Fighting Alton's bill David Alton's bill currently going through parliament is the fourteenth pamphlets to prepare ourselves to send Alton packing as we son White and Benyon and Corrie before him, it is important to bear in mind the ABORTION liberation. If we do not control our own bodies then what control do women who have seen so many basic rights croded under this Tory attempt to amend the abortion act since it was passed in 1967. The attack, aimed at reducing the upper rime limir for abortions to 18 weeks, has touched a raw nerve for thousands and thousands of government. Aborrion is fundamental to women's struggle for Bur as we dust off the old placards and leaf through the old differences and the similarities in the situation. JUDITH we have lefrover our lives an all? ARKWRIGHT repors.
into David Non's hands. It appears Such notions unfurtunately play right than he has learnt more than them in the last tinto vears and he has made i
clear char this bill is cals one stepcin a act en- tirris. He is presentime a one line bill lease hr ture leaned from previous mistakes that this goal must be underta- ken step by step. In this he seems to have Died the anti-abortionists behind hint. campaign to demandle the "67
Furthermore, In an article in Maroone unly con per cent actually wurvive and back up and resources She sintes that we should nor be led down this road of What women punt is our only oppon. We have no rate. The polocal climate under That- Savage points out that alouch a fens i clable at 24 weeks even tien one with tremendous medical *of ihe whild can he kepr alive we should Ax with the campaign against Corne, campingns ind-abortionists like those to the ant: appear united. This B not to say that a This is spenan, since i provous orgamised in bite did nor tavour such compromises. Wheiher die bill B for an 18 ur 24 week limit, if it is passed in will still be a delcat tor women and give need b cast aere in abortion facilities last we have to have the facilities for sonur late ones because there are some other chuce — compromise is defeat and the hill is tinlikely to run cut of time because it is more simple and straight- abortionists, for the moment at any rate mass mobilisacion will be easy to gone- which would reduer most late abortions, mass aetion with labour movement sup: forward than in the past. The anti abrictionists congo lorward. tremendous contidence bring down the limit Today. Wendy hund cases: Doran/Rulles: De TCE had policy on abortion. Instead uf proved successful and on 28 October demonstration against the bill. Hero. no and if the and-abortionists were slightly better prepared for this astack talbough in bride was tot to list. there supporting a woman's choice were By this time the Labour Party and the NAC, the 'Campaigo Against Gorrie" was set up in order to involve the maximum number of people arounil the Timired an uf delearing the bail This: fari 1979. the TU led # b0,000 srong one could be in anv doubt that the detence of woments right had been be this time extremely well-organised. David Alton parliament doing everthing through outside wchieved Bur esploit some of the contradictions whart this bill got the biggest vole vei: 212 to power whirt made it more ditticult to the government found itsell in tinder Labour. Norman St Jot Stevas a cath- olie and anti-abortionst, was the leader of the hoose amd the bill was introduced at a ditterest time which mean that the Irfact. Manpure Thatcher imposed a one-lne whup for the scoond reading and tie anti-abortionists plavect up thie proposal to reduce the ome limit to 20 weeks as the major lunction nf the bill Behind this were included wher proposals to resires the grunds for walion wid costict the SOCALIST OUTLOOK nu 5 JenueryiFetrory TORR: our bodies filibuster tactic would not be teasible A protest against the Powell bill our right to decid our lives a AN This Time, diarite citnics 98.
ABORTION LECAL AND SAFE KEEP TION XBOR to the campaign set up to fight Alton has cher's that reem is not favourable and Thatcher herself supports a 21 week scrvice, 50 per cent ufabortions are now done privately and there are the cle- ments of a moral crusade, perhaps more confdeni than on previous occasions. Notwithstanding all this, the response been unprecedented in its breadth and scope. There are morc FAB groups tham there were CAC groups and the TUC has already agreed to co-sponsor the na- tional lobby on 21 January and the Trade unions supporting the cam NALGO, NUPE, NATFHE, NUM and others. The NUM has taken a position tor the first time and this is not a little to do with the women against pit closures tovement who are Despite the divisions among the left and within the women's movement people are rallying to defend this the national demonstration on 19 Marli. being balt up by the popular press: also supporting the campaign. compromise, With cuts in are GMH,
the woman who is carrving that foctus. have an interest, black and whice: in: Hamlets where she works, there was d I been Wieleen Mine teed mon and learn tron its weaknesses: Fo do SOCALSTOUTLOOk m.5 JanuaryiFabruary 1988 bodied or disabled. Fighring for abortion - it merely says that at a certain pum defeating Alton and we all sand to jose it Tiday intervicw. Wendy Savage shows just how different women's esperithe ratio of abortions to births for the West with black women s ntganpatims al agains Alton graup is being mablished that we are going to nect all the res The Fight romet be stucket or acorded if we are pher to As a broad-bascd campaign in detence if abortion rights FAR mist seck the involvement and participacon of black women and their organisations. We all fected because of racism. In her Marxism can be She explains that in Tower Indian and West Africa populariuor ot 1:2. of white women of 1:9 and lor Within che campaign we must link up find out such information and draw up schiese real control over our bodie and rightsdoes not challenge that in any way the bill is passed But this is nor undeny within the campaign to look at precisely drun on the strengths of our pust histor that black women are differentially af amir Sorilist Charlonk pampade Figlic dir Alien Bill teMped is fir should be able to decide. Bengali women of 1:23 demands arund il these Issues. were led be women For, when at corres control over women to control popula- because it challenges women's role as in the campaign who oppose women- inly activities or the need for würien to one crucial ingredient in the succoss of to it, only women will have the cnergy since they are the ones direrly affected tions in a racist way. It is a class issue merely a reproducer of the workforce, But it is also a women's issue and thosc lead the campaign, do not understand and commitment to carry on this light and with the direct experience of what Some in the campaign have argued that abortion is a cham issor because it women opposed to Alton will poc fight consistently for women's rights — that is their contradiction. In the meantime serves to highlight the divisions among ten: trom previous campaigns and The But the corthods of building the cam- miss avnd divisions within the abortionists are trying tiraim that they are sprains for disabled people. Not pon the prichoice movement, Our de- previous campaigns:— the fact thar they fact. all women will feel the cffcots if the bill becomes lows Upper-dass or Tory their participation in the campaien onls pango must remain the sator. Alose all. Many disaliled aryansations sup tuard must be too the right to life, Tar leir the right to a decem Me slicther able The campaign agaist Alim i dille stakes are much higher on both sides. only affecs working class wotnen the restrictions on their rights mean. also thosc within the campaign who But as well as the defeatsts there arc argue thar we cannot defend the 1967 act because it does not guarantee women a that is why the National Abortion Cam- paign is in favour of changes in the law to ment on health authorities to provide abortion facilities — in oter words for But that does not mean we cannot and act as it stands. Before the act was passed street abortions. They would surely not nalise abortion fully bur gave a lot of prorchoice movemem hose sriven to real choice. Of course is is true and get rid of the stipulation of two deciots? signatures, to make a statutory require- should mor defend the gains of the 1967 more than 3.009 women each vear were being admitted to hospital with septic wombs and hundreds died from back- agree that we should not detend the 1967 act from attack, The act did nor decrimi- women the possibility of a sale, legal and By fighting to defend the 1967 act. we can build a successial movement to de- fcat Alton and begin to alter the balance of forces towards women fighting for what we rcally want. This brings us to a further debate which has emerged inside the campaign Abortion as not exchuzorty e It is a class issue and many wittin the It is a class issue because it raises issues such as the right of the state to take personal decision-making nut of the bands of mdividuals Tel a class issuc 10 because of the was imperialismi usci point this out in the last twenty years. most basic of human rights: abortion on demand. free abortion.
ich activities send 25,00 (caged), £2.00 89 Woodside Women at Chesterfield pressed home the urgency for women to buik! a break down the political isolation of There is a long way to go in establish- claborated by the sponsors of the Chesterlielil conference. They provide a good basis for socialist feminists to dis- • to promote scialist feminist policies • in develop links with the whole range including black and lesbian groups and others challenging racismund imperialism in • to link up with organised trade prion • to develop an internatonal perspcer- • to ofter a forum where women can Ni the nest socialist conference it is planned to give over cough time for women to discuss what structures and policies they need, But women can and Lo meite a neesicher and be kept am lowt democratic socialist women's organis- ation that is able to reach all women in struggle: a movement that will begin to ment. So far its aims have only been ing women for socialism as such a move exchange ieas anil share experiences cuss, improve and artiend. They are: of women's urganisations. (amanged) to Mandy Mours Gardeni, Tondon, N27 6UN ive for women s struggle. in the labour movement. swall get itvilved now many women: FIELD Women for socialism Wollen. society. Labour women's organisation. Most importantly, women recognised the im- portance of bringing organised pressure Some important gains were made in that time: Policies were adopted, atti- ludes were cunfronted, questions of wo- men's sexuality, their control over their own fertility and women's right to equal raised and cam paigned for. All the sorts of things thac The Labour Party and trade anion leaderships never really gave very much power to women. bur the latle tal The Tabour Party Icadership has its heart set on weakening the Labour wo- men's organisation and ensuring that the sort of left policies that came out ofit die ape death Rur women in the Talmur Party continuc to tight to defend their organisation and policies. Time and again we learn the same brutal lesson — wen need an independent women's movement based on and in the but able to discuss women won is now under attack again. Kinnock tells us lost Labour the clection meeting of 200 women called for a new organisation to be set up BARBARA GREEN writes. At the Chesterfield socialist to bear on the labour movement. AFTER CHESTE conference last October a -