TERRORIST attacks against US abortion clinies have escalated rapidly in recent months. A massive nation-wide march for women's rights in Washington, D.C., on April 9 will show that women won't be scared into backstreet abortions.
On December 30, two workers at Boston-area abortion clinics were murdered and five others injured by an anti-abortion gunman.
It brought to five a two-year death-toll which has topped off a decade of repeated clinic bombings, arson attacks and mass assaults by anti-abortion zealots in the US and Canada.
One thousand people attended a candle-lit vigil outside the Planned Parenthood clinic that night. Two thousand rallied at the Statehouse the following afternoon.
Over 8,000, mainly young people, joined a Boston celebration of the January 22 anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade federal court ruling which established women's right to choose abortion. Other actions took place nationwide.
Limited Abortion rights have been repeatedly limited in recent years. Federal funding has abortions. Only one county in been withdrawn for abortions eight has abortion facilities. for women with low incomes.
Two-thirds of states have speForty-one of the fifty states recial rules restricting young fuse to use local funds for women's right to choose. Mass action can defeat anti-abortion offensive In the last year, most US women's clinics had some form of violent attack. A quarter of clinics received death threats.
The April 8 demonstration, organised by the National Organisation for Women, helps to develop the mass action needed to defeat the anti-abortion offensive.
The zealots can be isolated by the weight of public opinion and the police can be forced to seriously attempt to prosecute the attackers.
Most importantly, the pro-choice movement can the develop the kind of independent strength, organisation and mass support that can defend women's right to choose without relying on the police or the capitalist politicians. Jacqueline Boyle and Mary Scully in Boston contributed to this article.