we come to know who we are. Psychological or biological definitions are singularly inapt for this purpose. . . .
Heine C. (Correspondence) Therapeutic abortion. Can Med Assoc J. 1971 March 6;104(5):421.
Extract
The two cases described by Dr. Boyce belong to two very different categories and probably should not be associated even for statistical purposes because of the vast difference between x-ray exposures resulting from diagnostic procedures and therapeutic applications. . . Hence my point: radiation received in x-ray diagnosis is not a valid reason for therapeutic abortion.
Stapleton J. (Correspondence) Therapeutic abortion in a Canadian city. Can Med Assoc J. 1971;104(1):70.
Arthur ME Kennedy
Extract
The appearance of the two letters on abortion in sequence in the Journal . . . illustrated the diverging ethics of the members and future members of our profession. Reading the letter by Dr. Heine was indeed like feeling a breath of fresh unpolluted air in the smog of today’s confused thinking. . . .How different was the letter by the President of the Medical Students’ Society of McGill University stating the unanimous opinion of their Executive Council.
Kennedy AM. (Correspondence) Abortion. Can Med Assoc J. 1971 Jan 09;104(1):70.