Abortion and population
From Professor C. 0. Carter
Sir; I would be grateful if I might correct an error in your correspondence columns. Mrs Sanders writes (August 9) that "The Eugenics Society gives financial support to the Abortion Law Reform Association". This is not the case.
The Fellows of the Society have in common a sense of responsibility for the well-being, especially but not exclusively the genetic well-being, of present and future generations of children. They differ as to the means of implementing this responsibility, and include both proand anti-abortionists. Probably the majority would, like myself, take the view that the eugenic effect of readily available abortion is small, but in the right direction. More important is variation in planned family size. Probabl: most Fellows share your view (leading article, July 26) that many parents should be planning larger families, but hope that these parents will mostly be those who are capable of rearing their children with love and wisdom.
These issues were considered in a Discussion Paper of the Society published earlier this year entitled 'Quantity and Quality of the British Population' obtainable from the Society.
C. 0. Carter The Eugenics Society, 69 Eccleston Square, London SW1
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