women and men demonstrated in Berlin on September 29 answering an appeal from a East-West women's coordination. This demonstration was notable for two reasons. Firstly, it brought together both those opposed in principle to German unification, those critical of the way in which it was brought about — without the population being allowed to participate - and people who do not fear the political and social consequences of this step. The Greens, far left organizations, the PDS (the former East German Communist Party), and federations of the Socialist Youth, as well as a part of the autonomous women's movement and the independent women's association in the East took part. On no other occasion has such unity been forged by the lett.
Another remarkable aspect — the organizers of the demonstration insisted that what was involved was not only the "question of women". There was an integral connection between the attacks on women in the ex-GDR and the overall political situation, with phenomena such as the growing chauvinism towards immigrants, the continuing deterioration of social life and Germany's new-found aspiration to play a role as a great power, with the militarization that this must entail. While deciding that only women could speak at the demonstration, the organizers have thus taken the lead in the mobilization against the Anschluss as a
Ex-GDR women big losers from Anschluss
The fact that it will be above all women of the ex-GDR who will be the losers in the Anschluss, has been the subject of a broad public debate over the summer. Everyone has been made aware that women in the ex-GDR, who were 94% employed, are the first to lose their jobs and have the least chance of finding another. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, the right to work has been abolished. Mass sackings had begun even before monetary union and the notion that women have less need of a job than men has made its reappearance. The removal from work of a million and a half workers in the course of a few weeks has led to complete disorientation, with everybody looking towards saving their own skin. The unions have played a marginal role — they have not found it easy to root themselves and organize in areas which may disappear from day to day. There is generalized competition of all against all and in this struggle men can employ all the advantages accruing from a patriarchal society.
Secondly, the reinforcement of the maternal role of women1. Previously care for children was given over to the state, through crèches, kindergartens and so on.
Abortion mobilizations challenge right
GERMANY ly a pretext and that, in any case, the women could have had the children adopted.
This judgement caused a big scandal, since the judiciary had overriden the rights of the doctor — who was himself punished. The trial also saw something of a resurgence of the women's movement in West Germany, although it has continued to be fragmented into a thousand and one projects — in themselves often interesting and useful.
Last year there was a demonstration of
THE results of the regional elections in East Germany on
Sunday, October 14 show that West Germany's conservative chancellor Helmut Kohl retains the initiative in the turbulent new period opening in German politics. Kohl's party, the
Christian Democratic Party, received some 43% of the vote, the social democrats 26%, the PDS (ex-Communist Party)
11%, and the Free Democrats and Greens/Bundnis about 8% each. These elections are a prelude to the first all-German elections on December 2.
However, one area where the German right-wing have not had things all their own way in recent months is over their attempts to introduce the West German (restrictive) abortion law into the East. Mobilizations against this measure and other attacks on women's rights involved in Kohl's unification plan may be a key element in the left finding its feet in the new situation in Germany, as Angela Klein reports.
ANGELA KLEIN
Some 83% of children grew up in such institutions. This allowed women, even mothers of small children, to go out to work. Nonetheless they remained in the last analysis responsible for the children.
The Stalinist system in no way encouraged a change in the social role and division of labour between the sexes.
The rapid and brutal introduction of the market has led to an equally rapid and brutal dismantling of the state welfare structure: half of the crèches and kindergartens are to be dissolved by the end of the year
— the East German parliament having passed a law in August making the communes responsible for funding them. The communes do not have the money - they are already unable to meet the growing costs of social benefits and the sale of state enterprises has not yielded the expected sums. On the contrary, they find themselves constrained to employ significant sums to finance the modernization of the infrastructure and establishments which can attract private capital. There is no money left over for such things as crèches.
Women suffer double disadvantage
And finally, of course, women are at the back of the queue when it comes to getting training opportunities. They are thus doubly disadvantaged; both by the reestablishment of the labour market and the reduction of the massive network of social services which is collapsing along with the state which built it. They are thus sent back to the home, reduced to their role as mothers and their dependence on
Given this overall logic, there is a clear danger that the law in favour of free abortion on demand hitherto in force in the GDR will be replaced by the reactionary law in place in the FRG.
This latter law forbids abortion and makes it a criminal offence, apart from in exceptional cases. Even these exceptions are too much for the clergy and the conservative current of the Christian Democracy. A year or two ago Bavaria was in the forefront of the attack on women.
Harassment of doctors who perform abortions
Under the pretext of tax fraud, the public prosecutor ordered the seizure of the patients' records of a doctor in the small Bavarian village of Memmingen who was known for helping women and performing abortions. On the basis of this, a number of charges were brought against
Most of the victims were found guilty in a spectacular trial on the basis of two arguments: that the social need, accepted by the doctor, did not exist and was mere-
10,000 women in Memmingen for the abolition of the anti-abortion law. In June this year another demonstration took place in Bonn, bringing together 20,000 women.
Women from East Germany, Ireland, Italy and France spoke at this demonstration, which took place at precisely the moment when the question of which abortion law should be maintained in the united state was being debated.
While recognizing that the East German abortion law was more progressive and calling for it to be introduced in the West, the women on this demonstration also called for the right to self-determination
At the same time a cross-party initiative of women has been taking place in parliament in favour of the decriminalization of abortion. Women from the Greens, the Social Democrats, the Liberals (FDP) and the Christian Democrats have been involved.
This initiative's main achievement so far is that the law previously in force in the ex-GDR will remain valid in that part of Germany until the end of 1992.
In the meantime the new German parliament must come up with a general solution. Without the cross-party initiative, it
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UK economy - a spiral of decline
International Viewpoint #193 • October 29, 1990
GERMANY/BRITAIN is probable that the ex-GDR law would have simply been replaced by the FRG law.
New initiative increases bureaucracy
Even this initiative has its problems.