Make Sure its _a‘NO’Vote

IN THE RUN UP TO ON SEPTEMBER 7th opponents of the Consutue al amendment will August, a foursveek country-wide drive against the amendment wall be launched by the campaign, This final effort will kick off with a series of press contirernes, featuring doctors, lawyers, pollticiand, socially inpolwed groups, trade unionists, feminist! each in tum det ailing thelr reagcns for oOpooine the amendment. This will culminate. i mass meetings held simultane cusly in major cities in the 26 counties on a sehected night betore voting day.

The campaign has covered alet of ground and has spread far and wide. It had been of great importaoe that women in part icular have come togetiver to defend themselves, Who would have thought a year age that such a referendum oould be defeated? it has been brought to peoples wotiog that such an attack on womens rights cannot ber tolerated aad enshrined in the constltution.

It must be emphasised that the Catholic church cannot assure moral responsibility for the entire nation. This pect has been taken up by thet AAC with greatgueto, hut there haa been less emphasis on the relation:

Pe which has been-at the canine of the struggles fought in the paet in reland anicwill continue to be an obstacle to social progress unless itis taken up politically whenever it rears ite heed, Wa should be under no usion that the pulpit will be wed to urge people ta vote against democratic right on this issue, in the same way that it has been used on divorce and contra option and the awe of ‘ilkegitimate’ children, Ending that interference romaine a central political fight for all progressive forces. This has beer a key lesson of the anti amendment campaign, The experience of fighting to build & broacl-teased democratic campaign holds ‘another lesion for the future.

The fight to stop the rightwing offensive of SPLUIC and PLAC has breaeght together the widest coalition of political forces ever seen in The history of this State, And despite the official abservce of Sinn Fein,the lnvolviment of some lndivid: ual members who have joined the campaign in the last few weeks is to be welcomed. Peoples Denocracy arqued fram the first days of the carmpaign for a broad-bated united frowvt, We raised ihe mead for political representation for @very current on the ' palm bodies of the camp ates Pints eee teed and allow cifferent currents to propose ibeiratrateyy for victory in full open wen of all campaign activists, This te wikot Wwe fought for wath scene success inthe H-Block campaign.

Unfortunately the haadership of tha Anti-amendment campaign think they can bulld 6 broad campaign while prohibiting the expression of views of important sections of the campaign. This censorchip, wore still, is totally onesided. Gpoonents ol the amendment who also oopose abortion are totally free te emphasise thes pect of their vinws but the supporters of 4 Warner Aight to Choose” are supposed ta keep silent.

While there are mo surprises in this practice of the camPaign steering committee it is outrageous that at the last conference sections of tie lett supported a recommendation that the “Right to choose’ voce ould be stlentup oo Sept. 7th, The adoption af this reccomendation i4-6 serious thraat to the unity of the campaign.

Peoples Democracy agrees with and aecepts the plat fonm of the Au. Aight to Choo supporters, their tactics to werking on the AAW platform and erganising 4eparate and independent propaganda This is corract and entirely aeceptable within the context of a broad based and demrecratic meas cam: Palgn, Those, espaciaily of te left, who attempted ta restrict political rights and therefore avoid the tharny question of abortion, are being pealitically apport unisthe and are getting it Wer CFP, Abortion iso the political agenda today because SPLA and PLAC put it there. Het every bochy im the artiamendment campaign is required to have the same opinion, But thosa who see the right te cioose 55 as the onky real solution to the dilemma of Irish women have the right to say 60, We bese cur views on the actual chalice that Irish women already make.

No “suspension of damocracy” can cover-up this fact of life. What is more It & the compelling reality that for many irish women pomety maker abortion the only viable option that ensures that the fight tor the ‘Right to choose’ will goon until this democratic right is wserted.

ALL OUT. FOR SEPTEMBER 7th!

MAKE SURE ITS A “NO' ee

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ba pulting out all the stops fora ‘Wo’ vote! In macd-