MARRIAGE CONTROL.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1923, Page 1

MARRIAGE CONTROL.

A CANTERBURY IDEA. CHRISTCHURCH, Jan 21. At a meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board, considerable discussion was caused by a clause in the Hospital Committee's report regarding epileptics. The clause recommended that the Board should refer the mattor to other Hospital Boards, asking for their support, and also for an expression of opinion regarding it. In a memorandum, the Chairman (l)r Fenwick) said it appeared to him that there were three courses whir i might be adopted with great benefit to succeeding generations, viz.— (1) Before marriage, both contrnetinpC parties should be obliged to produce evidence of health, also the parent* o. the contracting'parlies should provide a certificate that there is no family tendency to epilepsy or insanity. I!' behoved thal many unhappy marriagewould be avoided if the law refused telega I iso any marriage without the production ol a health certificate, and certainly 11 kire would he fewer unfortunate children cmnlemued to ill-health j from their earliest years. (2) Persons who have been committed to a mental hospital, and are about j to he discharged on probation, or re-j covered, should -Hot be-permitted to return to family life without the sanction I of a- commith’f of experts. This com-, mil tee should have the power of recommending sterilisation before a patient is released. i

(3) Any person convicted ol an assault upon a child should be sent to a hospital for an.operation. "Til.' class of persons who are most prone to this crime. ’ he declined, “are often of degenerate mentality.’ He ventured to believe that an o], (-ration on Fuse eases would not only prevent a second conviction, hut would iH-t- as a most successful deterrent to others.

It was agreed to refer the mattci hack to the Hospital Committee, with power to call further evidence