it Jl
Abortion Rate Exceeds Bi
ribs in Japan- Labo
By ROBERT METCALFE
I nited Press International
TOKYO (UPI) - Japan's
jp.ivjtie method of birth control
through mass abortion has
shown such dramatic results
that the problem now is to per
suade people to have more
children. But small families are
becoming more and more pop
ular. Japan is starting to find it
self with an abundance of old
people and a looming shortage
of youthful labor power.
Abortion is so quick and cheap
mat the unmarried mother is a
vanishing phenomenon. The
abortion rate is higher than the
birth rate: more than two mil
lion abortions every year.
The irony is that birth con
trol through abortion was never
a goal of national policy. The
express aim of the abortion law
is simply to protect the mother's
health and economic well-being,
and to prevent the birth of
children with hereditary diseas
es, i
The complaint is that Japan- j
ese women are having abor-!
tions at an alarming rate to :
prevent the birth of unwanted
children while official gov
ernment policy is to control
births by more conventional
means of family planning.
A debate now rages among j
legislators, women's groups. !
doctors and sociologists over j
new demands that abortion laws J
be made more strict so they j
can't be used for trifling rea- j
sons.
Nearly three-quarters of the j
women who have had abortions
say they are bothered by con
science, according to a recent
survey by the Population Prob
lems Research council of To
kyo's Mainichi newspapers.
More than to per cent of 3.600
married women polled by the
survey (many declined to ans
wer) have had abortions. One j
woman had had eight. j
Japan's population is about
96 million. It has increased at
an average rate of a million a
year since 1950.
r Shortage Results
There were about 1. 600.0(H)
babies born in 1962 for a slight
increase over the 1061 birth rate
of 16.8 per thousand population.
In 19-10. there were 72 million
Japanese in the mainland is
lands, and 80 million counting
Japanese residents in Korea.
Okinawa and Formosa, which
then were included in the cen
sus. In those days Japanese
militarists encouraged large
families.
After the war Japan was poverty-stricken.
Birth control was
one way to make sure every
mother and child got proper
food and medical care at a time
of hunger and few resources.
But today Japan is prosper
ous. She needs more productive
people. Industries are booming
and there is little unemploy
ment. She is almost self-sufficient
in most basic foods. Ex
cellent medical care is avail
able through group-insurance
plans.
Age Increased
The Japanese are healthy.
They are physically stronger
and taller (by three inches) and
they can expect to live 18 to
22 years longer (72 for women,
68 for men) than they could 20
years ago.
Today Japan's infant mortal
ity rate is only seven out of
every thousand, on a par with
Europe's. Fifty years ago, the
rate was 21 per thousand.
Only 17 years ago, at the
height of a baby boom hen
soldiers were home from war.
34 babies were born every year
for every thousand population.
Today the birth rate is 17 per
thousand, again on a par with
most of Europe.
Now that safe birth and heal
thy babies are the rule, family
planners would like to see a
few more come into the world.
But most Japanese couples
now are happy with only two
children and the trend becomes
more entrenched each year, ac
cording to the newspaper sur
vey. It found .
Only 22 per cent of those with
two children want another
child: 90 per cent of those with
three children want no more;
half of those with one child
would like to have only one
more: and most of those without
children want only two.
PAGES 1 to 12
Only 12 per ent of Japanese
families Iwve four children; 21
per cent hive one child: 25 per
cent have three children: ai4
35 per cent have two children.
Many families are kept small,
the survey found, largely be
cause parents want to be able
to give their children the best
SECTION C
MedfordWtribune
MEDFOHD. OREGON, THl'RSDAYrOCTOBER3Tl963
tin fet2f.r
pcsibl education. Only 12 per
ctnt of tkt persons questioned
said they practive birth control j
out of economic necessity the I
main reason given two years i
ago. ' j
Japan's birth rate is the low-!
est by far in Asia. Over-populated
India has more than 35 births
per thousand people every year:
Korea has more than 40. Com
munist China's population is est
imated at more than 700 mil
lion and about 15 million Chi
nese reportedly are born every
year.
Birth rates in other countries
have been reduced Puerto
Rico's from 41 to 30 per thou-:
sand since 19-19: Singapore's
from 43 to 30 since 1957; Hong
Kong's from 38 to 34 in two re-1
cent years. But no reduction is
so spectacular as Japan's. i
Literacy Rate High
Japan's high literacy rate ,
(nearly 100 per cent), the easy
availability of information on
birth control and permissive
abortion laws have made the
sharp drop in births possible.
In most western countries, a
woman who seeks an abortion
must, unless she can prove ex
treme medical grounds, risk her
life outside the law at the hands
of abortionists who may oper
ate under unhygienic conditions
and charge exorbitant fees.
Fifteen years ago one out of
every 500 Japanese women died
under induced abortions. Today
the death rate has been re
duced to one out of every 14.500
operations. Western women have
come to Japan for abortions be
cause of the skill acquired by
Japanese doctors.
