Irish Women Demand the

The fight of women to control our bodies is widening. In both the North and the South, struggles for the right to safe and legal abortion have begun. In the six counties, individuals and representatives from different women's groups have come together to form a Right to Choose campaign. In the 26 Counties, a number of women have formed a Right to Choose group, which has sponsored the Irish Pregnancy Counselling Centre — _the first independent abortion referral service in the whole of the 32 Counties. Both of these developed independently of each other, though the women involved intend to liase with each other and are considering a 32 Co. co-ordination. Both will be coming together at the ICASC working conference (International Campaign for Contracep-— tion -- for legal safe abortion and against forced sterilisation) in Dublin, October 18th/19th.

The abortion debate is coming up in the South at a time when the contraception question has yet to be resolved. Fianna Fail with their Family Planning Act (to be finally implemented in November) is a restrictive and discriminatory attempt to use the debate to cover up its inadequacies. The regulations mention clinics who do . referrals will not be licencea, The aftermath of the Campaign Against Corrie in Britain uncovered the fact of thousands of Irish women who have aborted, Day after day, newspaper reports, letters, radio and TV have commented cn the 10, 000 or so Irish women who have availed of facilities in Britain. It is nota situation anyone can turn a blind eye to.

One group which certainly hasn'!t is the newly formed Dublin Right to Choose Group. Confidently basing themselves on the realities of 10,000 women who have already chosen, they have launched a call for a campaign. The referral centre is stage one -- the aim being to move towards decrimina— lising abortion (as women who abort are liable to life imprisonment).

And the same is the case in the Many people have by now heard of the horrific conditions that 30 women live in, day by day, in Armagh jail. These women, protesting for political status, live North, Women who are pro-choice are demanding that the facilities-available in Britain should be extended to the North. And we would agree, as long as the Six Counties remain under British rule, any legislation that will help to remove the burden of women must be be seen as positive. But "parity"! with Britain is not enough. Campaigns should be fought on women!s needs now, in the Six Counties. The !'67 Act must not only be extend extended but expanded in accordance with the wishes of women who live there, It is only those who are fiercely in favour of the status quo, Loyalists, Unionists, who have anything to fear from this and these have consistently used their vote to veto democratic rights. Others in the Anti Imperialist/ Nationalist communities who resist abortion and contraception as evil British plots are sadly mistaken. When Irish women who resist British occupation take to the streets streets to fight for choice, they will have some questions to answerl CONTROL OF FERTILITY For many women, the fight for the fright to Choose is a logical step from the contraception battle. Both are about choice and control. Both states, North and South, have a history of resisting democratic demands, especially on Issues of sexual freedom. All. spectives to stabilise unity around other central projects, i.e. a Tribunal to assess the enforcement of the act next spring, anda "watchdog!!! campaics = +: the kinds of projects PD will be arguing for within CAP and the Access For The struggle for free legal and safe contraception is not only a struggle to defend the gains already made, i.e. keeping the clinics in operation as they exist now, but at the same time to extend those gains, This means of necessity extending the class basis of the campaign. We must also turn youth to the campaign. Empty sloganising (as some left groups do) however, is not enough. We need a coherent strategy. We must fight to get the labour movement to defend the gains already made, We must fight to get the labour movement to campaign to open up access to contraception and in this the Health Boards are key. For it is these that service the medical service. We must begin to defend the rights of young people to a sexual life. Consistent propa-— ganda and limited initiatives (such as the CAP Youth & Contraception seminar) are a start.

The deepening of the contraception struggle and the emergence of an abortion campaign indicate the growing social crisis within both states. Both under imperialist domination and with capitalist ‘economies are unable to meet the real needs of women and women will not wait. They will not "stand Idly by", Antiimperialists and socialists, and republicans must see to it that their struggles will not run up a cul de sac In Partitioned Ireland, but progress forward In the general social upheaval that will surely accompany the demise of British imperialism, We can only ensure this by becoming Involved in and committed to these struggles,