A Woman’s

A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOSE In countries all ower the world, women are beginning to challeage thet centines old oppression, witli the growth of the women's liberation movensent, ancl the organization of campaians to overcome the discrimination which wonen face. The struggle for contre over their fertility has often been a key nue for in ne capitalist country do women hive the fight to regulate their reproduction as they wish through free contraception, shortion and <terdcation on demand. The reasons for this are found if we consider the nature of women’s oppression under capitalist society.

Female oppresshon originated during the transition from pre-class to class seciety, with the development of the patriarchal family. In order to protect private property and its inheritance from one peneration to the nest it was necessary to subjugate women a9 a sex via the family structure. The control of female sexuality and its inevitable conenmitant in those days fe pro carly class society which How Perales ant deri cane prop in the capitalist system This ls reflected in the existWOMENS CONFERENCE [987 ence today of abortion laws a8 the visible instrament of this special characteristic of WOKS Oppression. Twent leth century wore in te most advanced countries howe the right to vote, chore a hoshand. work wire iney wish, travel alone, diverce, control tieir oven finances etc. Bot they donot howe the fuodsaen-t al right (Oo central theirown holies.

Phe contre! of Perms fertlity was net taken -away front work oernight. Tt involved & lone anid blondy dtrugele with the combined weight of the church and the state as the main protaponlgis. Tn the early years after its establishment, the chorch alowed abortion wp to “ensoulment” - ‘ ; following | the somewhat whimsical pranouncement of Aristotle that male foetuses received asoul at 40 days and female at BO days after conception. Pope Gration declared that: ‘He de hee srerer whe brig about ar abortion before the soul ds dn the beely.' Church doctrine subsequently changed, abortion was outlewed and the church hardened its position to the final sanction in 1:7 — exCommunication of the wed an and all her aceampllees Many millionsof women have died over the centuries asthe church ond state used their representutives te initiate Witch-hunis apainal women whose ‘crimes’ in cluded prartising abortion, Bving advice on contraception, using Urugs to aid deliyory and other practices re lated te female reproduction. It took several hundoed VHars to stamp out ihe knowledge, the medicines, custome and organisation ol women headers, ard tc put the control of fertility inte the hands of the state. Sinex then, the state has exerciser ihis-comdral, i SLL bination of coercion and ideological conditioning.

The @sue of control ds central because comirof is the cornerstone of clags rule, through the agency of the state, to persuade men and women to lake advantage of them. Such mancievres have nothing in common with the demand for the fight af women to cootral

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