This week the pro-life organisations are holding a Witness One Million' week of action and prayer, culminating on Mothering Sunday (28 March) when services should stress the gift of life and mother hood. should start with reparation and dwell SURROCK CRE on the sanctity of unborn life, closing with joyful celebration of conception, birth, motherhood and parenthood."
Meanwhile. the anti-abortionists of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child and LIFE have been giving evidence to the rump Select Committee on the Abortion (Amendment) Bill. Professor J. Scarisbrick, chairman of LIFE, claimed that abortion was leading to "national suicide and turning Britain into a nation of geriatrics. And that well-known pro-hanger and pro-lifer, MP Jill Knight, says in a Conservative Party pamphlet: "Just because the birth rate is high in places like India, it is foolish to assume that we should stop having babies in Britain. Preferably white and middle class, of course. NOT ROSY is anything but rosy. Whilst anti-abortionists get all steamed up about one mon abordons in cieven years. i was last year estimated that 50 million bables would perisn by 19o0 or diseases ol poverty, whilst others would suffer ireparable damage. These diseases are the direct result of the existence of capitalfervently by the leading opponents of abortion like Jill Knight and Leo Abse.
speaker at the first International Rally of the European Pro-Life Organisation in 1974, pro-lifers "more often than not' believe in the "just war" and 'they tend to be rent wing. ceramy, the roDe gave American intervention in Vietnam his blessing. The hierarchy of most of ne wore sensions tene to be ant abortion (the practice of the female half of their flock is beside the point).
The Archbishop of Canterbury is supporting "Witness One Million'.
But anti-abortionists do not rely merely on the interventions of God to get their way. Their main tactic is to fight back The emphasis during the week total programme. too. lower cost.
For "places like India' the outlook ism and imperialism, systems propped up According to Christopher Derrick, a block legislation or to attempt to reverse pro-abortion laws. By. threatening to withdraw votes if legislators do not s"pport them, a small minority of antiaDorgonIss can carry more weren than voters concerned with a candidate's In the United States, for example, the main attack is on the front of state nghis. ine supreme Courts decision that anti-abortion legislation was unconstitutional over-ruled any restrictive legislation in the individual states. Virginia State then outlawed the advertising of New York abortion facilities - but this has now been declared unconstitutional, In New Zealand, where abortion is only allowed on very limited grounds. and where SPUC is very active, the 1975 Hospital Amendment Act requiring licen ces for private abortion centres has been thus opening the way for out-patient abortions at But the anti-abortionists continue to fight back. In Belgium Laissez-les Vivre was set up last car are attempts were made to start a 'help' organisation in tors" Initiative petitioned Queen Juliana Section of a recent anti-abortion demonstration organised by SPUC