Germ defend abort

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HICH meeting could confidence among black conference. On Saturday's lively demonstration against the threatened closure FIVE thousand women and St'veral hundred men demonstrated in Karlsruhe on February 26 aluation rights in West against attempts to curtail Cirrmany. A counter-march attracted 300 -mostly men.

The protest took place on the eighth anniversary of a legal decision in Dortmund, which interpreted the constitutional right to aburtion to mean that there was obligation for the National Health Service (provided by private insurance companies) to pay. The court's ruling: has meant that the whole legal position of abortion is under doubt.

WHICH meeting could The ''218-group"

(named after the relevant clause in the constitution) is campaigning for the removal of this confusing clause, and calling for the state to fund full abortion and contraception facilities.

The campaign sees this as an important. part of fighting the reactionary moves to force women back into the home and stress their role within the family which the government has been making, as the economic recession worsens.

By broadening out the campaign, they have attracted the support of lesbian groups, who hadn't been involved in the fight for abortion rights before, and of women trade unionists. The Karlsruhe DGB (West German TUC) mubilised for the march (although only supporting limited demands), and there were solidarity greetings from the ASF - the union of SPD (Labour) wumen.

The women come from different political groups, but are united seeing that a fight against cuts in public spending is the only thing that will defend and extend women's rights.

The 218 group is now preparing for September 4. This the first anniversary of the founding of a Cath. ulic anti-abortion group: the "Choose Life Initiative". 80 women protested on the day it was founded: now the task is to see that the protest is much larger when it celebrates its first anniversary.

confidence among

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