AROUND THE WORLD
These are in cases where Day, the struggle against rape and so on women have cancer of the womb, or a take place.
ABORTION RIGHTS
UNDER ATTACK — West Germany. A woman employee of the German Catholic magazine Neue Bildpost recently won a court ruling that payment for abortions by the social security pregnancy has started outside the womb, in the fallopian tubes.
The backbone of the campaign is of course women, ranging from committed feminists who believe that women have the right to decide in all circumstances whether of not to have children, to those who do not feel that their own beliefs should be imposed on others who do not share them through
The real figure is much higher as many Irish women will give the address of a friend or a relative when they have an
The People's Democracy, Irish
Fourth International, are fully involved in the campaign. In early they organised seminar to. discuss the question, which involved Rita O'Hare head of the system was 'unconstitutional.
She claimed that she could not reconcile her for abortions, conscience to paying women do have journalist, and other speakers from the
'mass murder', through her social security contributions.
This ruling came at a time when the
England every day to get an abortion. 100 people.
ruling CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic
Union/Christian Social Union) is conthe constitution. Women who know full well that even despite the existing laws abortions. The official statistics show that ten Irish women take the boat to men's Affairs department of Sinn Fein,
Nell McCafferty a well-known feminist the trade-union movement, and PD itself. This was attended by some sidering proposals, supported by the Chancellor and several ministers, to can- EUROPEAN WOMEN cel state financing of abortions. These DISCUSS 'WOMEN AND WORK' plans have been temporarily shelved during the election campaign. However, eighteen members of parliament have submitted a resolution of this effect.
At present abortion is allowed under paragraph 218 of the constitution. This allows abortion for social and economic reasons up to twelve weeks, and for medical reasons up to twenty-two weeks. The total cost is reimbursed by the state.
The pro-abortion coalition, '218' has called a national demonstration for February 26 at Karisruhe, the seat of the federal constitutional office, opposing the proposed attacks, and in support of women's right to decide when and whether to have children.
- Ireland. Abortion is completely illegal in the Republic of Ireland. However, the two main political parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, are agreed on having a referendum on the proposal to make it unconstitutional as well!
The proposed constitutional amendment read, "The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect and, as far as practicable, by its laws to vindicate and defend that right?
But this has been rejected as too open to pro-abortion interpretation as it for the first time gives the mother an 'equal right to life' with the foetus. A revised wording is to be submitted.
A broad range of Irish opinion has come out against the proposal to amend the constitution in this way, including all the Protestant churches, Jewish community. Lawyers and doctors have opposed the amendment, arguing that is is unworkable from a legal and medical point of view. In fact organisations in Turin are planning an international conference on the theme of "Women and Work'. This gathering will take place at Turin on April 23/24/25 1983.
The organisers of the conference ex-
We have seen similar develop ments in many countries on questions work, public sectors of "women's work", women being pushed out of the workforce because of the crisis, tional division of labour, in a substantially different situation from the 1960s
At the same time we think that for many women their perspective changed, as their children, their sexuality, their work. We feel the need for a discussion, which will not necessarily lead to single conclusions, on how reality is changing.
We would like the most practical conclusions possible to come out of the meeting. This is why we have organised it on specific themes, and asked those women attending to come well-prepared with proposals and information on each country?
The conference is being organised by three groups, the Women's Centre (Casa delle Donne) in Turin, the interconfederation women's commission, and the Union of Italian Women (Unione delle Donne Italiane).
The Women's Centre has existed for two years and is the base for a number of different groups, including the journal Quotidiano Donna, and a meeting place for the women's movement where following the women's struggles of the early 1970s. It is a form of co-ordination between the women from different trade-unions, and organises struggles in the workplaces, and within the unions
The UDI was created in 1944. Originally it was a national organisation of women from the Socialist and Commun-
Now, although the CP still has influence, it is an independent organisation of 200,000 women with a weekly review Noi Donne (We Women), organised through local groups despite their important differences, work together in
The conference is planned at a time against women. In Italy positive discrimination in employment for women, the unions won a quota of 50% women in previously male jobs, has been abol-
The cost of childcare and social services has gone up, and part-time work, and short-term employment contracts have been widely introduced. It is hoped that the conference will be a starting point for organising an overall response to
This is the first time that such an international meeting has been organised which can discuss how to defend women's rights that are under attack everywhere (see International Viewpoint, No 20, December 20, 1982).
