An outpouring of hundreds of thousands in the streets of Washington will be an important boost to the defense of the right to abortion. It will increase the confidence of women and working people to rely on their own strength in fighting for their rights. And it will send a message to the U.S. rulers underscoring the deep-rooted support among tens of millions—workers and farmers above all—for a woman’s right to control her own body and reproductive functions.

We urge you to join with others in making the April 25 march a resounding success. Bring co-workers, students, family and friends to local “meet-ups” and other events to build the action. Join with others to leaflet on street corners, in working-class areas, on high school and college campuses. Team up with fellow workers to sell bus tickets.

The front-page ad in this week’s Militant refers readers to the page eight directory of distributors of this paper, its sister publication in Spanish, Perspectiva Mundial, and Pathfinder books for more information. The halls listed there are now serving as centers for information on building the march and travel to Washington.

A woman’s right to decide whether or not to have children is a question of crucial importance to working people. It is a precondition for women’s ability to have control over their lives and for their equality in employment and other areas of social life. The victory won in 1973 with the Supreme Court decision decriminalizing abortion has been a victory for the entire working class. The labor movement has a big stake in defending the right to choose.

Who benefits from women’s second-class status? The ruling billionaire families. They are the ones who rake in enormous profits by paying women workers less than men, putting the responsibility for child-rearing on the shoulders of individual women, scapegoating women for social problems caused by capitalism, and trying to keep women from getting involved in union and political activity. That is why the U.S. rulers have carried out a bipartisan offensive that has resulted in restrictions on women’s access to abortion.

These attacks fall most heavily on working-class women. The 1976 Hyde Amendment denies Medicaid funding for abortion in most cases. Fewer than 15 percent of counties in the United States have an abortion provider—a brutal reality for women in rural areas. Parental consent and waiting period laws add further curbs, with a disproportionate effect on working-class women. One of the most recent attacks is the enactment of the misnamed Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. This law not only bars a certain type of late-term abortion procedure, but is worded in a way that would criminalize a range of commonly used medical procedures after the first trimester of pregnancy.

Thousands of defenders of the right to abortion are not only planning to go to Washington, but are seeking to be politically armed—to understand where the attacks on women’s rights come from, the social forces needed to defend these rights, and an effective strategy to do so. The Militant and Pathfinder books are invaluable tools in this regard. We urge you to take advantage of the Pathfinder Supersaver discounts listed on page three to get books that give clear, working-class answers to these questions. And make sure to order large stacks of the “Build the April 25 March on Washington/Pathfinder Supersaver Sale” handout as part of building the demonstration.

All out to Washington for the March for Women’s Lives on April 25!
 
 
Related articles:
Building of April 25 march on Washington picks up momentum
Abortion curbs hit working women harder
Thousands march in Argentina for a woman’s right to choose abortion  
 
 
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