WHEN the Working Women's Charter In discussed in the labour movement, the demand which most often seems to be controversial is free contraception and abortion on demand Reactionary, confused and contr adictory ideas on questions relating to sex and reproduction hold sway in many sections of the labour movement Although the women's liberation movement has insisted on the importance of the demand for free contraception and abortion on demand, and for the right of women to control their own bodies, the labour movement has been slow to see the political relevance of these demands, much less to actively support them.
It is not surprising, then, that reactionary oganisations have been able to mobilise considerable support, including in the working class, on the abortion issue in particular, and on a wide range of sexual and moral questions, The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC) Life, and other anti-abortion organisations focus on opposition to the 1967 Abortion Act, which they hope to get repealed. This would make abortion almost completely illegal again. Through literature, films and talks they seek to 'educate" doctors, murses, school students and the gontral public on the evils of abortion. They play on real social and economic problems, and on fear, guilt and ignorance. To these activities -Including mass demonstrations against abortion the Catholic church lends its support on a massive, but little known, scale.
In the last two clections, campagna were organised to persuade people to support 'anti-abortion' candidates (of whatever political party). Seeing their chance, National Front candidates promptly proclaimed their anti-abortion commitment.
The anti-abortionists are important at this time not only because of their opposition to abortion, but also because of the way in which they link up with a whole reactionaty current -the Festival of Light, The Working Women's Charter camPhoto: CHRIS DAVIES (Report) Mary Whitehouse's crusade, and, on the far right, the fascist National Front.
At the same time not all the supporters of contriception and abortion ure progressive. Some people sce these as the means of solving major problems of capitalism. According to them, massive 'family planning' programmes can overcome povery and under-development in the third world.
The same arguments are now being brought home to Britain. According to Keith Josenh, if the poorest sections of the working class would stop having children, reactionaries rallying point Part of a counter demonstration organised by women's and socialist groupe in response to a SPUC demonstration in London then the 'cycle of deprivation' quacies of education and other social services, etc - could be overcome and the moral and halted.
see their support of the demand Pression of women within capitalist of women on men, which is now the shortage of houses, the inadebroken.
physical degeneration of the nation Socialists, on the other hand, for free contraception and abortion as part of the fight against the opp class society. In the struggle to establish the conditions for true sexual equality the holy trinity of economic, emotional and sexual dependency mand. and the demand for equal pay is often knotted into the relationships of marriage and the family, has to be In the process working class wo men must pain control of their fertility and their sexuality not in the interests of either the church, the state or the labour market, but in the interests of freeing themsives from the fetters of oppression in order to play their full part in the struggles of their claws against capitalism. It is within this framework that we oppose SPUC and its reacnonary friends, and support free contraception and abortion on demovernent would take the campaign A Trades Council conference on Women's Rights held in Birming hain last Saturday agreed unanimously to recommend to the Trades Council that it should adopt the Working Women's Charter as off. icial policy.
Addressed by Jane Cave from the local Charter Campaign Com mittee, Doris Fisher from Labour's representatives in the House of Lords, and Marie Patterson from the TUC, the conference was called as a result of mounting pressure from trade union branches affiliated to the Charter Campaign. Because of this, the local Charter Committee was invited to send not only a speaker but also ten official del egates to the Conference.
Despite Doris Fisher's spirited detence of 'the tremendous steps forward" Laken by the Labour Gor ernment, the main discussion cent. red on the demands of the Charter and the need to change not merely attitudes but the material circumstances of women.
The Trades Council had originally decided that no decisions would be taken at the conference, but by the end of the discussion everyone present was so convinced of the value and importance of the Charter that they agreed manimously to all the recommendations put before them by the local Char ter Comnuttee.
These wee: 1. That delegates recommend to the Trades Council that it shouki adopt the Working Women's Charter as official I. Hat delete recommend to thi Trades Council that it should initiate an Investigatson into: (il Progress towards Equal Pay in Birningham, with special reference to the degree of Fquality of Job Opportunity open to women workers. fill The provision of Nursery Facilities In relation lo the noods of women work ets in Birmingham jons should be published in the Trades Council Journat 3. That delegates recommend to their hranches that they should actedly can-
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PUP OFF