Places at the conference are limited to 400, including 200 Italian women. With very limited financial resources the organsome abortions are carried out in Ireland to- debates on questions such day, with the agreement of the Catho lie Church.
26 abortion, as women's health, International Women's isers can only provide accomodation and one meal per day. Registration and information from : Casa delle Donne, Via G.
Fiochetto 13, 10152 Torino, Italy.
THE CASE OF THE MURDERED FILIPINO UNIONISTS
Nor would the US government be too was agreed last September.
On June 1, 1981, two Filipinos, activists in the International Longshoremen's Union, were gunned down in the union hall in Seattle.
A trial has just opened in Seattle to try to establish the truth about these murders.
The two victims, Silme Domingo and happy about a vigorous campaign in solidarity with workers in the Philippines.
The largest US naval and airbases outside the United States itself are in the Philippines, and a new 'mutual defence' pact pines provides the US with a launching pad for imperialist intervention into
Asia and the Middle East. The loss of such a good ally and supporter would
Gene Viernes, were opponents of the US-backed Marcos regime in the Philippines. They were also leaders of a rank-
US TRUCKERS SHOULD BE SUPPORTED and-file campaign to rid Local 37, Which organises mainly Filipino cannery workers, of gangsterism and corruption.
In 1980, 11 of the former executive council members of the local were replaced in elections. The displaced officials were accused of extortion, collusion with a gambling syndicate, and collaboration with the employers.
One of the victims, Domingo, lived long enough to identify the gunmen as members of a Filipino street gang. These two men were tried and convicted. The leader of the gang, Tony Dictado, was later tried and convicted of having given the order for the shooting. His lawyer claimed that these orders came directly from Tony Baruso, longtime president of the Local 37 ousted by the rank-and-file campaign in December 1981. Baruso has been widely linked to the Marcos regime. He was honoured by the Philippines government six months after the murders.
Although an investigation into Baruso was initiated, it has not reached any conclusion, arousing strong suspicions of a
The Committee for Justice for Domingo and Viernes was formed soon after the
The 11-day strike by independent truck drivers in the US has ended, but their struggle for decent living and working conditions is not over.
The shutdown was called by the Independent Truckers Association at the end of January to protest against a crushing package of tax rises signed by Reagan on January 6. Increases under the Highway Revenue Act would lead to truckers paying 5,000 dollars per year more in taxes. This went along with a 5 cent per gallon rise in tax on petrol.
The truckers, who are independent owner operators, buy their 100,000-dollar vehicles at high interest loans, swelling the profits of banks and vehicle companies.
All truck drivers, independent, union and unorganised, are facing high unemployment, worsening working conditions and low take-home pay. However the truckers union, the Teamsters, did not support the ITA drivers - going along with the press campaign to portray these workers as anti-union, anti-consumer and thus anti-worker.
In reality these drivers are used by the big bosses to increase their profits by offloading onto the independent drivers the cost of fuel, taxes, tolls, insurance etc. Unlike the big companies, the independents cannot re coup these expenses by lower wages and higher prices.
The independent truckers could be won to identify with other workers, rather than management, if the labour movement, and firstly the Teamsters, had supported their struggle. This would have been a valuable step towards overcoming the divisions between the independents and the employed truckers that management and the media try to foster, and thus helped to strengthen the unions themselves.
AUSTRALIAN SWP ELECTION CAMPAIGN In addition to publishing literature, organising speaking tours, and reaching out for support in the labour movement and elsewhere, publicising a civil suit that alleges the shootings were ordered by the Marcos
The plaintiffs in the suit are the wives of the two men, union activists, and the chairperson of the main Filipino political organisation in the US, the Union of Democratic Filipinos. Defendants named include Marcos, former secretary of state Al Haig, and Tony Baruso.
