Abortion
I write in response to Paula Gilet who expressed her "despondency" at
GLW and Tracy Sorensen's "anti-family, anti-Catholic pro-abortion stance" (GLW Oct 30 1991). Paula also claims a belief in socialism.
I write to support Tracy Sorensen's affirmation of women's right to abortion and GLW's supportive coverage of women's political activism around this question.
Firstly, in contrast to Paula Gilet, I believe no socialist can fail to support women's abortion rights. Gender equity and respect for people's right to make decisions about their own lives are fundamental to socialist thought today.
In fact it's sheer hypocrisy for some socialist organisations to develop political alliances with groups opposed to women's rights. They would not tolerate such alliances with groups which were, for example, racist or anti-union.
Secondly, it is simply incorrect to imply, as does Paula Gilet, that to be Catholic is to oppose abortion rights. On the contrary, most Catholics support women's rights to choose. The 1990 AGB McNair survey of Queenslanders' opinions on abortion found that 56% of Catholics support abortion law repeal. Not a bad percentage, considering the anti-woman diatribes the Catholic rank and file are subjected to from the pulpit. As an ex-Catholic, I think it a tad unfair to brand all Catholics with the reactionary and patriarchal values enunciated by the boys at the top.
Unlike many who go through the Catholic school system, I actually took seriously the values of equality, justice, compassion etc which the good nuns taught me for 12 years. They led me to socialism - and feminism.
I believe Paula might benefit from reading the documents "Abortion: a Guide to making ethical choices" published by Catholics for a Free Choice, and the journal "Conscience" issued by pro women's rights practising Christians. While I am not myself a Christian, Christians have told me that both publications have been useful for them.
If you're interested, Paula, you might write to me c/- Women's Abortion Campaign PO Box 5226 West End 4101.
Anna McCormack
Fairfield Qld
The push
Imagine you are a dentist. You have before you a patient with a badly decayed tooth. The tooth has deep roots and is hard to extract. All you need to do is push ...
The dentist is the revolutionary movement.
The decayed tooth is the capitalist system.
Everywhere people are joining the revolution ...
Rock bands and artists of all kinds, hippies, punks, greens, feminists, students, gay and lesbian activists, Aboriginal land-rights activists, welfare lobbyists, the public media, unionists and left wing groups. Even churchmen are joining the revolution.
The capitalist system is badly decayed ...
1987 Stock-Market crash, economic recession, companies such as Pyramid going bust, entrepreneurs like Skase, Bond, Fairfax and Ansett going bankrupt, 10% unemployment, crime waves, etc.
The time has come for the revolutionary movement to put the capitalist system out of its misery.
The Philippines, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union have recently shown us the value of peaceful people's power revolution.
If we can get hundreds of thousands of people out into the streets, the capitalist system won't last long. They don't need to be armed. In fact, it is vital that the revolution be achieved peacefully.
To do this, the revolutionary and progressive movement needs to settle its differences. No more factions, splits and squabbling. We have more in common with each other than we do with our enemy.
Who is our enemy? All capitalists, yuppies and conservative politicians: 10% of the population that owns 50% of Australia's wealth.
Let us unite together and give the capitalist system one last heave ...
As the late Jim Morrison sang, "Get together one more time".
Graeme Merry
Clayton Vic
Abortion demonstration
In reply to Rose McCann's letter GLW Oct 30.
What was there to so dislike about the "Confront Fred Nile" Demonstration?
It wasn't small, unless you consider 500 people "small".
It achieved what it set out to do, humiliating and disrupting a prominent Right-Winger drowning out his hateful tirade against Abortion and Gay sexuality.
It cohered people against the Nile Bill, which still looms as a challenge to women's right to abortion and mobilised them to actively struggle against it.
The I.S.O. made every effort to involve other organisations like the D.S.P. or W.A.A.C. The reasons those organisations did not make the effort is up to them to explain to their constituencies.
Rose McCann attacks us for personalising the issue of Abortion. If I may draw a parallel - George Bush is a focus for disgust at the New World Order. That is why there is to be an "Anti-George Bush" rally rather than an "Anti US Imperialism" rally.
In regards to Fred Nile, the I.S.O. felt that an opportunity existed to challenge the Right and its anti-women, anti-gay agenda. It has been our experience during the Abortion campaign that Fred Nile is the person most connected in people's minds with this agenda.
It is imperative for the future of the left, for us to be able to pinpoint what angers ordinary people and organise around those things.
Judging by the turnout on the day, people wanted to fight. The I.S.O. took responsibility for cohering that fight.
If the left is going forward, we have to be at the forefront of struggles not trail whinging and carping in their wake.
Amanda Dole
I.S.O.
Sydney
Defend Cuba
As always the left debates many issues. But it seems to us that we should be able to agree on one thing - what is capitalism and what is a revolutionary attempt to replace capitalism.
It is clear that one small group, the International Socialist Organisation, cannot recognise a living revolution when it sees one.
At an ISO-sponsored public meeting in Melbourne on October 31, ISO speakers likened Cuba to Burma and North Korea (on other occasions, the Cuban government has even been compared by ISO members to that of Nazi Germany!).
Only in the case of a direct military attack on Cuba did the ISO say they would campaign for Cuba's right to self determination. In the meantime they call for the workers of Cuba to overthrow the Cuban revolutionary government.
It is incredible that despite Cuba's massive achievements in health, living standards and culture which contrasts dramatically with the rest of Latin America, Cuba is regarded by some leftists (in the affluent West) as just another Third World dictatorship!
The reason why Cuba is coming under such strong attack from the United States government is precisely because it sets an important example to the rest of the Third World of an alternative to capitalist underdevelopment. Cuba has a great record for internationalism (it sends more doctors to the Third World than the World Health Organisation) and now is the time to return that solidarity.
Differences aside, socialists and progressives everywhere should unite in defence of the Cuban people and their revolution.
Pip Hinman, Peter Boyle, Jorge Jorquera,
Rex McLeod
Melbourne
Media
A Murdoch, Packer media empire would be the dawn of a de facto dictatorship in Australia with parliament and the government of the day on their hands and feet grovelling for mercy.
Michael Rose-Schwab
Rapid Creek NT