Abortion Debated

Virginia Adams then moved a [unclear: mot] condemning the recent interference in the medical profession by the [unclear: Abo] Supervisory Committee and its attempts to impose a repressive policy on doctors [unclear: and] women that denies women their [unclear: democ] right to control their reproductive lives. [unclear: she] said that the reaction of the committee [unclear: to] information that it was easier to get [unclear: an] abortion in some areas of the country than others was to accuse doctors of interpreting the law too liberally. The committee [unclear: told] the doctors that if they didn't tighten [unclear: up] their interpretation they wouldn't [unclear: be] reappointed as consultants. "This is [unclear: blat] interference by the Government in to women's lives and the work of the medical profession," she concluded. Seconding [unclear: the] motion, Robyn Wood said that [unclear: the] inadequate abortion services in some [unclear: areas] meant that getting an abortion was "just" [unclear: a] matter of chance".

Paul Norman, displaying the sort [unclear: of] pedantic attitude that had pervaded [unclear: his] comments and questions throughout [unclear: the] meeting, argued that the motion didn't express its true spirit and moved [unclear: an] amendment that VUWSA call for the replacement of the committee's members by ones sympathetic to the needs of women The amendment lapsed for want of a seconder.

Patricia Crowther spoke against [unclear: the] motion, on the grounds that it claimed [unclear: taht] abortion was a women's democratic right but it was passed anyway though with [unclear: three] very loud negative votes.

The meeting should have come to [unclear: a] speedy end at this stage but, you guessed [unclear: it] Paul Norman dragged it out. I hope you'll excuse of my not detailing the various comments he made but quite frankly they weren't worth noting down and even less worth reading.

Mark Wilson.