8 - Wednesday Mailbox __ ‘; June 10, 1987-4 North Shore News LGH ABORTION POLICY Time fora change | Making a difference Dear Editor: Mr. Ken Bruce has resurrected, once again (North Shore News, May 13), the spectre of the ‘back alley abortion.’ According to Bruce, ‘‘before the Criminal Code was changed (1969) to permit abortions in hospitals, all abor- tions ... were home induced, or performed in the ‘back alley’.’’ Mr. Bruce will be surprised to learn that between 1960 and 1969 there were, on average, 10 abor- tions a year performed in Lions Gate Hospital and 1,200 live bir- ths. While Mr. Bruce was chair- man of the board there were almost 800 abortions performed each year and 1,400 live births. Is this ihe policy Mr. Bruce would like to see coftinued at Lions Gate Hospital? Why? Can- didaies who endorse the current LGH abortion policy are part of the problem rather than the solu- tion to the issue of abortion in our community. Back to Mr. Bruce and his ‘oack alley’ argument. In his article en- titled Abortion denied — outcome of mothers and babies, published in the Canadian Medical Associa- tion Journal on Feb. 15, 1984, Dr. Carlos Dei Campo reported that published studies on women who had been denied abortions, and were followed up, show that 70.6 per cent of the 6,298 women com- pleted their pregnancies; only 13.2 per cent had an abortion elsewhere. Dr. Del Campo concluded the medical literature shows a gencral comparable outcome of pregnan- cy, delivery and puerperium, be- tween women who were denied abortion and conirols. There was no evidence that a continued un- wanted pregnancy would endanger the mother’s mental health, and there was acceptance of the infant by the mother, especially if she had the father’s support. Dr. Del Campe suggests that physicians shovig take a more scientific approach to unwanted pregnancies and realize that abor- tion is not the answer to social ills. Legislators (are you listening, Mary Collins, Chuck Cook, Angus Ree?) should base their decisions on clinical reviews rather than suc- cumb to cries for abortion on de- mand, Virtually all applications for abortion are approved at LGH. Healthy women jump the queue to abort their healthy babies while those awaiting elective but neces- sary surgery wait their turn. The reputation of our otherwise fine hospital will continue to suffer as long as the abortion policy of Lions Gaie remains unchanged. Those members of the board who refuse to address this important issue in a responsible manner have, in my view, disqualified themselves from serving on the hospital board. It’s time for a change! George Carruthers former board member LGH fae! 6 Give Dad TSN and make his summer come alive. When you give him TSN, you give him: BASEBALL With Jays and Expos games, and a Saturday game of the week. [In short, Dad gets Canada’s best baseball coverage. 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