Private Member's Bill have had its first reading in Parliament. PAT Arrowsmith, the Independent Socialist candidate lor Cardiff South-Fast in the general election, due appear in court in Cardiff on 21 MEat faces charges arising out of her two arrests during the clection campaign.
By Helen Singer and Vai Jones ocialist Challenge 17 May 1979 page 6 THE ODDS are that by the middle of June this year al * Miss Scaristrice - or even a government one aimed at lowering the upper limit for abortions will in a shopping precinct during a street meeting and charged with obstructing 'insulta breach tanguage and obstructing officer in the course of hi duty.
Pat was talking about British policy in Ireland at the time.
On 2 May the second arrest took place. Pat was picketing an Army Recrultment Office in Cardiff when she was charged with obstruction.
PROTE 21BE S15e 0MI considerable concern in the labour movement. on a petition calling for the charges to be dropped include the Communist Party and Plaid Cymru candidates in Cardiff South-East, the secretary of the Cardiff Trades Council, and BIRMINGHAM's May rally on 7 May started off as a fine example of traditional male politics, with speakers including pin-up Arthur Scargill but not a single woman. It didn't end that way.
On the Women's Liberation stall we had prepared a pin-up poster (taken from Challenge) of our May Day Since the legal wrangies of last year the National Abortion Campaign has suspected chat a atlempt restrict women's control over their own fertility was being A lowering of the time limit was an obvious choice and sure chough the clection campaign saw late abortion splashed in full shock horror media.
On closer, cxamination the stories lose credibility and ironically show why the time limit should not be reduced (see box). But the propaganda having been made, * Protesor Richard Beard (Obstetrics, St Mary's Hospita, London) proposed that Parliament should seriously consider whether the present 28 weck limit should be reduced to 24: * David Steel (who introduced the 1967 Abortion Act) said that he expected and would abortion LIFE's administrator) hoped the limit 20 weeks;
secretary of the CP highway". Nor is Pat's arrest an isolated likely to Incident. During the election of the peace', campaign a number of those beckled Callaghan Ireland were arrested; others were physically attacked Labour Party stewards.
Accordingly. "Free speech requires a dual delence against against those in movement who also deny the freedom to speak out on British policy in Ireland Signatures As to the Arrowsmith case, the first stage in the defence campaigo is a demonstration in Cardiff on 19 May. This will leave Sophia Gardens, Cathe dral Road, at 2.15pm.
TOTEELELE had become election issue.
stories TO voting abortionist parlaments years.
Tory
more sensous series of areas picked artestion will be those cally weak.
conference on 9 June.
Socialist Challenge would be abortion general by the issue of attacks and the labour down But the polentiully huge May, on Sunday. Pregnancy Advisory Service, a supporter of abortion rights)
By this time the euphemistically termed women's vote Parlament minute Subsequently, the first woman Prime Minister was decled with one of the most right-wing and, according records, for thetorie promised attacks basic democratic rights. Divide and rule tactics will mean that the DUE for special late the working class is ideologiIn thar Context women's rights fit the bill.
Against this sombre background the National Abortion ampaign will be holding it campaign provision ters will be arguing for the conterence to initiate a lowering of the time limit sel delend the 1967 Act' campaign Menstrual with the aim of getting the maximum number of people abortion participating in mass action 10 defend the limited gains for rights. Already the British Medical Association has defended the 28 week limir.
The obvious climax for activity would be a demonstration in the sutumn to coincide with the second reading in of tbe expected restrictive legislation.
Last year the Women's TUC agreed to organise a demon stration in the event of an restriction heing introduced a stand later supporied by the The Labour Party's conference has twice supported a woman's right to choose.
Few women ever undertake an abortion lightly, let alone a Indeed, late abortions are often necessary because of extensive delays in the NHS referral procedures.
Accordingly one of the main defences against upper limit restrictions will be NAC's VTLA for ensinar and extension abortion facilities.
NAC is fighting for day care (out-patient) abortion clinics to up in every area. aspiration, an and carly Technique recently legalised but ignored by the media and the SHS. should be an integral part of such clinics Abortion rights promise to be one of the first targets of the Tories. Defence of those rights should therefore be one of the first campaigns laken up.
"NAC conference, Manchester, 9/10 June Details NAC. 374 Gray's Inn Rd, London WCI.
THE horror stories' were selective and *The first focused on a lute abortion at Wanstead Hospital. Wanstead is in a local health authority with the smallest per. centage of NHS abortions in the Lendon arca.
In 1975 palients al the hospital were 'subjecied to long delays In recelving appointments, hostility from mursing staff und the final possibility of refusal of a termination when it -l00 late to seel the operation elsewhere" (Abortios Rights Tribunal, 1977, NAC und NCCL).
*The Barnsley story con cerned the case of the woman with German measles and the Aterial Bel, althe membe ahortion. If the womsa concerned was in contact with German measles after 15 weeks of pregnancy, why did she have to wait another two months for the operation?
'I CONSIDER there is only ome correct sentence for someone demberately breaks the tav whe only lut encourages olhers to do 50. Magistrate Roderick Romain's comments on the of Londen
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Defend free speech on
Scargill his match
*benne Munday (of the British On 14 April she was arrested Gordon McLennan,