Iwant to urge support for this motion from three standpoints As doctors in ASTMS we are absolutely opposed to the James White Bill. It will make it extremely difficult to obtain an abortion-the clock will be turned back to the time when women risked and lost their lives at the hands of back-street As a woman, 1 join with the millions of women all over the world who are fighting for control of their own fertility, who are fighting for the decision about whether an abortion should be given to be taken out of the hands of doctors and given to us women ourselves to decide-if and when to bear children. Unfortunately there is nothing in the NEC resolution about this. Let's make sure there is next year.
As a trade unionist, I want to stress why it is important for ASTMS Abortion (Amendment) Bill, which was-overwhelmingly carried. to take up the fight for women's rights Speech by Dr. Berry Beaumont, IMG member and delegate to the ASTMS conference from its medical section, the. MPU. She was supporting a motion condemning the portunities and equal rights and class. opportunities to participate actively in the trade union movement. But these things can only become a reality if wornen can be freed from their position of having sole responsibility for the care of the family.
That means not only campaigns for such things as the provision of creche facilities; it means that the labour movement as a whole must lend its weight to a campaign for the right of women to choose if and when to have children. The Women's TUC Conference earlier this year gave a lead by overwhelmingly supporting a resolution from the MPU section of ASTMS calling for free contraception and abortion facilities for all women.
Now is the opportunity for all ASTMS members to take this up.
But not only must we in the trade union movement take up the question.
We must also be clear about how to build the campaign, so that the Labour You see, Labour MPs like Dr Shirley Summerskill (an ASTMS member) are saying this is a question for each MP to decide according to his individual conscience-note 'his'and five MPs from the ASTMS Parliamentary Committee, including two doctors, actually voted in favour So what we need to do is build a mass campaign that will force the Labour Party to regard this not as an individual moral question but as a matter of political policy. We must go out and organise meetings in our branches, in places of work, in hospitals, go out to other trade union branches and trades councils in our areas with ASTMS health workers, to speak on the question.
Above all, we must build mass support for the demonstration on 21 June organised by the National Abortion Campaign. Let's see the biggest possible turn out of working
red weekly 22 may 1975