William Liley
Encyclopedia
Sir William Liley KCMG, FRSNZ
(12 March 1929 - 15 June 1983), was a New Zealand
surgeon
, who worked primarily on techniques to improve the health of fetus
es in utero
.
in Dunedin
, in 1954. He was awarded fellowships with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
, and was appointed to the Vatican
's Pontifical Academy of the Sciences, although he was an atheist
. He was also a member of the Royal Society of New Zealand
. He was knighted (KCMG) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1972.
Sir William became known for his technique for intrauterine blood transfusions for Rh
-affected fetuses. In developing and performing intrauterine transfusions to save fetuses that were too young to survive extrauterine life, Sir William became the first medical practitioner to treat the fetus as a patient in his or her own right. Prior to Sir William's development of the intrauterine transfusion, the gestating uterus was regarded as inviolate. Many developments in prenatal treatment have ensued since Sir William performed the first successful intrauterine transfusion in 1963.
He was one of the founders of the New Zealand anti-abortion
group, the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (now Voice for Life
), in 1971 and served as that organisation's first president. In 1977, Robert Sassone
edited a series of interviews with Liley and Jerome Lejeune
, entitled The Tiniest Humans.
in a time of changing attitudes, and many were prone to associate his death with the stress caused by tension between his convictions and their public reception.
Liley is survived by his wife, five natural children and one adopted child. He first met his wife, Dr. Margaret, Lady Liley (formerly Margaret Hunt) when they were at medical school together. They married in 1953. His wife was an authority on pregnancy and fetal life on her own right, and was director of the Antenatal Clinic at National Women's Hospital.
Royal Society of New Zealand
The Royal Society of New Zealand , known as the New Zealand Institute before 1933, was established in 1867 to co-ordinate and assist the activities of a number of regional research societies including the Auckland Institute, the Wellington Philosophical Society, the Philosophical Institute of...
(12 March 1929 - 15 June 1983), was a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
, who worked primarily on techniques to improve the health of fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
es in utero
In utero
In utero is a Latin term literally meaning "in the womb". In biology, the phrase describes the state of an embryo or fetus. In legal contexts, the phrase is used to refer to unborn children. Under common law, unborn children are still considered to exist for property transfer purposes.-See also:*...
.
Education and career
Sir William graduated from Otago Medical School at the University of OtagoUniversity of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, in 1954. He was awarded fellowships with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and 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 was appointed to the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
's Pontifical Academy of the Sciences, although he was an atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
. He was also a member of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Royal Society of New Zealand
The Royal Society of New Zealand , known as the New Zealand Institute before 1933, was established in 1867 to co-ordinate and assist the activities of a number of regional research societies including the Auckland Institute, the Wellington Philosophical Society, the Philosophical Institute of...
. He was knighted (KCMG) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1972.
Sir William became known for his technique for intrauterine blood transfusions for Rh
RH
RH, Rh, rH, or rh can stand for:* Riemann hypothesis, an important unsolved problem in mathematics* Ryan's Hope, a soap opera* Rhesus factor, a classification to describe blood types in humans* Rhodium, a chemical element...
-affected fetuses. In developing and performing intrauterine transfusions to save fetuses that were too young to survive extrauterine life, Sir William became the first medical practitioner to treat the fetus as a patient in his or her own right. Prior to Sir William's development of the intrauterine transfusion, the gestating uterus was regarded as inviolate. Many developments in prenatal treatment have ensued since Sir William performed the first successful intrauterine transfusion in 1963.
He was one of the founders of the New Zealand anti-abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
group, the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (now Voice for Life
Voice for Life
Voice for Life is New Zealand's oldest and largest pro-life group with branches nationwide. Voice for Life's role is to educate about the humanity of the preborn child, the effects of abortion on women and advocate for social change so that abortion is seen as unthinkable medical homicide...
), in 1971 and served as that organisation's first president. In 1977, Robert Sassone
Robert Sassone
Robert Sasone is an American college basketball player and coach.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Sassone went to St. Bonaventure University on a basketball scholarship the fall of 1949. He led the team to the 1951 National Invitation Tournament as a sophomore...
edited a series of interviews with Liley and Jerome Lejeune
Jérôme Lejeune
Servant of God Jérôme Jean Louis Marie Lejeune was a French Catholic pro-life paediatrician and geneticist, best known for his discovery of the link of diseases to chromosome abnormalities...
, entitled The Tiniest Humans.
Suicide
Liley committed suicide in 1983. He had been a vocal advocate of the right to lifeRight to life
Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being...
in a time of changing attitudes, and many were prone to associate his death with the stress caused by tension between his convictions and their public reception.
Liley is survived by his wife, five natural children and one adopted child. He first met his wife, Dr. Margaret, Lady Liley (formerly Margaret Hunt) when they were at medical school together. They married in 1953. His wife was an authority on pregnancy and fetal life on her own right, and was director of the Antenatal Clinic at National Women's Hospital.