Fletcher Plans to Defend Merits Of Controversial Philosophy Text

The director of Hunter College's Medical Office yesterday attacked the use of "Morals and Medicine" in Philosophy 3, asserting that the book "perverts the basic moral principles of medicine," and has challenged the author, the Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Fletcher, to defend his work in an open debate.

Rev. Fletcher has accepted the challenge, offered in a letter to the CRIMSON, and the debate will be held at the College, probably on April 20 or April 27.

Dr. William J. Fordrung, professor of Physiology at Hunter for over 25 years, called the book "the lowest type of secularistic thinking," and said that Fletcher's conclusions were "indelicate and absurd." He asserted that the volume is an example of "the fuzzy thinking so prevalent in many academic circles at present [which] is vehemently gauged to destroy all morality."

In "Morals and Medicine," Rev. Fletcher defends such controversial processes as birth control, euthanasia, artificial insemination, and abortion, stating that man has the right to use his scientific skills to overcome nature's obstacles. Discussion of the text was barred last week in Philosophy 3 sections largely to avoid offending Radcliffe students by possible indelicate speculation.

Fordrung said that "in the interest of truth, I should be happy to meet any member of your academic family who would wish to defend the statements contained in the volume." He added that he would most like to debate the author himself, and that he would come to Cambridge from New York to do so.

"Shocked" by the use of the text in a College course, Fordrung said that he is "disturbed by the immense evil being done by the promulgation of the false doctrine contained in this book." Rev. Fletcher immediately accepted his challenge to debate the volume, insisting only that "the affair doesn't degenerate into a name-calling contest." Fordrung, a member of the New York Bar for four decades, agreed.