But they must do so in sec
retas Sherri Finkbine, an
Arizona housewife and tele
vision intervir, discovered
in her much publicized quest to (
end a pregnancy because she
had taken thalidomide pills and
feared her child would be de
formed. She was denied a visa
to Japan because the reason
for her trip was known. She
got an abortion in Sweden in
stead. Illegal Abortions
Most abortions in Japan are
illegal. Japan's criminal code
still provides penalties a year
in prison for the woman, up to
five years for the doctor for
abortions performed outside the
provisions of the eugenic pro
tection law.
That law. enacted in 1948,
makes exceptions under the
nriminnl m n A o tn m-fivnnf phil.
uren oeillg uuui wun tieieuumy
mental and physical diseases,
and to protect the life and health
of women (abortions can be ob
tained up to the last day of the
seventh month of pregnancy,
though 93 per cent are per
formed within three months).
How ever, it is difficult to
make distinctions between le
gal and illegal abortions in
Japan, since the exceptions
have virtually become the rule.
The prosecution of illegal
abortions is unheard of.
A woman in good health, for
instance, can have an abortion
on the grounds that her finan
cial state would worsen and ul
timately affect her health if
she had the child.
One result of freely prac
ticed abortions is that unwed
mothers are rare in Japan.
Doctors usually perform abor
tions in secret to conceal in
come, but they do so as well
because many women don't
want their abortions known.
Abortions, which are not cov
ered by health insurance plans,
are the main source of income
for many doctors who run small
clinics. Some perform 100 abor
tions every month. The fee is
up to 5.000 yen ($14) in Tokyo
and other major cities, 3.000
yen ($9) or less in smaller
centers.
Criminal abortionists in North
America charge as much as
$200 to $1,000 or more.
Japan is an "abortion para
dise," admits Dr. Atsushi Han
abusa of Tokyo's metropolitan
Ebara hospital.
"It is regrettable," he said. 1
"Many women ask for an abor-i
tion on the sole grounds that it
is 'too early' to have a baby."
He said more than half the
1,500 expectant mothers who
are treated in the Ebara hos
pital every month have had
previous abortions.
Any doctor who is qualified
to perform an abortion can de
cide if a request for one should
be granted.
Opponents of the law argue
that two physicians should make
the decision and the economic
reason clause should be struck
out. There are periodic re-appraisals
of the law when abuses
are disclosed, and there have
been some attempts to change
it. One major argument for
keeping the law as it stands is
that without free-and-easy abor
tion, Japan could not have
brought about the spectacular
drop in its annual birth rate.
Regret it Later
The newspaper survey, which
reported that abortion is prac
ticed at the rate of one out of
every 2.2 Japanese women, al
so found nearly 70 per cent said
they regretted it or later felt
bothered by their conscience.
Sterilization operations that
do not remove reproductive
glands are also permitted by
the eugenic protection law. Al
most all of Japan's annual
35,000-odd sterilization opera
tions are performed on women
on their husbands' orders.
Family planners have been
arguing before women's groups
that it is far better that men
have the operation so healthy
women don't lose their ability to
bear children.
Oral contraceptive tablets are
not yet legal in Japan because
the Healty Ministry is not sure
they are safe. Some women have
complained of headaches after
experimenting with oral tablets.
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RESTS FROM FILMING Actor Richard Burton, who seems to
have weathered the trip from Cleopatra's Egypt to modern-day
Mexico City, takes time out from filming a movie for a chat with
actress Sue Lyon, who won fame for her starring role in the
movie "Lolita." (UPI)
Season of Year
Said To Have No interstate Herd
trrecr on uicer o : . c..u:
em nig juujtxi
By DELOS SMITH
UPI Science Editor
NEW YORK (UPI) Statisti
cal proof is now offered that the
season of the year does not in
fluence a man's ulcer. The
medical scientists who produced
it hoped it would kill a common
belief among ulcer men and
even their physicians that there
are seasons when ulcers get
worse. Drs. Syed Z. Ahmed,
Martin Levine and Rodnan B.
Finkbiner s 0 1 v e d the difficult
measuring of when a peptic
ulcer is worse by using only the
ultimate worsening. That is
hemorrhaging or perforation,
and when either happens it is
too grave to allow for statistical
error.
The scientists work in the gas
trointestinal research laboratory
of the Pennsylvania Hospital.
Philadelphia. With punch cards
and a bookkeeping machine they
analysed 411 completely docu-
menied cases of hemorrhaging
or perforation treated in the
hospital during the 10 years
from 1949 to 1958.
Existence H as Proven
In each case the presence of
an ulcer crater in either the
stomach or duodenum had been
proved either by x-ray or in sur
gery or by autopsy. The season
of the year of drastic worsening
was established in the hospital
records, of course.
Autumn was taken to begin
Sept. 21. winter, December 21,
spring, March 21, and summer.
