On April 3rd, over 15,000 marched through London protesting any moves by the government to further restrict women's abortion rights. The demonstration, the first since last June 21st, timed since, at that very moment, ernment - appointed Select Cttee discussing various ways of restricting the 1967 Act. It can report at any time.
The April 3rd demonstration must, however, only be the starting point in rallying mass support against anti- abortion threats. The Select Citee, iginally last vear White's Bill, with certain restrictions that nave beer implemented. Its new report, time, can onty further erode the limited rights women have won Act.
It is going to take serious from the National stem this tide. to a mass an: i-abortion campaign(SPUC) which has led a vigorous fiaht years to repeal the 1967 Act. on by the Labour government to vene ine Citee of the Labour Party & TUC conferences wno nad come out Tor • tree abortion on request', to this reactionary lobby.
Debate In order to stem the tide, vital for NAC to use the political debate it is now developing to set its priorities straight. Only recently, in to nea weekly fine Journal of the IMG), a member of the NAC Steering Cttee correctly asked: "Is the IMG for the political dissolution of NAC into the campaign against the NHS cuts...".
was well a govset up to investigate vames has already come forward due any 1967 under une opposition Abortion Campaign to point, The fact that the Citee us recal - s CUE over ine The decisre-conover-riding the decision represents a major concession nowever, It Is open letter De FREE ABORTION ON UEMAND The question posed is a serious one because it pinpoints the major confusion that nas existed In NAu tor some time over: what exactly is the struggle about? At present we (and all women) are facing a serious attack on the right to abortion. This attack - represented in the Select Cttee's attempt to curb the 1967 Act - is primarily an ideological offensive launch-. ed by the Iright! against the challenge by women against discrimination in this society.
The main priority of NAC in the perioc ahead is to win that battle because it is only when women have won the riaht abortion that they can then ensure facilities are available to make the right a 'concretel and not an 'abstract! one. To pose the fight against the NHS cuts as a central focus for NAC in the ahead is to avoid the issue. What is the after all, in struggling for NHS abortion facilities if women the right to use them?
Mobilising the broadest possible support against the threat of the 1967 Act remains, therefore, the central task before NAC today. Even though NAC may, stand for free abortion on demand', should at this stage be prepared to unite wiin all torces wno are prepared to stand firm in a united defence of aireday won. Unly by winning Inis Tighi will it be possible to extend our demands. Orientation It is not enough, however, inal ine main task betore us Is detence of the 1967 Act. Concretely flowing from Inis is: wnat Is the best way of organising that defence? There would appear to acred cca or contusion various tendencies in NAC on this vital "is aims.
DISPENSIN ective. opposed any and were, 3rd call.
deepening dreds Tion threats out that action. period action campaign, are cenie.
views on itself, it Parliament, those rights the former to suggest among the At one stage in her polemic with the IMG.
Gorton suggests that the key to NAC's growth in the comina period lies 'attitude towards Parliament'.
that a clear orientatior to Parliament is central if the campaign is to draw in wide support and It is, atten all. Parliament which has launched the offensive against women's rignis and - in the eyes of millions - it is only Parliament at this stage which can reverse the trend.
The fact that the campaign has not had a serious orientation towards Parliament - calling upon the Labour government to abide by the democratic decision of Labour Party Conference -has seriously undercut its potential for growth. such as the IMG have consistently downplayed building mass action to call upon the government to support a woman's riahi to choose in favour of local, work around NHS cuts in hospitals.
While Toni Gorton is correct in criticising the IMG's mistake, however, an almost equally bad one of viewing NAC as a mere 'appendagel of the Parliamentary struggle, 'lobby! with no real mass action perspMass Action NAC!s inability, over the past year, draw in wider support than it has gained is not only due to its lack. of a clear orientation towards Parliament. It is also to the refusal of the majority of the Steering Citee to attempt to move outwards and build a 'mass action' campaign. six months, the majority of the Cttee (including Toni Gorton) vigorously form of mass demonstration initially, opposed to the April While NAC must see its centhal thrust as towards Parliament - placing demands on the Labour government to oppose any anti-abortion moves - that opposition must be rooted in ine independent action ot nunof thousands outside of Parliament. The MPs will not move against anti abortof 'peaceful lobbies! letters! but only because they feel forcec into action by thousands breathing their necks and demanding inat iney take It is only by building NAC as a drawing in ever-wider layers, unal I win de possibie lo snow MPs that SPUC does not speak for the majority of women but a small unrepresentative minority intent on thrusting their La women. wake its correci to criticise groups such as the IMG retusine lo direct Mass actor it is equally correct to critise those who subordinate mass action to Parliamentary moves.
It is only by linking the struggle in Parl lament wiin inat on ine streets - seeing as stemming out of the latter - inal l will de possibie to bulla a really effective opposition to the present anti -abortion threat of the Select Cttee. means, in particular, drawing the labour movement into action and demanding that it call upon the government to abide the democratic wish of party conference. Perspective its Certainly, On March 15th, achieve Quotidien came weekly paper of the Ligue The ability of daily paper ancial 2.4 million francs. the Groups of reporters.
fragmented she herAlready of the new paper.
Los. forward for the Fourth able to put out a 'daily'.
due coming months, With the threat of the Select For over Steering Tons.
Tion in the early Autumn.
publicise the ous action in ine Autumn.
TUC conferences and oppose restrictions, or shown that the 'abortion' down to vote mass its leaders to abide by.
Trom the women's
Site for it). for Towares course.
If, This the present reactionary trend stopped.
ROUGE QUOTIDIEN the first issue of Rouge off the press. The new paper represents the conversion a Rouge the Ligue to (with an estimated 15,000 circulation) is the fruit of a massive fincampaign which brought in over The money • has beer used to buy new offices & the technical equipment necessary to put out a 'daily' • including the financing of a large staft The paper will be brought out six times a week & will obviously continue to rep. resent the political views of the Ligue. It will, at the same time however open its columns to other left tendencies in order group Lutte Ouvriere has agreed to contribute to the columns 'Rouge Quotidien will, obviously face stiff competition on the left. Neverthe.
its launching clearly marks a step International in France where this is the first time - ir over 50 years - that its section has been to be concretely applied.
Committee reporting back any day with new restrictit is vital that NAC sets itself serious objective of calling for mass act'Tribunal', collecting evidence in suppor: of abortion rights, should be used to help need to mount such a vigorThe aim of such action must be to force the government to abide by the democratic decisions of the Labour Party and Many Turiner The government has to be question of individual MPs being allower according to their 'conscience but a class question on which the labour movement has made a decision it wants The struggle to make the governmer: abide by this decision is not just a ques:ion of drawing masses onto the streets student and labour movement (although this is a pre-reau'sThis mass action mus: be -sec as a 'springboard' for carrying ite "g": into ine Labour party iseit. The Mrs who lopted! off the Select Cttee earlier this year should be given every support in their decision to wage a campaign in une party against any Turiner restrict -Part of this campaign should, pe to raise ine question at ine coming Labour Party conference.
NAC is able •perioa anead, to adopt a real mass action perspective - using this as a real 'tool" to build up support inside the Labour Party agains the government's anti-abortion stancethere is every reason to believe tha can be