Rea gan on abortion

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WORKER forces unwanted child-bearing on women.

At the same time there has been much rhetoric against the 'permisiveness' of unmarried women and arguments that women who have unwanted pregnancies should be deprived abortion, as punishment for not taking precautions-despite the fact that no contraception is really safe and efficient.

This movement to rehabilitate the institution of the family strengthens an important ideological 'support of capitalist social relations.

Individual unit

The family isolates workers into individual, self-contained units, reducing women to dependence on their husbands, and burdening working men with the obligation of supporting wife and children.

Moreover, the fact that the denial of abortion rights will tie more women to the home, at a time when unemployment is rising cannot have escaped the notice of the Tories.

Most" of their other social legislation has the effect of squeezing women out of paid employment: the slashing of nursery education, threats to maternity grants and employment protection for pregnant In an interview published in last Thursday's Guardian Republican Party right winger Ronald Reagan spelled out with brutal frankness the reactionary case against abortion and against contraception for "under age" young women.

Accusing the government of "sticking its nose into the family", • Reagan brushed aside the view that efficient contraception would avoid the need women, and redundancies in the welfare services which are an area of high female employment.

The Corrie Bill provided one further method of 'easing' unemployment.

What is more, abortion restrictions would not severely affect the average Tory voter.

Abortion is a class issue. Women with money: could always. get an abortion, if restrictive legislation was passed, at Harley St. clinics, just as they did before 1967.

It is working women who for abortion.

And showing the link between repression of sexuality and the right wing call for "law and order". , Reagan went on:

"It's morally wrong, and our Judeo-Christian tradition tells us, it's morally wrong but wouldn't it also be far better for girls to do what girls from time immemorial have done, have a baby and put it up for adoption? I have an adopted child-and how long we waited.

would again suffer-at the hands of backstreet abortionists.

We would return to the grim pre-67 years, with their high maternal mortality and morbidity rates-the very reason why the Abortion Act was eventually passed.

Why then, did Corrie fail? The immediate reason was the filibustering of Tribunite MPs, and the tabling of a huge number of amendments, which used up the limited time allocated.

The widespread anti-Corrie feeling, evidenced by opinion "So-no talk about a breakdown of morals, what we're really saying is, there's a kind of philosophy that if it feels good, do it. And it may feel good for someone to bop someone else over the head with a club ... What ever happened to try and teach morality to the young?"

Reagan's "morality" is of course that of imperialism and capitalist exploitation. And like the Tories, he sees the "family". as the means to prop up that system.

polls, and more concretely by the huge TUC demonstration last October, and lobbies of Parliament in advance of its Third Reading, made it impossible for the government to give the Bill extra time-and risk identifying themselves openly with the anti-abortionists.

What must have weighed even more heavily with MPs was the fact that, according to the polls one in every three women of childbearing age, having becomè accustomed to the rights conceded by the 1967 outset that abortion is a class issue.

Given that the PLP has refused to make a stan to defend women's rights, it has been touch and go, since last June whether Corrie's Bill would become law.

As it. has turned out, the pertions, lobbies and propa- I_LL: ganda campaign have this time been successful.

However, if Corrie had won, such limited tactics would be insufficient to defend the WOMAN Bi-monthly women's paper of the Workers Socialist League. Available price 18p (includWCIV 6XX. the labour movement in the fight to extend abortion facilities.

We must demand that a future Labour government repeal all anti-abortion legislation, making abortions no more restricted than other surgical operations.

More immediately. the Labour Party and trade unions must fight to expand existing services in the NHS and to defend them against cuts and cash limits.

Defand ebertion rights,. steel joles, sacial services CALL A GENERAL STRIKE

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SOCIALIST PRESS. Wednesdas 19 March 1980 MONSTRIAL NEMYS e 10 ight The first real initiative to follow from the engineers' breakthrough on the 40 hour week is the present print workers' dispute.

Management have offered 20.6% on top rates with proportionate increases for other grades plus a 39 hour week from January 1981 and 37½ hours from J from July 1982.

The original claim was for an £80 minimum plus 37½ hours from April 23, 1980.

The offer would mean a top rate basic of only £75. But SOGAT and NATSOPA have caved in and are recommending acceptance of the offer in a ballot of members.

The NGA, obviously under pressure following the massive pay-out at the Times, have now turned it down.

JO This reflects militancy among the membership. But the NGA is only calling selective token strikes to back up its fight for the claim.

Clearly the full claim can only be won through national strike action in which the fight must be taken up for support from SOGAT and NATSOPA.

*No retreat on the full claim!

*37½ hours now!

*All out strike action!

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•Whatever happened to saying "no"?, he demanded.

ing postage) from WSL, BM Box 5277, London

VA woman worker