of women to abortion.
Hiding behind the cover of preventing abuses in the private sector, the Labour Government has agreed to implement the proposals engineered by bigots like SPUC spokesman Leo Abse. The capitalist press naturally supports the policies of the Government. "Strengthening safeguards for women' and cutting down on malpractice at the expense of women' are the watchwords of the day.
What is the reality behind Castle's statement? It means that within 42 days the following restrictions will be introduced:
* Women requiring abortions will be refused unless they have been The Labour Government has nowmade clear where it stands on abortion. It is in favour of restricting women's access to abortion. Barbara Castle, Minister of State for the Department of Health and Social Security, reported to the House of Commons on 21 October that the Government supports the restrictive proposals of the Parliamentary Select Committee. The Labour Government is now on the attack, hitting viciously at the right acceptable referral agencies will be published. This will not distinguish between agencies genuinely attempting to help women obtain abortions and those like "Lifeline' whose sole purpose is to convince women uney snowa connue ten pregnancy Lifeline's "service' is guaranteed to make sure that by the time advice' has been given, it will be too late for most women to get an abortion.
Of course, these proposals are (which begins on 19 November) on the re-constitution of the Select Committee.
Marxist Group has consistently WOMAN'S RIGHT opposed the Select Committee. It was first set up to investigate the reactionary James White Abortion (Amendment) Bill.
The International who wanted it.
ABORTION: A TO CHOOSE This Bill The Government uses the issue of private abuse and all its disgusting rackets as an excuse to attack women's right to abortion. Yet there is a simple solution to the cynical rackets of the well-heeled consultants. Any Government which had the interests of the working class at heart would extend the NHS and make free abortion on demand available to any woman But the Wilson leadership, with its deliberate policy of bailing out capitalism by implementing cuts in the public sector, has no intention of doing that - instead, it not only uses the 'excesses in private practice to cut down on abortion, but also cuts down on abortion in the NHS.
As the capitalist crisis deepens, it is the working class family, and especially the women in the family, which is having to take on the burThe Labour Government has played right into these attempts to see abortion as an issue which is above 'party and class' - Castle repeated her well-worn phrases that the vote on the re-constitution of the Select Committee should be a free vote in the House, as it is an issue for "individual conscience' to decide. The women Labour MPs who nave given their support to the pro-abor tion campaign in the past remained meekly silent, refusing to fight the Labour leaders. Renee Short plucked up courage to make the bold state ment that the numbers of foreign women obtaining abortions in Britain was falling with more progressive laws in such countries as France -and Barbara Castle could only agree!
Preparations for the National Week of Action called by the NAC Conference are now underway. The fight against the Wilson Government's attacks on women's right to abortion has been given a big boost with the decisions by the TUC and Labour
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ABORTION: A WOMAN'S RIGHT, TO CHOOSE