Abortion rights are facing major attacks in Poland and Ireland. Fourth International women are calling for solidarity action in other countries in a bid to pressurise the two governments.
In Poland, anti-abortion legislation has been drawn up by a special arliamentary commission. It calls or a two-year prison sentence lot doctors who practice abortion, of for the pregnant women herself it abortion is selt-Induced.
Lesser prison sentences would also be deal out to women who use contraceptives. The proposals would even forbid pre-natal ex21 Nov, 1992 No. 32 aminations.
Anything up to 600,000 abor. tions a year are carried out in Criminalisation could double the country's prison population inside a year.
Abortion rights supporters recognise their forces are weak, and are appealing to pro-choice acundertake protests outside Polish embassies.
Ireland is to hold a referendum on abortion to colncide with the general election on November 26.
The pro-choice movement is callifs for a no vote on the first proposal, which would ban terminations unlese they are "necessave the life, as distinct from the health, of the woman.
The second and third proposals would enable women to travel abroad to obtain an abortion, and tion on services lawfully elsewhere In the EC. These should be sup ported.
Fo. Information about Poland 122001349 497 01 200 In ireland, contact Repeal the Eighth Amendment, PO Box 3441, Dublin 8 or the Women's Cosition. PO Box 3514, Dublin 1. Tel: (fo 004 3951490179 but it aepenas on Progress towards marketisation which nas been sarca by pouncar opi position. Only S1 billion has In desperation Yeltsin and Gaidar invented a 'voucher scheme for privatising the factones: it seems to nave sone down like a lead balloon.
Cleariv Russia and the other CIS countries have pro-capitalist, politically bourgeois, governments. But that does not equal a capitalist socia system. Non-capitalist social relations predominate. invate capital is accumulated by corTupaon ana une san reavery marginal private sector.
The character of the state depends on the fundamental question: which social relaGAT