June 21. Statistically 29 per cent
of the worsenings occurred in
autumn, which was the highest.
In summer 21.6 per cent look
place.
But the occurrences in winter
and spring were 24.6 per cent
and 24.8 per cent respectively.
No matter what statistical .
checking formula you apply, !
there is no statistical signifi-1
cance in those differences and
the scientists were emphatic in
saying so.
in the morbid chit-chat among
the high-pressure ulcer men in
American life, the belief is that
spring and autumn are the "ul
cer seasons" and summer is the '
season when a man is least like
ly to hale a flare-up.
Not only did the over-all sta- j
tistics disprove that: it was,
proved again when the scientists
broke the statistics down for
year-by-year analysis in the
hope of demonstrating regular
cycles if such cycles existed.
Slimmer Was Worst i
In two of the 10 years summer
had the highest incidence of se-1
vcrc worsening and it had the
lowest in only three years. Au-
tumn had the lowest incidence in
one year and was tied for lowest
in another year.
Spring had the lowest inci
dence in two years and the high
est in two other years. Winter
had the lowest in three years
and the highest in one.
"The seasonal variation in
peptic ulcer is very slight and
variable from year to year."
the scientists said in their re
port to the American College of
Physicians. "The concept of
spring and fall exacerbation of
peptic ulcer has been exagger
ated." They blamed the mistaken
support medical science has pre
j viuusly given to the "ulcer sea
son" theory on the difficulties
of measuring. Their method
eliminated many of the varia
bles responsible for false con
clusions, they said.
Everybody out of the rut
. ?Jtle64 JBnicks ure here!
YREKA. Calif. (UPI) Leg-j
islative committees from Cali-',
fornia and Oregon opened a two-1
day meeting here, today to dis
cuss possible ways to bolster the
interstate mule deer herd, which
apparently was hard hit by the j
1959-61 drought. I
The hearing will move to
Klamath Fals. Ore.. Friday.
The lawmakers specifically
wcie scheduled to discuss the
practicability of establishing an :
interstate commission to regu- j
late the mule deer that winter I
in California and summer in
Oregon. Along with that, the leg- .1
tslators were to talk over pos
sible ways to improve the deer
range.
Track counts of interstate
mule deer have dropped from a
high of 17,625 in 1954 to a low
this year of 7.191. Likewise, the
buck" kill by both states in the
interstate herd has fallen from
a record 6.083 in 1959 tn only j
2.801 last season. j
Seven Counties Affected j
An interstate compact, as ten-;
latively suggested, would cover :
the California counties of Modoc
and Lassen and portions of Sis
kiyou and Shasta, and the Ore
gon counties of Lake and Klam-
SALTY
NEW YORK (L'Pl) -A 17.300
ton mountain of rock is piled up
in Port Newark. N. .1. When it
snows, it pours on streets and
highways in the New York area
to keep traffic moving. Diamond
Crystal Salt company, owner ol
i the pile, said it is large enough
i to fill 400 freight cars.
ath and the. southern portion of
Harney.
Right now, the California fish
and game commission regulates
all deer in this state, taking ad
vice from the department of fish
and game. The same system
works in Oregon.
At the root of the whole issue
for California is a hot hassle
over deer management. And one
person in the thick of the battle
is assemblywoman Pauline Da
vis. D-Portola, chairman of the
California committee at today's
meeting.
She basically disagreed with
the California department of fish
and game's deer management
policies, which include balanc
ing the herds through controlled
hunting of antlerlcss deer. Mrs.
Davis maintains that hunting
pressure is largely to blame for
the lessening deer herds, while
the department puts the finger
on environmental conditions.
Meeting jointly were the Cali
fornia Assembly legislative in
terim committee on fish and
game, and the Oregon special
interim committee on deer.
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Btikh SkyUrh: A vry M'tonal car with a ftatr lor action. N In 1 modal!.
Buici LaSaba: Hiriwio t Iftnt. taa.iavlwa aam n.opaptr oatl luR.tua vain.
Our hapotesf rrrohlem lor 'H wav ho to beat a
winner? Acccd'Tig to thousi"Os of owners, the l3
mooels just aoout had it made in aM aeo'meni;,.
But hen your ogrtie is 6uic ou ust don't rest
on your laurels. You keeo pushing to make a g'eat
car greaier.
So ... the '64 Buichs are new bjt nm. Ne
engine?. V-6 or V-8 'you'll liVe their new gas econ
omy), new, smoother, extra-cost option, Super
Turbme Tranomiscions (and who, but Buick, would
build m an altitude compensator?). Youngest looking
Fisher Bodies in townl Visit a showroom, sit In any
one ol the ne Buicks, and practice this short easy
Tine: "My Buick." Sounds good, doesn't it?
...abote all. they're DUCKS!
SEE YOUR LOCAL AUTHORIZED BUICK DEALER. AUTHORIZED BUICK DEALER IN THIS AREA:
SKINNER BUICK CADILLAC . 143 South Riverside
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