Working people in Birmingham know what the real story is. After decades of racist intimidation through the bombing of Black homes and neighborhoods, Birmingham came to be known as "Bombingham." These terrorist attacks were aimed at instilling fear in the Black community to accept the second-class status of Jim Crow segregation. The mass battles of the civil rights movement -waged overwhelmingly by working-class Blacks in Birmingham and many other cities - changed this, winning a huge victory for all working people. Those who fought these battles, and the younger generations who know this is their victory as well, are determined to say "Never again."

Right-wing terrorists like those responsible for the latest bombing gain nourishment from the bipartisan moves to curtail abortion rights that began almost before the ink was dry on the Supreme Court ruling codifying women's right to choose 25 years ago. These attacks have accelerated in recent years - 19 states have mandatory waiting periods for women seeking abortions and 30 require parental consent for minors seeking abortion, to name just a couple examples. The blows to abortion rights are aimed against the working class as a whole. They are among the attempts by the bosses to reverse the gains of the civil rights and women's movements, along with attacks on affirmative action, school desegregation, and others. They are part of the ruling class's attempt to drive down the pay, working conditions, and expectations of women. This is why the labor movement should champion the fight to defend these rights.

In 1991- 92, in Birmingham and elsewhere, antichoice groups tried to use large mobilizations to shut down clinics, but were pushed back by mass clinic defense. There rightists received a political blow, which registered the widespread support for a woman's right to choose among the working class and others. In turn the antichoice groups resorted to terror.

U.S. president William Clinton, along with many other Democrats and Republicans who have agreed to backing a slightly modified ban on a type of late-term abortion, gives wind to the sails of these groups. Supporters of women's rights, and all democratic rights, must respond through visible, public protests. The upcoming Northeast Young Feminists Summit in Boston will also be a good place for supporters of women's right to meet and discuss the continued struggle for women's rights.  
 
 
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