Sterilization of Mental Defectives
The following resolutions, passed by the Medical Committee of the C.A.M.W. at a meeting held on 30th September, 1930, and endorsed by the Executive Council of the Association at a meeting held on 13th October, 1930, are printed as being of interest to readers of this journal.
1. THAT there should not at present be any revision or re-issue of the pam- phlet on Sterilisation (now out of print) issued by the Association in 1923, and containing the conclusions arrived at by the Medical Com- mittee, the Medical Committee in general being in agreement with the views expressed in the pamphlet dealing with the same subject, written by Dr Tredgold and published by the Association in 1930.
2. THAT the Medical Committee are of opinion that (as stated in the 1923 and 1930 pamphlets) there are certain selected cases of mental defect in which sterilisation might be an appropriate and desirable procedure; if there is any doubt as to the legality of the operation in such cases, the Committee are of the opinion that the Association should favour legisla- tion to admit of such selective sterilisation, provided that adequate safe- guards can be devised to prevent its improper use and to restrict its performance to such cases.
THAT in regard to the question of the wholesale sterilisation of defec- tives as a means of greatly reducing the incidence of mental deficiency, the Medical Committee know of no evidence in support of this, and see no reason for altering their opinion that such would be attended with comparatively insignificant good results.
THAT the Medical Committee recommend that the Council of the Association should concentrate, as soon as circumstances permit, upon an endeavour to secure an authoritative enquiry into the whole subject of the causation and prevention of mental defect in accordance with the terms of the Council’s Resolution of 8th July, 1929.
The Committee are of the opinion that the findings of such an enquiry should precede and form the basis of any legislative proposals.
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