Sect Committee on the James White Abortion Bill.
The 'safeguards' suggested in this report serve only to smooth the path of the anti-abortion crusaders.
The Committee was prevented from proposing major legislative changes because the parliamentary session was nearing its end. It could however propose administrative changes within the framework of existing legislation.
No positive suggestions were made to ensure that the 1967 legislation (with all its inadequacies) is implemented to improve access to safe abortion facilities on the National Health Service in the early stages of pregnancy. The report simply catalogues a list of restricThe June demonstration against restrictive abortion legislation marked an important stage in the fight for free contraception and abortion on demand on tie NHS. During the summer when tions. In the place of information and provision of abortion and contraception facilities we get only "sources of guidance'. are to be vetted and abortions will only be given to women who are referred for operation by these recog nised agencies. Whilst recognising that this could provide certain safeguards against private racketeers, such stipulations can only serve to undermine access to abortion in a situation where provision is so pitiful.
While abortions are delayed through the refusal of consultants to carry out the 1967 Act, the stipulation that two doctors must inspect a women, and - with the nonexistence or disappearance of National Health provisions - the stipulation that abortions over 20 weeks must only be performed in specially equipped hospitals, can only lead to further restrictions in provisions.
The report also opens the door to reactionaries who wish to deny These sources foreign women the use of abortion facilities in this country. It recom mends steps to avoid foreign women being the majority of the women treated at any one place. case of the American doctor Edelin in the news, many British doctors might well be apprehensive about Committee proposals that any information furnished to the Chief With the Regulations (is) to be disclosed to the General Medical Council for the purpose of investigation whether there has been serious professional misconduct by a practitioner. (Edelin was witch-hunted into the courts by anti-abortionists who claimed he performed an abortion after the legal limit of 23 weeks.)
APPALLING With the present appalling lack of abortion facilities and the possibility of the Government introducing its own restrictive replacement to James White, this report, which contains only restrictions, should be rejected out of hand by support*ers of the abortion campaign. Many activists in the National Abortion Campaign will therefore be surprised to see that the report is signed by the women MPs who try to convince us of their connittment to lead a real fight for adequate abortion facilities. It is in these MPs that Renee Short asked the 25,000 June demonstrators to place their faith to defeat the restrictive legislation and fight for a woman's right to choose.
Little assurance can be gained either by turning to the leadership' gathered at Blackpool for the TUC conference. On Tuesday 3 September a composite motion was passed opposing the White Bill and calling for, 'a campaign for free abortion and contraception on request for all women and restricting any changes in Nor have they made themselves conspicuous in supporting strikes and bans imposed on private practice. Instead they choose to work within the institutions of the capitalist state. They are therefore forced to manoeuvre and compromise in order to get agreement with the most reactionary members of the Select Committee, thus shoring up this body whose main function is to attack the rights of women.
These 'left MPs and trade union leaders must not be given the confidence of the thousands who have mobilised to fight for a 'woman's right to choose. If they are allowed to dominate the strategy of the anti-abortion campaign that campaign will remain impotent - subordinated to the institutions of the ruling class.
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most people's attentions were far from tne tedium of parliament- ary committee rooms, an interim report was produced by the Sel-