The reporting in the mainstream press of the recent court case allowing a 12 year old girl to terminate her pregnancy was, to say the least, selective. No papers chose to highlight the fact that the girl did want to have the abortion and most appeared to attach a lot more importance to the girl's mother's wish that she continue with the pregnancy.
Although the decision in this case was made mostly on the basis of medical evidence, it is nonetheless an important decision in that it has enabled the girl to carry out her choice to terminate the pregnancy.
This victory for choice however is only one in a sea of bad news for women's reproductive rights. The introduction of the internal market in the NHS and the creation of the trust hospitals has meant money is flowing out of the 'non-essential' services including abortion facilities.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (HFEA) while providing slightly easier access to the facilities that do exist for early abortions has also reduced the upper time limit for abortions from 28 weeks to 24 weeks making the reduction in facilities and increase in waiting lists even more worrying.
The HEA has also restricted the availability of Donor Insemination (DI) for single women and lesbians. This is a vicious attack on women's choice and is a clear example of the hypocrisy of the anti-abortion lobby. Their aim is not to give rights to 'unborn children' from some misguided sense of humanity. It is a clear attempt to control the lives and bodies of women and ensure that the 'right babies are born to the 'right' parents.
Elsewhere the picture isn't much better. In the US, Utah has just passed very stringent anti-abortion legislation, with the death penaity available to judges for women who obtain abortions. Utah has put a bid in for the 1998 Winter Olympics which will be decided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Birmingham on June 15.
The National Organisation of Women (NOW) from America has organised a boycott of the state of Utah and has asked women in Britain to picket the meeting of the I0C and show support for the women of Utah.
The National Abortion Campaign (NAC) is holding a conference aimed at trade unionists on July 27, to discuss many of the issues raised by the HEA and the reorganisation of the NHS.
The conference will also be discussing access to contraception and access to information about it. Despite their recent realisation that AIDS is spreading among the heterosexual population as well as the gay community the government and the education services are not responding with more detailed information and advice on contraceptive methods.
The conference will also look at the attacks on abortion rights in eastern Europe and there will be pro-choice activists from Poland and other eastern European countries at the conference.
For more information about the activities in Birmingham, the conference in July or any general information about their work contact the National Abortion Campaign Wesley House, 4 Wild Court, London WC1. Fred Leplat (Islington MALCO Socialist Outlook supporter Eve Turner moves resolution for strike action against Poll Tax Tories try to 'slim down' local NUPE in particular has lost