Aleck Bourne
Encyclopedia
Aleck William Bourne was a prominent British gynaecologist and writer, known for his 1938 trial, a landmark case, for performing an illegal abortion on a 14-year-old girl rape victim. He later became an pro-life
activist.
, Bourne was educated at Rydal School and at Downing College, Cambridge
where, in 1908, he received a first class Natural Science Tripos
. Granted a senior university scholarship, he entered St Mary's Hospital and, between 1910 and 1911, he had qualified as an MRCS
, LRCP (as well as obtaining an MB, BCh, Cambridge, and the FRCS England the following year).
While at Queen Charlotte's, in cooperation with Professor J. H. Burn, he published research papers on uterine
action in labour
and in response to various drugs. He would hold several residential and other appointments at St Mary's, Queen Charlotte's and the Samaritan until the outbreak of the First World War.
In 1912, he married Bessie Hayward, the eldest daughter of G. W. Hayward, with whom he had three daughters. Enlisting in the British Army, he served as a surgical specialist with the 17th General Hospital in Egypt and the 2nd General Hospital in France between 1914 and 1917 and, in the years following the war, he began a successful consulting practice in obstetrics and gynaecology. In 1929, he was elected a foundation member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
and, founding its museum in 1938, served as curator of its museum which he built up considerably during the following years.
A yachting and deep sea cruising enthusiast, he was a member of several yacht clubs during the 1930s and, in 1933, won the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club
's cup for the best cruiser of the year.
, in a London barracks. She asked at St. Thomas' Hospital, but was sent away on the grounds that she might be carrying a future prime minister. Tried at the Central Criminal Court
in July 1938, he was acquitted on charges of procuring abortion as his actions were later defended by Lancet as "an example of disinterested conduct in consonance with the highest traditions of the profession".
His defence had been based on the Offences against the Person Act 1861
in which, under British law, the only recognized justification for the termination of a pregnancy was if the life of the woman was in danger.
from 1938 to 1939, Bourne later wrote several important books including A Synopsis of Midwifery and Gynaecology, Recent Advances in Obstetrics and Gynecology with Leslie Williams and was the co-editor of British Obstetric and Gynaecological Practice with Sir Eardley Holland. An advocate of state medicine, Bourne expressed his views in Health of the Future (1942), which gained much attention to the issue in the medical field. During the 1960s, Bourne became a founding member of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children which was organized in opposition to the Abortion Act 1967
. In his memoirs,
Bourne wrote:
He would continue serving as consulting gynaecologist at St Mary's Hospital and to the Samaritan Hospital for Women as well as consulting obstetric surgeon to Queen Charlotte's Hospital
before his eventual retirement and death on 30 December 1974, aged 88.
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
activist.
Early life
Born in 1886, the only son of the Reverend W. C. Bourne in BarnetBarnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
, Bourne was educated at Rydal School and at Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1800 and currently has around 650 students.- History :...
where, in 1908, he received a first class Natural Science Tripos
Natural Sciences (Cambridge)
The Natural Sciences Tripos is one of the several courses which form the University of Cambridge system of undergraduate teaching...
. Granted a senior university scholarship, he entered St Mary's Hospital and, between 1910 and 1911, he had qualified as an MRCS
Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons
MRCS is a professional qualification for surgeons in the UK and IrelandIt means Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In the United Kingdom, doctors who gain this qualification traditionally no longer use the title 'Dr' but start to use the title 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss' or 'Ms'.There are 4 surgical...
, LRCP (as well as obtaining an MB, BCh, Cambridge, and the FRCS England the following year).
While at Queen Charlotte's, in cooperation with Professor J. H. Burn, he published research papers on uterine
Uterus
The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...
action in labour
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
and in response to various drugs. He would hold several residential and other appointments at St Mary's, Queen Charlotte's and the Samaritan until the outbreak of the First World War.
In 1912, he married Bessie Hayward, the eldest daughter of G. W. Hayward, with whom he had three daughters. Enlisting in the British Army, he served as a surgical specialist with the 17th General Hospital in Egypt and the 2nd General Hospital in France between 1914 and 1917 and, in the years following the war, he began a successful consulting practice in obstetrics and gynaecology. In 1929, he was elected a foundation member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is a professional association based in the UK. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is, pregnancy, childbirth, and female sexual and reproductive health...
and, founding its museum in 1938, served as curator of its museum which he built up considerably during the following years.
A yachting and deep sea cruising enthusiast, he was a member of several yacht clubs during the 1930s and, in 1933, won the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club
Royal Corinthian Yacht Club
The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club was founded at Erith, Kent in 1872. Over the years, it has operated from a number of locations but now exists with a northern and southern branch at Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, and at Cowes, Isle of Wight respectively....
's cup for the best cruiser of the year.
Abortion case
In 14 June 1938, Bourne was arrested after performing an operation without fee at St Mary's Hospital to terminate the pregnancy of six weeks of a 14-year-old girl who had been sexually assaulted by five off-duty British soldiers, officers in the Royal Horse GuardsRoyal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
, in a London barracks. She asked at St. Thomas' Hospital, but was sent away on the grounds that she might be carrying a future prime minister. Tried at the Central Criminal Court
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
in July 1938, he was acquitted on charges of procuring abortion as his actions were later defended by Lancet as "an example of disinterested conduct in consonance with the highest traditions of the profession".
His defence had been based on the Offences against the Person Act 1861
Offences Against The Person Act 1861
The Offences against the Person Act 1861 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It consolidated provisions related to offences against the person from a number of earlier statutes into a single Act...
in which, under British law, the only recognized justification for the termination of a pregnancy was if the life of the woman was in danger.
Later career
Serving as president of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Section of the Royal Society of MedicineRoyal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
from 1938 to 1939, Bourne later wrote several important books including A Synopsis of Midwifery and Gynaecology, Recent Advances in Obstetrics and Gynecology with Leslie Williams and was the co-editor of British Obstetric and Gynaecological Practice with Sir Eardley Holland. An advocate of state medicine, Bourne expressed his views in Health of the Future (1942), which gained much attention to the issue in the medical field. During the 1960s, Bourne became a founding member of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children which was organized in opposition to the Abortion Act 1967
Abortion Act 1967
The Abortion Act 1967 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom legalising abortions by registered practitioners, and regulating the free provision of such medical practices through the National Health Service ....
. In his memoirs,
Bourne wrote:
Those who plead for an extensive relaxation of the law [against abortion] have no idea of the very many cases where a woman who, during the first three months, makes a most impassioned appeal for her pregnancy to be 'finished,' later, when the baby is born, is thankful indeed that it was not killed while still an embryo. During my long years in practice I have had many a letter of the deepest gratitude for refusing to accede to an early appeal.
He would continue serving as consulting gynaecologist at St Mary's Hospital and to the Samaritan Hospital for Women as well as consulting obstetric surgeon to Queen Charlotte's Hospital
Queen Charlotte's Hospital
Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital is one of the oldest maternity hospitals in Europe, and until recently occupied a site on Goldhawk Road, Hammersmith, West London. Originally called Queen Charlotte's Hospital, it merged with the Chelsea Hospital for Women and is now based at the Hammersmith...
before his eventual retirement and death on 30 December 1974, aged 88.