Demonstrate April 2 in S.F. and April 9 in Wash., D.C

Scan page 15

16 SOCIALIST ACTION MARCH 1989 international slogan.

Many gains were made in winning rights for women around the world. In this country, in addition to the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 legalizing abortion, women began to be hired in previously allmale jobs. Educational opportunities for women were expanded But many of the gains women made during the early 1970s had been eroded by the early '80s. This was a result of the austerity drive which the ruling class has undertaken to protect their profit margin. The victory won on abortion rights in 1973 has been under constant attack ever since.

Divide and rule

The persistent state-by-state legal approach of the anti-abortion groups has already resulted in ending the abortion rights of thousands of women in this country— primarily poor women and teenagers. It is no accident that these women were the initial targets. The divide-and-rule strategy has been effective in attacking those least able to defend themselves.

As early as 1976, with the passage of the Hyde amendment, individual states were allowed to restrict Medicaid funding of abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or Thousands of women and men will demonstrate in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, April 9. The march for Women's Equality/Women's Lives was called by the National Organization for Women (NOW) and endorsed by a wide variety of groups supporting women's rights.

This is a much-needed response to a long series of attacks on women's right to choose abortion and to receive equal treatment under the law.

NOW reported last month that 100 buses had already been reserved for the Washington march from New York City, 50 from the Philadelphia area, 30 from New Jersey chapters, and at least 20 from Boston.

In California, a coalition of pro-choice groups is building a march and rally in San Francisco on Sunday, April 2. The event was called in support of the April 9 action in Washington.

The coalition had originally planned its action to coincide with the Washington march but agreed to hold it one week earlier at the request of organizers of the D.C. event.

A number of people plan to attend both the San Francisco and the Washington, D.C., demonstrations.

The Supreme Court's recent decision to review a Missouri law limiting abortion is an indication of how tenuous the right of women to choose abortion really is— despite the support of the majority of Americans for this right.

A defeat here will affect not only women's rights but all civil rights. The majority who support women's rights must be heard from on April 2 and April For information about the Washington demonstration, call NOW at (202) 3310066. In California, for information on the April 2 and the April 9 events, call the April 2 Committee at (415) 255-1989. launched in 1986 and claiming only 6000 members—consider themselves the "Green Berets" of the "pro-life movement." They've been laying siege to clinics around the country following their big effort during the Democratic Party convention, which they referred to as the "Siege of Atlanta."

Operation Rescue uses a method of action that seems to copy the civil-disobedience of the civil rights movement. However, the civil rights movement was fighting to increase the rights of people, whereas these right-wingers are fighting to take away the rights of women.

On Oct. 29, they targeted 32 cities with their methods of praying, singing hymns, and sidewalk counseling—in which they display their pictures of bloody fetuses in order to turn women seeking abortion away from the clinic.

They badger women with the express intention of disrupting and stopping the performance of abortions. When they can, they chain themselves to clinic doors. Their intention, they say, is "to intervene between the killer and the innocent victim at the mills."

Despite all of the publicity given to this new right-wing group, Operation Rescue does (continued on page 4)