Abortion rights victory in Maryland

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Biggest weakness of new law is it codifies parental notification, thus restricting access of teenage women to abortion rights.

make the nation more competitive in global economy," he means he is committed to increasing the rate of exploitation of working people.

SOCIALIST ACTION NOVEMBER 1992 5 BALTIMORE—Passage of Referendum Question 6 in Maryland on Nov. 3 marks a victory for the women's movement in the struggle to keep abortion safe and legal. The referendum was held to ratify a law adopted by the state legislature last year.

Under the new law, which will replace a highly restrictive law from 1968, the state may not interfere with a woman's decision to end her pregnancy.

Question 6 passed with a majority of over 61 percent of the vote statewide, with even higher majorities in Baltimore City and in the areas of Maryland surrounding Washington, DC. In Baltimore, almost every polling place reported a some parents.

With the defeat of Measure 9, the OCA has already stated that it will use this fear to "fine-tune" its next attack on the rights of gays and lesbians with another initiative in two years.

This initiative greatly polarized Oregon's population. Gays-as well as women, his campaign for president.)

And Clinton has proved himself both ideologically and politically reliable when it comes to attacking the democratic rights of working people. He ardently supports the death penalty. As attorney-general of Arkansas, he supported the anti-union right When Clinton says to work (for less) law.

In 1986, he stated he was against abortion rights and abortion funding. And while today he says he supports a woman's right to choose, he authored a law that requires a teenage woman to notify both parents if she wishes to have an abortion.

Clinton's "New Beginning" will be a new continuation of the ongoing war against working people-but with some frills. When Clinton says he is committed "to make the nation more competitive in a global economy," he means he is committed to increasing the rate of exploitation of working people. That's the only way American capitalism can regain its competABORTION majority vote for the new law, with substantial support in working-class and African American communities.

"A number of people that I talked to were confused," explained one electionday volunteer from a polling place in a working-class neighborhood, "But as soon as I explained that a vote for Question 6 meant it would be the woman's decision, they agreed to support it."

This victory occurred despite a wellfunded, visible campaign by opponents of the new law. In the weeks leading up to the election, TV ads were aired by the "Vote KNOW Coalition," an anti-choice group, which were geared towards confusing voters about which way to vote.

Rather than openly stating their opposition to legal abortion, anti-choice minorities and other working people-are trying to fight back against the attacks on them, especially against those that seek to scapegoat them for the deterioration of the capitalist social system. Measure 9 sought to blame gays and lesbians for the pressures working-class families are feeling right now-from taxes, joblessness, crime, itive advantage.

Clinton's task now is to keep labor, Blacks, Hispanics, women-and all those who are crying out for justicetied to his coattails and out of the streets. His biggest problem is that he may not be able to dispense even a few crumbs to these he is committed "to movements given the $4 trillion federal debt.

One thing is certainly clear in this election. Millions of working people voted for what they thought would be fundamental change. They swept scores of incumbents out of office, established term limits in 14 states, and elected by wide margins Democratic Party candidates who promised them jobs and renewed prosperity.

Undoubtedly, working people—who have been fooled once more into voting for the lesser evil—are going to be more angry, than disappointed when their hopes for change have been dashed.

An example of the skepticism and anger forces tried to pose as supporters of women's rights who simply opposed this law. The resulting confusion led campaigners on both sides to expect that the vote would be much close than it actually was.

"The majority in Maryland is pro-choice," stated Laura Newman, the Baltimore NOW chapter president. "Our victory in this referendum just confirms that. We have been working for the past three years to have a pro-choice law in Maryland, and our efforts have finally paid off. Victory was never guaranteed, but the efforts of our volunteers, along with many others, made this possible.

Question 6 was supported by numerous organizations, including Maryland NOW, Planned Parenthood, the League of Women Voters, AFSCME Council 92, Maryland State Teachers Association, and the National Black Women's Health Project, to name just a few. In addition, many individual volunteers were involved in campaign work, including high school and college students across the state.

However, the campaign for Question 6 had a serious weakness. The new law contains a parental notification clause, which requires doctors to notify the parent of a teenage woman prior to her abortion-with certain exceptions. This restriction on young women's rights weakens the pro-choice character of the law.

No such restriction existed under Roe v. Wade, which was the law in Maryland until the offensive by anti-choice forces.

"Maryland for Choice," the official campaign for Question 6, supported parental to vote for the new law. Despite the fact that NOW and many other organizations involved in "Maryland for Choice," understand the dangers to teenage women caused by parental notification, this strategy was never challenged.

While this victory in Maryland helps encourage all supporters of women's rights, we cannot stop until these rights are guaranteed to all women. Our momentum must be used to work for repeal of the parental notification clause. This victory was not won by waiting for the politicians to act—it was won through a grass-roots effort by pro-choice activists. To maintain the rights that we won, we must continue to organize.

poor pay and benefits, and a deteriorating school system.

The heightened political tension around this battle, which was not limited to Oregon, has mobilized many people for the battles yet to come. Debates are now going on within the ranks of anti-Measure 9 forces as to which way to proceed.

that is festering may be seen in the comments of three African American residents of South Central Los Angeles. Arthur Diggs told reporters: "I don't really have any negative feelings about Clinton. But that's based on promises I want to believe.

I don't put much faith in promises, but at least give the man a chance."

George Smith, unemployed, was a lot more bitter—or maybe prophetic:

"I feel we're headed for a revolutionary war. It's either the ballot or the bullet, and I feel war might be superior for the Black people because they're rubbing us out. We represent 10 percent of the population and 90 percent of the prison population."

DeWayne Steps, also unemployed, said:

"I don't feel like Clinton or Bush delivered on what they said they would do for us.

Only three presidents have failed to get re-elected after their first term in this century: Bush, Carter, and Hoover. All three were kicked out because of intolerable economic conditions. Clinton may well be the fourth.

But when that happens, there must be an alternative for working people that goes beyond careening from one capitalist politician to another. That would be a labor party, based on the unions and the struggles of all the oppressed—a party based on human needs, not corporate profits.

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The 33rd Grand Lodge Convention of the International Association of Machinists was held under a dark cloud this year in tively ending debate. Earlier, a rule had been passed to allow a vote of 175 delegates to call the questiona mockery of Roberts Rules of Order where procedural questions are settled by majori-

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notification, and used the inclusion of "a responsible parental notification clause" in almost all campaign literature as a reason

Maybe that will change. Isn't that the word? Change?"