The following statement was issued June 13 by SWP candidates James Harris and Laura Garza.

The call by presidential candidate Robert Dole for a "declaration of tolerance" on the question of abortion at the Republican Party convention reflects the deep gains women have won in establishing the right to control their bodies. Rightists like Patrick Buchanan have made little headway in their "cultural war" against abortion rights; the big majority, especially among working people, support women's right to choose.

While unable to turn back history to the days of illegal, back-alley abortions, Republican and Democratic politicians alike have whittled away at access to abortion - from the federal Hyde Amendment barring Medicaid funding for the procedure to state laws like Wisconsin's waiting period and the ban on abortion insurance for state workers just issued by Virginia governor George Allen.

Now is the time for all supporters of women's rights to press the fight to defend and extend abortion rights. We urge unionists, students, and others to get out in the streets and in front of the clinics to say, "We will not go back. Keep abortion safe, legal, and accessible to all."  
 
 
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