Abortion and Democracy

The essence of democracy, she said, was true equality and participation. In the case of women this meant the right to work, to abortion, to child care, to equal pay.

The CS &A Act was an affront to women and men and it, along with other pieces of anti-women legislation, would be overthrown, she concluded.

By this stage the audience had well and truly warmed up and the next hour saw a hotly contested and bitter debate.

Most questions centred around the status of the foetus. While the anti-abortion lobby claimed that the unborn had supreme rights regardless of the social circumstances of the mother, speakers pressing for change in the laws felt that although they acknowledged that a foetus represented life in the abstract, they urged people to weigh the social consequences of unwanted pregnancies, especially in times of extreme economic pressure on the family.

Priceless quotes of the meeting...

Byrn — "there is no medical reason for abortion - it's simply a matter for convenience".

(Answering a male questioner who suggested that it should be the woman's choice) ... "What a gutless individual".

"I'm personally against IUD's".

Another questioner - "Seeing SPUC considers that life starts from conception, why don't they campaign to get foetuses the family benefit?"

Another questioner - "I'd rather be unstable than dead".

Few people left the forum until the end - a marked contrast to most student gatherings these days. The occasion was organised by the VUWSA Abortion Rights Committee as a build up for the mobilisation on July 14. With the interest generated at the forum and the present dithering by the government, it could be a very big event.

David Murray