“Criminal Responsibility in the Sale of Abortifacients” was the subject matter of the communication by Dr. Henry Beates, Jr.
Dr. Beates referred to the various statutes relating to the use, sale or distribution of abortifacients and condemned, in no uncertain terms, the practice of advertising, in lay journals, articles designed to prevent conception or to produce abortion. He held that additional publicity might well be given to the serious nature of the questions involved, and urged that steps be taken to prevent the use of the United States mails by newspapers and magazines publishing advertisements of abortifacients or of instruments designed to prevent conception.
Dr. John B. Roberts, in opening the general discussion of the question, asserted that there certainly could be no difference of opinion on the degrading influences of practices that, as had been shown by the previous speakers, tended to convert pharmacists and pharmaceutical manufacturers into liars and medical practitioners into frauds and fakirs.
The subject matter was further discussed by Dr. Henry W. Cattell, Dr. F. E. Stewart, Dr. C. B. Lowe and Messrs. Remington, LaWall, Turner, Thum, Beringer, Vanderkleed, Cable, Westcott, Wilbert and Cliffe.
Mr. Cliffe presented the following resolutions, which, on motion, were unanimously adopted:
Resolved that the Philadelphia Branch of the American Pharmaceutical Association condemns the advertisement in drug journals, magazines and newspapers of abortifacient medicines and deprecates their sale by reputable pharmacists.
Resolved that all members of this branch be urged to exclude such medicines and articles from their stocks.
The secretary then read a communication entitled “Objectionable Side Lines to the Practice of Medicine,” specifically mentioning several profit-sharing and stock-distributing schemes that are now doing business in the city of Philadelphia.
This communication was, on motion, directed to be forwarded to the Secretary of the Philadelphia County Medical Society with the offer to submit additional evidence to the officials of that organization.
There being no further business the meeting was declared adjourned.