This Friday, 25 February, sees a rucial vote in the House OT ommons on a new anti-abortion ill introduced by William BenBill, amongst other oints, seeks to reduce the legal me limit for abortion to reeks in put harity abortion organisations UT OT business, restrict aredonies or doctors allowea uthorise and riden police powers to identity nd interrogate women who have ought abortions if infringement f the law is suspected.
That such a Bill is the brainhild of a well-heeled Tory squire ke Benyon should not surprise s, when we read that he is conerned about the declining popuation in Nordic countries and hat 'abortion is partly to blame' child she can give it to others'. Me is a patron ranch of SPUC (Society for the rotection of the Unborn Child f which his wife, presunably willing mother of his tive hildren, also active nember. He has admitted that he vould have liked to put in a Bill ctually restricting the grounds or abortion, a view shared by his ellow SPUC members, whose atest circular to members urges hem to put pressure on MPs to insure that such an amendment s introduced into the Bill at the Committee stage after the second reading.
If such an amendment succeeds, Benyon's Bill will reduce the number of legal abortions by about 80 percent instead of the 50 per cent it is estimated to affect at present.
Unfortunately, new заск CON abortion rights is being presented by a rory does not mean that Labour opposition is two years as many as 116 Labour MPs have cast their votes ir favour of restrictions on abortion, and five Labour MPs sponsors of Benyon's Bill. And this is despite Labour conference decisions overwhelmingly favour of free abortion on request on the NHS.
This is perfectly in line with the previous record of Labour MPs in considering that their own moral the women they are supposed to represent and their allegiance to the workers movement.
Ernest Thurtle MP in ECHOE DY 1926 to move a Bill enabling local authorities to spend money provide birth control information to married women was thwarted babusers led by the Rev. opposition Trom birth control on the rates was a policy of despair!
In order to fight against such aftitudes, Labour women in the 1920s began to organise within the party to get conferences to adopt policy on birth control as a political pressure on Labour representatives in the House to implement the fact that A few months ago, the Labour Abortion Rights Campaign was set up TOT relation to the abortion issue. guaran- LARC cleariv has much work to do even amongst its so-called He basi allies.
The recent statement by David Ennals that he will vote against are the Benyon Bill is a examoie. time when he also announced the limitations on ine number abortion referral agencies legally allowed direct clinics outside the NHS.
This was one of the restrictive recommendations made by the James White Bill Select Committee which murmur Labour MP in November 1975, and which has just been implementer ov me Unoo Furthermore, repeated his opposition to treating abortion as a class issue, by supporting the continuance of a vote Labour MPs. As member of the LARC delegation who challenged him on this last week, don't and put their conscience.
wider campaign, similar reasons UnOP HONE attack of the rally on 24 February. striking coming as it dia al a Bill Should this of through on that day, women to on anti-abortion Bill -choose'. accepted defenders was every abortion rights initiative the biggest seen Ennals has * LOBBY3.00-7.00pm. * MARCH -question senden Place 6.00pm The told RALLY More details 485 4303].
Denng Benyon safe legal abortion - a woman's right to of organising now to make that next to date in support of Assemble Bres- Central Hall, 7.30pm.
NAC, main Road, NW1 [01- deeply TRiBUNAL Do NoT WoRRY US Tous rico die me ha after weeks important lessons which will re relevant in ine months. Overcoming many of th rooted divisions workers' movement, this struggle united male and female, black and polled me was entire ciass. mme broke through -InE Dav Imposed by the Social Contract.
BRONEIKLY 2F0 177 In Aberdeen they in 1975 | Joined the Communist ENE were completely
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white and relying on the state machinery forward for the