told Red Weekly When the National Abortion / Campaign trst discussea une lace of a Tribunal on abortion rights, ac saw ine probabity or anorne. Private Member's Bill, similar to James White's Bill, coming up about this time of year. Therefore the session nat secune tone tor uc day had to establish clear aims for ine pro-choice movement So this particular session will present evidence about the role of the Churches and their involvement in the anti-abortion organisations. It will also take up other questions. such as the role arliament and how it is that certain Members of Parliament feel that it is their primary job in life to restrict abortion choice for Another area we hope to have evidence on is the confrontation which has ocurred between the charitable abortion sector London Transport. Amazing as it may seem, London Transport retases to allow advertisements with te wore aboruon on mem:
ence will prepare people to del We hope that this sort of ev end the 1967 Abortion Act, whatese its limitations, against the new threat of the William Benyon Abortion (Amendment) Bill.
This new Bill is extremely serious. It is based on two vears of extremely professional work by the anti-abortion movement inside and EP Badge, Caledonian noad, N1. Bulk rates on request. outside Parliament. This started with me disimiouton to ever Mir of the scandalous Babies for Burning. Iney nave crearca a whole atmosphere of abortion as industry that exploits women and that should be banned.
TaCuCs O une amencar anti-abortionists which Anen descrioca in une last issue or Red Weekly are also being adopted country. They are trying to restrict the abortion law on a piecemeal basis.
We do not yet content of tne benyon bill. Al though a Bill has to pass three readings before it takes effect, it automatically passes its first reading il coesn nave to nave anything behind it except its title.
The second reading requires that MPs and the public ane have four or five days to see the content of the Bill. It is really scandalous. HOW Can class people make any when a rew cays is al unere is to sec and digest projected changes which may fundamentally affect them?
So far only one newspaper, The mes nas gyen any inrormanon about the projected proposals for restricting the abortion law. Thes reported just before Christmas that the Bill would have eight clauses.
The most important points are ones we are familiar with already from the White Bill and the Select Committee on Abortion. The es sential one is that abortion would be banned arter z0 unless the pisanty would suffer grave physical or mental injury, or the chile wole be por win severc disabilities. That is a time limit of two mones less man une present one!
Because doctors always give a margin to be on the safe side of the deadline, this would in effect mean a deadline of only 18 weeks of pregnancy. Although there are actually very few formed after the 20 weeks, it is very important that women must have this access, because these are often the most desperate cases.
A second area the Bill will attack is the charity sector. It does this by calling for a total berween the advice bureaux and the clinics where performed.
50 per cent having abortions in Rose now forced to go into the private sector, mostly to the charity clinics, because the NHS is taking less and less responsibility know ding abortions. But this Bill would make it virtually imposible for the charitable sector to continue to exist, because funds coming from performing not be usea to provide counscing services. only Another clause said to be in the Bill would lay down that doctors who authorise abortion cannot be connected with each that one of them should have beer protest registered for at least five years.
Again this is aimed at the chari table sector especially, and would eliminate a great number of abortion facilities if enacted.
There are all sorts of punitive measures also - concerning statutory regulations, licensing, access to abortion records of the clinic. etc. It has already beer proposed to increase the penalties for illegal abortions from E100 to £1,000 under the Criminal Law Bill. All this is designed to once again create the atmosphere of abortion as something beyond the weekso pale.
woman The Tribunal is extremely impDermanen! ortant tor people wno beneve thal right, and abortion should Many Deobe may ice unal occausc the White Bill disappeared, same thing will happen with the Benyon Bill. This is absolutely not ine casc This Bill is the culmination of many years of campaigning by the abortions per- anti-abortion lobby. They have the Role berween mner teem. incy nave an extremely strong group within Parliament. The backers of the Bill are quite diverse sponsors even voted for the Abortion Act in 1967! separation There is port tor inis measure abortions are ment. The vote on the White Bill ana on une reconvenne of women Select Committee also indicates the support they will get.
But we have Tor provi clearly:
on tnis question. the abortions could other, and to this.
delegations police All of our period will be should be a woman's Sale letal be campaign in a similar Some of its undoubtedly wide sup- There has never been in Para urgent time its second reading next month, develooment amone Ine *We have workforce, panded work.
Photo: JOHN STURROCK (Report) mittee, every confidence sery. that trom the mouna we wil De able to organise a big response to can't be said too Womens TIEnE TO ting the Labour Government has not got a principled position Despite various resolutions that have been passed at the Labour Conference Labour Women's Conference and the TUC for 'free abortion on request", the Labour Government refuses to accept any commitment would charges Already a number of initiatives have been agreed by various organisanons. several proposais inc luded specialised meetings, InCreases However, the National Abortion Campaign is planning a nanona demonstration on 14 May and a send them to nationa conference on 19 March We hope also to have a meeting in Central Hall on the eve of the second reading of the Benyon Bill.
CITOrS OvCrEnC COnI! directed towards involving large numbers of people in the campaign to defeat the new abortion rights. important to note that a number of new groups have recently been set up, such as the Labour Abortion Rights Campaign, the Doctors for a Woman's Choice on Abortion, and we have even heard of a new organisation of Christians for Abortion. All of these organisations will be taking on the battle in their specific area of influence.
We also hope that from the Tribunal we will encourage other groups of people to begin to way teachers, nurses, and school students, and anyone really who is prepared to commit themselves to join in the pro-choice struggle. a more for such developimportant oro-aborton forces olace on saturoav arrrienos meetino mouse, custon Forty doctors trom all over brutain and trom many different specialities met for a conference entitled Convened by Drs Judith Bury and Nadeen Harrison tne conterence carlea tor a campaigr organisation based exclusively on the medical profession and adopting as its main slogan 'a woman's Prof. Peter Huntingford opened th and in the debate on the aims of organisation it was agreed that the protessional fore of doctors on the abortion issue should be merely to available to women termination of pregnancy An outline programme of demands relating to this issue was drawn up. It was seen as vital that contraception and pregnancy testing should be available on counselling pregnant women should be available in the health service but notas a mandator orereouisite tor a cringuon Dr Burv emphasised that 'conscientious obiectors under the 1967 Act should be obliged to state their views publicly in order to avoid the unnecessary delay and confusion caused to pregnant women seeking
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forthcoming Tribunal on Abortion Rights on 29 January. Last week she