Lies to support the resistance of Other speakers at tne meeung were Renee Short MP, Joyce Gould of the Labour Women's Advisory Committee, and Dr John Dunwoody of the Socialist Medical Association.
LIMIT The Select Committee has been forced to drop for the moment some of the grosser proposals contamned in the original Abortion (Amendment) Bill put forward by Labour MP James wnite. ney recommend, for mistance, nat here snoud De rummer ascussion about the grounds on wach a woman many obtain a terminanon or preg nancy; and they do not openly advocate dropping the 'social clause. What their amendments to the 1967 Act consist of, however, are a series of bureaucratic time-wasting measures which would in effect drastically limit a woman's right to abortion Firstly, the Select Committee proposes that one of the two doctors whose consent is needed for an abortion snowe nave been mm Drac tice for at least five years, and that the two doctors involved should *The Select Committee has attempted to create a climate of illegality have no fihancial links.
are the charitable clinics like PAS and BPAS, which provide cheap safe abortions for women who cannot obtain one on the NHS. The Select Committee wants the strict licenscial links between the clinics and the counselling services.
Under the guise of protecting women from exploitation, the Select Committee is trying to make it impossible for the charitable clinics to operate and thus further restrict the numer or aDornons Derrowned The best solution, and the one the charitable clinics want, is to make abortion freely available on the NHS so that women would not be open to this danger of exploitation. But that is the last thing the reactionaries of we select committee want.
cause it was too late one ors main enemes. nowever ing of premises and an end to all finanto 20. This would in practice be 17 weeks. Thus women who had met delay after delay in obtaining an - partly as a result of the Select Committee proposals - would finally be denied one altogether be The penalties for contravening the regulations would be raised to a maximum fine of £1,000, and prosecution could take place up to three years after the alleged offence.
Finally, the Select Committee suggests that the right to object of to defend the 1967 Act. Such committees in the Labour Party and trade unions would show that the TUC and Labour Party conference resolutions demanding abortion rights are not just pieces of paper.
Toni Gorton outlined the main activities being planned by NAC, which include a fund-raising benefit with Glenda Jackson and other celebrities in London in September. This will help to finance the campaign being run by NAC groups throughout Britain to collect evidence about abortion facilities in preparation for a one-day mass tribunal in London in January in response to the secret deliberations in Parliament.
NAC needs everyone's help to build this tribunal. We need more trade union and Labour Party sponsorship, and active help from all individuals. For further information contact the Tribuna's national convenor. Marl: Duggan, at NAC, 30 Camden Road, London NW1 (tel. 01-485 4303). Phyllis Duncan
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to substantiate its direct attack on the social grounds for abortion." That was how the latest restrictive report by this parliamentary rump of anti-abortionists was described by Toni Gorton of the National Abortion Campaign at a packed meeting in the House of Commons immediately after the publication of the Select Committee report on