The Committee cannot but take a serious view of the repeatedly demonstrated difficulties in securing convictions, even in the face of apparently conclusive evidence, of persons charged with inducing abortion, and consider that the time has arrived when careful consideration should be given to the condition of the law relating to such crimes and to what steps are necessary to discourage effectively their practice. With that object in view the Committee respectfully and earnestly directs the attention of the Government to the position that has arisen, and the serious social, physical, and moral consequences which are likely to follow if effective steps are not taken to enforce the clear intention of the law. _The Position of the Medical Practitioner in Relation to Criminal Abortion._--The duties and responsibilities of medical practitioners in connection with cases in which the performance of an illegal operation is suspected or known to have occurred are of great public importance. Two main questions arise--(1) The duty of a doctor before the death of a patient or in a case where a fatal result is not expected, and (2) his duty in a case where the patient has died. Concerning the first issue there are very conflicting opinions. As already pointed out, it has been urged by the Police Department that in every case where a patient is admitted to a hospital and is suspected to be suffering from the effects of induced abortion or attempted abortion it should be the duty of the Medical Superintendent or Senior Medical Officer of the hospital to notify the police forthwith, and supply all information in his possession which would assist in establishing the identity of the offender and bringing him to justice. The widely accepted view of the medical profession, supported by high legal authority, is that the bond of professional secrecy as between doctor and patient is so important that it would be entirely wrong for a doctor, without the patient's consent, to give information to the police before her death. It has been insisted that, were it to be compulsory for the doctor to notify the police on the strength of information obtained in his professional capacity, patients would refrain from obtaining the necessary medical help under these circumstances, thus accentuating the problem of deaths from abortion rather than limiting it. It has been stated that already in one centre a disinclination to enter hospital has been expressed by patients because they feared that the police would be informed. It is agreed, however, that the doctor should attempt to persuade the patient, especially if her condition is serious, to make a statement to the police. The actual legal position in New Zealand was made quite clear by the law officer of the Crown when asked by the New Zealand Obstetrical Society in 1932 for an opinion. This opinion, as published in the _New Zealand Medical Journal_ (Obstetrical Section), 29th October, 1932, was as follows:--