Only two weeks before they killed Domingo and Viernes had led a fight to get the Longshoremen's Union to send a delegation to the Philippines repression against working people there.
The spy activity of the Marcos regime in the US is well-known. In 1982 it was reported that for ten years Marcos had sent 'action teams' to the US to 'infiltrate, monitor, and possibly counteract the threat of anti-Marcos groups'. inconceivable that such teams could operate without the collaboration of the US secret police.
Federal elections will be held in Australia
Opinion polls at present show that the Labor Party could win control on first preference votes, and throw out the Fraser government which is implementing the most vicious anti-working class austerity measures that Australia has seen since
The return of the Labor Party would be a boost to the self confidence of the Australian working class. Party is a party based on the mass organisations of the working class — the trade
However, the policies put forward by the Labor Party are in the same framework as the Liberal-National coalition -managing the capitalist crisis.
Workers Party, Australian section of the Fourth International are linking their slogans For a Labor government with socialist policies' with an electoral campaign of their own. They are standing 48 candidates throughout the country.
This is the biggest socialist election campaign in Australia for more than
The campaign is putting
Party should adopt if it is truly to defend the interests of working people:
- Nationalise companies workers. Reduce the workweek, without loss of pay, to provide jobs for all. Outlaw all forms of discrimination in jobs or
Money for public works not for
- No freezes or agreements restricting the right to improve wages or working
Automatic wage rises to match each increase in prices. Reverse the social welfare cutbacks.
- No dams in south-west Tasmania.
Nationalise the polluters.
- Repeal all anti-union laws. Abolish the bosses'
Abolish ASIO and other political police
- End the ANZUS (Australia/New
Zealand/US) alliance.
Not one cent, not one soldier for the bosses wars!
What is happening to MAZRAAT the tens of thousands of imprisoned
Palestinians
Some weeks ago, in a Turin hospital, International Viewpoint correspondents in Italy were able to talk to wounded Palestinians evacuated from Lebanon, as well as a doctor from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, who worked in the hospitals during the Israeli invasion.
The wounded Palestinians said:
Since the Israeli invasion was part and parcel of the Zionist government's aggressive policy, the Palestinian people In Lebanon were not surprised by it, any more than they were by the preceding wars.
All that the Palestinians had to defend themselves with was their determination and the resistance forces of the PLO. A civilian population found itself facing an army of 160 thousand men armed to the teeth with the most sophisticated American-made instruments of destruction. The latter included nerve-gas bombs, fragmentation bombs, and vacuum bombs, which
EL B certainly cannot be called conventional weapons.
The result of all this was that whole villages were destroyed. The outstanding example is the Ain el Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Even after the nearby city of Sidon fell, and after twelve hours bombardment from the air and sea, it was razed by bulldozers to keep the remaining people from continuing the resistance.
On the ruins of Ain el Hilweh, a concentration camp was set up without any buildings for the remaining population and the other prisoners to live in. The bulldozers started rolling while those wounded in the fighting were still lying on the ground.
At present, there are about 70 thousand unhoused Palestinian refugees in southern Lebanon, most of them around the cities of Sidon and Tyre.
We asked the doctor about the situation of the prisoners being held by the Israelis.
We only have information about those in southern Lebanon. Moreover, we have been unable to update those because the Israeli authorities will not allow the Palestinian medical aid bodies, such as the Palestinian Red Cresent Society, which is part of the International Red Cross, to operate.
There is some information provided by the International Red Cross, but it is not reliable. The facts they present have always been very different from the ones we have. It is well known that the International Red Cross is not all that neutral.
In the Ansar concentration camp, there are 25 thousand civilian prisoners. The Israeli authorities have nothing against them except the fact that they are Palestinians. Their families are not allowed to visit them, and they are not permitted any contact with the outside world. The treatment of the prisoners has similarities to the procedures in the Nazi concentration camps. For example, the Palestinian prisoners wear a yellow star, the Lebanese a white cross.