(Correspondence) Therapeutic Abortion

RN Borsch

Canadian Medical Association Journal, CMAJ
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Extract
The main purpose of my letter was to clarify what I thought was Dr. Coffey’s confusion between moral and religious issues on therapeutic abortion. . . . Hence that “infamous” third paragraph was not an argument in support of therapeutic abortion but a clearer definition of the moral issues involved. How Dr. Harrison was able to extrapolate the basically sociological data to include implied support of a euthanasia program against 270,000 mental defectives and Hitler’s subsequent genocide of Jews during World War II is totally beyond my comprehension.


Borsch R. (Correspondence) Therapeutic Abortion. Can Med Assoc J. 1970;102(11):1209-1210.

(Correspondence) Therapeutic Abortion

CP Harrison

Canadian Medical Association Journal, CMAJ
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Extract
The argument advanced in the third paragraph of Dr. R. N. Borsch’s letter (Canad. Med. Ass. 1., 102: 642, 1970) is very convincing; but so it was the first time it was used in the book “The Release of the Destruction of Life Devoid of Value”, published in Leipzig in 1920. . . I do not question that Dr. Borsch has a real concern for the human problem or his conviction about his beliefs. I do question, however, the wisdom of accepting a philosophical position which led to the atrocities in Nazi Germany..


Harrison CP. (Correspondence) Therapeutic Abortion. Can Med Assoc J. 1970 May 30;102(11):1209.

(Correspondence) Therapeutic Abortion

RN Borsch

Canadian Medical Association Journal, CMAJ
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Extract
However, he seems to have confused morality with the religious (and more specifically Roman Catholic) stand against destroying a living entity. Thus, his letter is an attempt to deal with the therapeutic abortion problem on religious grounds. . . I also take issue with Dr.Coffey’s comment that the medical indications for therapeutic abortion are ”mainly psychiatric.” Psychiatric indications are actually just as many as medical, which are few, if any. However, it is the psychiatrist who is thrust in the breach of the current legislation and must take liberties to interpret the law to fit his own patient. . .


Borsch R. (Correspondence) Therapeutic Abortion. Can. Med. Assoc. J.. 1970;102(6):642. Available from: