Willy PEERS (°1924 - 1984)
Profession: Surgeon, obstetrician, and activist
Nationality: Belgian
Why an honorary doctorate?
May 2015. Willy Peers receives an honorary doctorate from VUB, 31 years after his death.
The honour of the right of self-determination
It was a joint honour for him. He shared it posthumously with his partner in crime Lucie Van Crombrugge, who continued his life's work after his death.
Peers spent his life fighting a fierce political and social battle for the right to abortion. People have the right to self-determination. This includes women. An undesired pregnancy is undesirable. Then, judging is condemning.
For his social attitude, his commitment, the liberal point of view from which he never deviated, for the opposition which he unrelentingly withstood: for this, the doctor honoris causa is cordially and conscientiously granted to him.
When the wind comes up, you have to pedal harder. Willy Peers often felt counter-pressure but graciously (and sometimes less so) ignored unreasonable arguments. We shall continue, sang Ramses Shaffy. And so did Peers. He found intolerance ugly, and he never wanted to be guilty of it. It was - among other things - such intolerance that encouraged him, stimulated him, motivated him to keep fighting for the noble cause, for justice for women, for respect for life. If that life also had every chance of a safe awakening.
"The intolerance of others reinforces my will to fight for the right cause."
About his career
For you, woman
17 March 1924. In Kain, a village in the province of Hainaut, Willy Peers first sees the light of day. When WWII breaks out - Willy is barely 16 at the time - he joins the Resistance. He wants to escape from the "Service du travail obligatoire” (obligatory work service).
1942. At the age of eighteen, Willy joins the Communist Party of Belgium (KPB), of which he remains a member for the rest of his life. The war has only just ended when Peers enrols at university; he wants to become a doctor.
He succeeds, and with his diplomas in surgery and obstetrics, he continues to specialise in gynaecology with the famous professor Jean Snoeck. It is there that Willy discovers the wonderful technique of painless childbirth.
Epidural anaesthesia is still a noble mystery at that time. The painless childbirth method, called the psycho-prophylactic method, is based on Pavlov's theories and developed by Russian doctor Nikolayev. According to him, the fear before and during childbirth - resulting in severe pain - is conditioned. Acquired reflexes can also be unlearned through suggestions and breathing exercises, among other things.
The 1950s are upon us and Peers travels around Belgium to give lectures on the painless way of giving birth. But Peers is a Communist and he feels the headwind blowing. Later, in '56, Pope Pius XII cites the issue in a speech and gives - albeit with nuance - his blessing.
Willy Peers is one who achieves his goals. He believes that women should have easy access to contraception and puts his all into the effort to secure this. Not an easy matter, because distributing advertisements for contraceptives is illegal in Belgium. Although our country is one of the few where abortion is forbidden, Peers campaigns for its legalisation. He faces three formidable opponents: the Catholic Church, the legislature, and the Order of Physicians.
In 1955, he receives his first sanction from the Order: his lectures and his assistance to women seeking contraception are not appreciated. He is very pleased when he is appointed deputy director of the Centre for Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the province of Namur in '59. But the Order again puts a spanner in the works, imposes measures, and ensures that he is not allowed to see any more patients here. Posthumously, in 1985 to be precise, the Court of Cassation rescinds all penalties.
From 1964, Peers is a member - a very active one, incidentally - of the "Groupe d'Études pour une Réforme de la Médecine". Progressive doctors want to improve many aspects of medicine in Belgium, and in doing so they are offending the Order.
It is 1970 and Peers begins to perform abortions. His conviction is strong and honourable and he acts in the best possible medical conditions. He does not set up his practice clandestinely for this purpose. It is Peers' social conscience and justice that drives him to action every time, no matter what the consequences.
Meanwhile, he is aiming his persuasive arrows at domestic politics, public opinion, and the medical world. Peers does not shy away from continually challenging the decisions of the Order of Physicians, with lawyers. In 1990, one of them was present at the inception of the law that decriminalised abortion.
In 1973 there was a commotion. In January, Peers was remanded in custody. The charge? An abortion involving a mentally retarded twenty-seven-year-old girl who was raped. Peers remains locked up for 35 days while his support grows enormously. Action committees, protest marches, and hunger strikes follow.
Peers defends himself in fiery words. He stresses that abortion has been practised in Belgium for a long time, often in poor conditions and resulting in death. That his respect for the life and dignity of women - and by extension human beings - is couched in heartfelt veracity.
Finally, Dr Peers does not have to appear before the court. His passionate fight puts abortion on the political agenda and leads to the legalisation of contraception in the Leburton I administration. In 1990, abortion is also partially removed from the penal code. Unfortunately, Willy Peers cannot share in the joy. He dies in November 1984, after a lifetime of hard work, with an eternal place in the hearts of so many women.
Painless childbirth
He teaches the wonderful technique of painless childbirth, based on Pavlov's theories and the idea of conditioned fear.
Commotion
January 1973: the charge? An abortion involving a mentally retarded girl who was raped. Peers is locked up, action committees, protest marches, hunger strikes follow.
The fight for abortion
Willy's fight for abortion clearly put abortion on the political agenda, so that it could finally be discussed.
Communist
In 1942, at the age of eighteen, he joins the Communist Party of Belgium (KPB), of which he remains a member for the rest of his life.
What is an honorary doctorate?
VUB has awarded honorary doctorates every year since 1978 to personalities from the most diverse backgrounds who have made a remarkable contribution to their field and to society. From this solemn moment of recognition, they bear the honorary title of Doctor Honoris Causa of VUB.