One thousand people, representing 17 different trade unions, six trades councils, seven national political organisations and 69 local National Abortion Campaign groups, crowded into London's Imperial College last weekend to discuss how to fight the attacks being made on a women's right to abortion.
At the same time the forces of reaction and bigotry, organised by the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child, were marching against the very aims of the NAC Conference. The capitalist press gleefully played up the SPUC demonstration - while the police estimation of its size was only 30,000, the Guardian talked about 80,000 and the Mirror went as high as 100,000.
Whipped up
The SPUC forces had been whipped up by a campaign from the pulpits, massively supported by the Catholic Church. All week the calls had been going out to support SPUC. The Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dr Coggan had made a cleverly timed speech 'against the tide of stark materialism' and called on all people to 'return to basic values', in which he naturally includThe NAC Conference went on record with a massive vote for a Week of Action against the reconvening of the Parliamentary Select Committee.
This resolution was moved on behalf of the NAC Steering Committee by Linda Smith, the International Marxist Group representative on the the Steering Committee. It called for public meetings, lobbying MPs in and out of parliament, street meetings, hospital pickets and meetings, local demonstrations and rallies."
An amendment from Rose Knight In speaking against the call for a counter-demonstration to SPUC, IMG member Ann Chesterton from Bath NAC pointed out that the wat was to mobilise the weignt of the work ers movement behind actions against SPUC. A small counter picket representing only people drawn from the NAC conference would in no way do this. that the Week of Action should start on Monday 17 November to coincide with the first week of the next parliamentary session was accepted.
After an intensive discussion NAC adopted Free Abortion on Demand A Woman's Right to Choose' as its main campaigning slogan. The important task now is to ensure that these demands are understood in the context of what main issues are facing the pro-abortion moveMenT arus suare Right now the biggest immediate threat facing the pro-abortion campaign is the manoeuvres taking place in Parliament around the reconstitution of the Select Connittee, and for acceptance of the proposals made in its Third Report.
The Labour Government hides its true face by hypocritically claiming concern about abuses in the private sector. On one hand it is carrying out direct cutbacks which mean less facilities for women on the NHS. On the other hand, under the pretence of fighting against abuses it is supporting moves to reduce abortion facilities in the private sector as well.
MANOEUVRES In every step taken to fight against these parliamentary manoeuvres, the basis must be prepared for a major future offensive for free abortion on demand on the The series of action proposals adopted can lay the basis for really consolidating the campaign along ed 'the safeguarding of the rights of family life At Westminster Cathedral, the Catholic clergy organised a special service on Sunday for the 'Unborn Child'. This, hovever, was attended by 25 supporters of the Women's Right to Choose Campaign, who handcuffed themselves together and marched to the altar. They were ejected by irate men, one waving a stick.
No publicity Naturally the press gave no pre-publicity to the NAC Conference and little or no coverage of either the debates or the decisions taken at the Conference. Despite this attempt to place a wall of silence around NAC, on the Sunday most of the radio and TV reports were forced te give the Conference a mention along with the SPUC This was not because of some new-found liberal serse, but because they had to recognise the strength of the forces represented by the 1,000 people attending the NAC Conference. For there is no doubt whatever - particularly in view of the TUC and Labour Party decisions - that the campaign has the support of millions of working people in Britain.
carried were agreements to hold "regional rallies....to combat restrictive legislation and to pick Abortion Act. * JO RICHARDSON MF Jo Richardson chaired the final session of the Conference, and informed NAC the restrictions called for by the Select Committee. She should be making a fight NOW amongst Labour virs to en tion.
Photo: ANGELA PHILLIPS (IFL LIZ ADAMS months.
these lines. Amongst the proposals regions to highlight the inadequacies and unequal provisions of the 1967 Portion on demand. decisions. that the DHSS are already implementing A successful amendment from Redmond O'Neill, an IMG member •day of national action be called directed towards the National Health Service on which all NAC groups arrange a deputation to and joint meetings with gynaecologists in the local hospitals, local MPs and hospital workers to sign petitions publicly and speak on their attitude to a Women's Right to Choose, present implementation of the 1967 Act inside the said local hospitals and its facilities for aborLiz Adams from the Steering Conmittee made the point that the importance of demonstrations for NAC lav in the political focus they provided for mobilising the mass of supporters of the campaign. She successfully urged the Conference to oppose the call for a demo on 6 Dec ember 'a date which has just been conjured out of the air. Instead, NAC will DODIE WEPPLER A member of the INViG on the Steering Committes, she argued that the centra question facing NAC was the role of the Labour Government in attacking the right of women to abortion. meetings to decide policy between comerences. Votes at these meetings will be taken following nationally organised discussions on the basis of one mandated vote per NAC group. With respect to matters ot procedure or non-contentious items, votes will be taken of all those attending.
IMPRESSIVE
The Conference decisions and its impressive attendance show that a movement involving the mass of the working class can be built to fight on these issues.