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The Natiopal Abortion Campaign (NAC) was set up in February 1975 as a : specific response to Glasgow Pollok Labour MP, James White's Abortion (Amendment) Bill, which aimed to restrict severely women's access to legal abortions.
Since then, NAC has been campaigning around the slogan of "A Woman's Right to Choose" against restrictive abortion legislation, for full implementation of the 1967 Abortion Act and ultimately for abortion to be freely, safcly and legally available on the National Health Service.
James White claims that the intention of his Bill was to clear up the "abuses" of the 1967 Act. However, the most widespread abuse of abortion law in Britain today is the completely arbitrary variation in abortion services provided from area to area. This arises because of the way in which the health service is constructed.
The bureaucratic and hierarchical structure of the NHS has meant that although in some places abortion facilities are relatively available, in others they are virtually unobtainable. Because of the power they wield in the NHS, senior consultants who are personally opposed to abortion are able to restrict the number of abortions taking place within their hospital region.
If rates of NHS abortion per 1000 women aged 15-44 are examined, gross
discrepancies show up in comparing six different regions of Scotland.
As the Guardian noted at the time, in Scotland, the imbalance in the availability of abortion facilities lies in South West Scotland, Lanarkshire, and Ayrshire" (Guardian, July Ist, 1975).
The inadequacy of NHS abortion facilities in Scotland and regional variations in the number of abortions performed has led to an increasing number of Scottish women having to go to England and pay for abortions in the private sector there. This is clearly shown by a comparison of the number of women travelling south for abortions with the total number of abortions performed on Scottish women. There is a clear need for an increase in NHS abortion facilities in Scotland, in particular in the western region.
Table 1: Rates per 1000 women aged 15-44
Year Greater Lanark Ayrshire Glasgow 1974 6.4 3.0 1975 6.2 2.9 4.5
Grampian Lothian
12.6 10.3 12.3 10.0
Tayside
11.2 11.1
Table 2: Proportion of women travelling south for abortions. 1970 1971 1972 1973 6% 8% 10% 12%%
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At the moment the waiting period between initial consultation with a doctor and the actual operation is often undesirably long. In many cases the techniques used are not the safest and most up to date. And, in general, it is working class women who encounter the greatest difficulties in getting the help they need from the health service.
Such delays are clearly not in the interests of either the mental or physical wellbeing of the women concerned. Medical abortions are safest during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
On October 21st 1975, Barbara Castle told the House of Commons; action is being taken on .... many of the major recommendations of the Lane Committee. I have issued guidance on day-care systems to health authorities and hope to authorise day-care services in some private clinics with a record of high standards…... I should like to see a uniform and better coverage of provision in the National Health Service, which is one of the Lane Committee recommendations, because this would reduce dependence on the private sector which has been the source of abuse... 1 agree... that there are areas in the National Health Service in which women are unable to obtain the facilities provided for by Parliament, and many of them have been driven to the private sector".
In Glasgow, NAC is campaigning for the health authorities to take up Barbara Castle's suggestion that they should set up outpatient abortion units. Outpatient facilities cut waiting time for abortion because women are in hospital for a much shorter time and so more women are able to take advantage of the service. This means that women can have their abortion earlier in the pregnancy when it is much safer.
Such clinics enable a more effective implementation of the 1967 Act and pave the way for abortion on demand. In addition, the cost of an NHS abortion is greatly reduced by setting up these facilities. There would be an estimated saving of f27 on cach abortion performied.
In November, Glasgow NAC held a meeting to launch its campaign for an outpatient abortion clinic. This meeting, chaired by Ruth Wishart of the Daily Record, attracted about 30 trade unionists. The speakers, Helen Gallagher from Glasgow Trades Council and Geraldine Smyth from NAC called for trade union support for the campaign and explained how this could be built by inviting speakers from and affiliating to the NAC, by fighting for the TUC and Labour Party to implement their 1975 conference resolutions in favour of free
abortion on the NHS, and by calling for trade union sponsored MPs to implement conference policy on abortion.
NAC hopes to hold further such meetings for trade unionists and urges the labour movement to take a stand on the abortion issue. From the start, NAC has understood that if its fight is to be effective, it must have the support of the labour and trade union movement.
Abortion is not a moral issue. It is a class issue. It is one of the democratic rights of the working class at present under attack. The cuts in public expenditure are forcing the burden of looking after the old, the young and the sick back onto women. Women are being forced back into the home in an attempt to divide them from the rest of the working class and cut workers" living standards.
Denying women the right to control their own fertility is just one more way in which women are being forced back into the drudgery of family and household chores.
GERALDINE SMYTH (Secretary, Scottish NAC)
"Went for that job..." "What happened?" "They said I wouldn't be able to manage the heavy weights."
Further information on NAC and its activities can be obtained by writing to
the Secretary, 40 Regents Park Square, Glasgow G41.