Judy Rebick: 'Labor party must fight

Scan page 4

4 SOCIALIST ACTION MARCH 1986 three years, a clinic in Toronto. A group of women's health workers in Toronto decided to ask Dr. Morganthaler to open a clinic here because access to abortion was deteriorating.

Again Dr. Morganthaler was arrested and acquitted of charges of performing an illegal abortion. That case is now going to the Supreme Court of Canada. In the mean -time, the government has decided not to prosecute further. So the clinic remains open. It's been open for more than a year.

Brunelle: Why that particular kind of challenge?

Rebick: The women's movement never found the '69 law acceptable even though it did tremendously open up access to legal abortions. But what started happening a number of years ago was that, because of hospital cutbacks and the pressure of the anti-choice groups, access to abortion was deteriorating.

These women's health organizations had been lobbying the government for some sort of clinic system for many years and hadn't gotten anywhere. They decided the only way to bring the public's attention to the deteriorating access to abortion-and to get clinics—was to actually challenge the law the way Morgenthaler did in Quebec 10 years before.

Brunelle: Have you been able to mobilize around the clinic?

Rebick: Oh yes. There has been a tremendous and sustained mobilization around the clinic in Toronto. I think it has been the most significant mobilization of the women's movement in the history of English Canada.

When the clinic opened in July of 1983 it was immediately raided. The doctors were arrested. Equipment was seized, and there were large demonstrations of around 5000 people protesting this.

Then there was a bit of of lull and then finally the case went to trial. The doctors were acquitted and the clinic opened again in December of 1984. And again the clinic was raided. This time though, they didn't do a heavy police raid like they did the first time-which really outraged peo -ple-because there were patients in the clinic. This time they quietly arrested the doctor.

Nevertheless there was a response. But finally the biggest mobilization came in February 1985 because the Catholic Church tried to pull out all its troops and openly, from its pulpits, organize a demonstration against the clinic.

We called a counter demonstration and had 10,000 people in the streets supporting the clinic. And that was the turning point in the struggle. It was after that that the government decided it couldn't close down the clinic and therefore had to basically wait for the thing to go through the courts.

Brunelle: Has the trade-union move -ment been active in this movement?

Rebick: Yes. We've had tremendous support from the trade-union movement (continued on page 5, in “'We need independent mov't in the streets'”)

March 16: Los Angeles Assemble: Century Park at 10 a.m.

Rally: 12 noon, Cheviot Hills/Rancho Park.

Washinaton.

Assemble: Mall at 10 a.m. March to Lincoln Memorial Rally: Lincoln Memoral, 12 noon.

SAFE AND LEGAL asatted

Scan page 5

Tina Beacock: awakE Admi

----- pull-quotes -----

MARCH for Women's Lives