§ 38. Mr. Brooksasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of women sterilised under the National Health Service in England and Wales in 1968 and 1969, respectively; how many of these were notified under the Abortion Act of 1967; and how many of this latter category were married and single, respectively.
| The only figures at present available are for sterilisations notified under the Abortion Act. For National Health Service hospitals they are as follows:— | ||||||
| Total | Married | Single | Widowed Divorced Separated | Not Stated | ||
| 1968 | ||||||
| 27th April to 31st December | … | 4,991 | 4,488 | 138 | 347 | 18 |
| 1969 | ||||||
| First three quarters | … | 7,311 | 6,632 | 178 | 465 | 36 |
§ 39. Mr. Brooksasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will introduce legislation to clarify and safeguard the legal position of doctors who perform sterilisation operations upon men and women under the National Health Service.
§ Mr. CrossmanI would refer my hon. Friend to my answer to his Question of 24th November, [Vol. 792, c. 11.]
§ Mr. BrooksCan my right hon. Friend clarify the position where a surgeon sterilises a husband under the National Health Service on the ground that his wife may suffer physical or mental ill-health due to further pregnancies? Is the husband legally safeguarded under the 1946 National Health Service Act?
§ Mr. CrossmanI would rather a specific Question were put down about that. I gather than the consent of the spouse should be obtained.
§ Dr. John DunwoodyAs the Answer contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. BrooksWill my hon. Friend confirm that a surprisingly high proportion of married women have been sterilised during abortion operations? Does not he agree that this will be a welcome move, in that sterilisation is a safe and efficient method of family planning and could well prevent married women with large families needing abortions in the future?
§ Dr. DunwoodyThe figures that I have, which are for the first nine months of 1969, show that the number of those sterilised was 31.2 per cent. of the number of abortions notified. The question whether abortions should be combined with sterilisation is one primarily for the responsible consultant.
§ Following are the figures: