THREE YEARS TRAINING FOR THE HEA CU DOLE heir sir 0 hide r Health workers on the march LONDON, I DERS THE NH HUs. A S WORKERS and as users, women depend on the welfare state to a huge degree. Whether in camapigns agaisnt closures of nurseries or fighting for our jobs like the Hillingdon hospital strikers we have been at the forefront of campaigns to defend these services that we need so desperately.
We have also not been slow to see the flaws in existing services, even before today's cuts began to bite so deep. In fields like health care - whether in terms of day care clinics for abortion or the extension of breast cancer screening - and education we have not been prepared to put up with second best, but have fought for a service that is responsive to the needs of all its workers and users.
Not only are women at the sharp end of all attacks on welfare provision but many of the recent attacks by the Tories have been specificallytargetted at us. Raising women's retirement age to 65 saved the government £5 million pounds which to hand out in tax cuts to the rich. Single par. ents have lost £l1.5 a week on average since the freezing of benefits fro existing claimants in 1995 - and 95 per cent of single parent hosuehol;ds are headed by women. Cuts in the health service have led to rationing of abortion and fertility treatment -and are surely connected to scandals such as the errors in tests for cervical cancer. And the ideological backlash which has surron. ded issues like selective abortion University of London Union, Malet Street London: Goodge Street tube. Creche and food available. Registration £5/2 to: WSH Womens' conference, 183 Queens Cres., London NW5 4DS. Tel 0171 639 5068 Foundations for freedom A womens' conference putting the case for defence and rebuilding of the welfare state Saturday November 30
Socialist Outlook 1 10 • November 9