constitutes a breach of parliamentary privilege.
The Select Committee was reconvened early last month after more than a hundred about nant-wingers ee ov narold Wilson, had joined the vast majority of the Tories to push it through by 313 votes to 172. Less than a week later the six pro-abortion MPs on the Committee resigned. They stated that it had simply become a device to undermine the main provisions or tne 190 / Act by severely restricting the grounds on which abortion is legally available.
The Select Committee, a majority of whose members are opposed to any form of legal abortion, was now further exposSo NAC decided to refuse ca as a maud. a request to give oral evidence to the selFast Caribbean High Commission was the immediate response in London. ster to discuss whether the refusal of the National Abortion Campaign to give evidence before the Select Committee on abortion Sect Committee on I March.
Members of the NAC Steering Committee explained at a préss conference that the Committee had already shown itself to be incapable of fairly considering the evidence. They announced their support for the MPs who had resigned from the Select Committee and urged others not to replace them.
An anti-abortion Tory MP, Sir Bernard Braine, immediately claimed in the Mouse or Commons maL ALs Terusal to appear before the Select Committee amounted to a breach of privilege. He also claimed that a NAC statement quoted in The Times - "There is no way that this Committee can look at our evidThe Privy Council last week rejected Dominican militant Desmond Trotter's appeal again against the hanging sentence imposed after his frame-up trial. This picket outside the side, and York.
N.W.1 (01-485 4303).
gross contempt.
moved 'that the matter of complaint... be referred to the Committee of Privileges. avery single Mr and all - assented to this procedure. -No Member beine willne to act as ser er for the Noes, Mr Speaker declared that the Ayes had it' (Hansard). Support is building up all over the country for the National Abortion Campaign demonstration for free abortion on demand. The demonstration, next Saturday 3 April, will assemble at 1.30 p.m. at Speakers Corner before marching to Trafalgar Square for a rally with speakers and entertainment.
Over 60 organisations and prominent individuals in the labour movement have sponsored the demonstration, and several hundred pounds in donations have been received. Thirty thousand leaflets, 10,000 posters and thousands of large badges reading 'March for abortion rights - 3 April' have been distributed already. More are available from NAC.
Coaches are so far known to be coming from Birmingham, Bolton, Brighton, Bristol, Canterbury, Chelmsford, Lancaster, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Norwich, Nottingham, Preston, Sheffield, Sunderland, TyneFurther details can be obtained from NAC, 30 Camden Road, London ence logically and fairly' - constituted a On 3 March the Leader of the House - women. ters a DIOCCUUIC.
WEEKLY alty.
This is not the first time that the MPs who claim to support abortion rights for women have failed to make a stand. subordinating the interests of the mass of women to obscure parliamentThe same thing happened last year, when no resistance was put up to barbara casue s report incorporaun: the first set of restrictions recommended oy me select committee The Privileges Committee will now try to establish whether a breach of privilege has occurred, and if so what action to recommend. If necessary the offenders can be instructed to appear before the bar of the House to answer the charges - with jail as a possible pen This was the threat that forced York shire miners leader Arthur Scargill to withdraw his statement that NUM-sponsored MPs should lose their sponsorship if they voted against union policy. But now NAC has stepped in where Arthur feared to tread. CLIQUE Unwilling to give its evidence behind the doors of an exclusive and biased Select Committee, the last National Planning Meeting of the NAC decided to respond to the Privileges Committee in the same way - to try to force the parliamentary clique into the open by demanding that it deal with the Campaign as a whole. If NAC is summoned to answer charges, it will be interesting to see if these parliamentarians can find a venue large enous to nola me tens or mousands of NAC supporters who would undoubtedly wish to appear on such an occasion Gwyn Vorhaus
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As the mass mobilisation for the 3 April abortion demonstration reaches its peak, a small group known as the House of Commons Privileges Committee will be meeting in the depths of Westmin-