UNDER the impetus Campaign for Abortion Rights (ICAR), Spanish women are making abortion a public political weekend they took advantage of the presence of women from several European countries including Britain ICAR planning meeting in Barcelona to hold a press conference and their first public meeting on the subject.
Despite the fact that abortion is illegal, over 500 people came to debate the issues in a cinema on a Sunday morning.
One Spanish woman demanded to know feminists were doing to provide resting houses and clinics for Sanish women who came to London for abortions.
A British speaker explained what was being done, but other Spanish back vigorously to argue that the job of British women was to defend the laws which made abortion available They said that for feminists to use their time to obtain abortions was inadequate anc futile. The need would always be supplied through extra-legal methods.
They pointed to the 3,000 women who die in Spain from illegal abortions every year, reminist network. They said feminist network. said Spanish and feminists should be waging a political struggle so that all women could have abortions and under proper medical supervision. This position was applauded by the meeting.
A state-wide co-ordinating group has been set up to plan for the international day of action on abortion rights on 31 March. Representatives from most major cities attended the ICAR planning meeting.
*In London on 31 March there will be a demonstration, starting at 1.30 at Hyde Park and ending with a rally in Trafalgar Square. Further details from ICAR, 374 Grays Road, London WC1.