THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE

During 2010 we heard a great deal about the savage cuts to public services and public sector jobs which the government is currently undertaking. But under the radar there is increasing concern about the future of reproductive health services in the light of the £20 billion ‘efficiency savings’ the NHS has been told to make and the radical reorganisation that it is facing. Abortion and contraception are hidden and stigmatised services, the poor relation of public health, vulnerable to ideological assault and often overlooked when tough decisions are being made about which areas should be prioritised. But they are vital: one in three women will need to have an abortion at some point; and access to reliable contraception is needed for at least 30 years of a woman’s life. Having control over when and whether to have children is at the heart of women’s social, economic and educational equality. And it should be at the heart of Britain’s public health strategy. We saw real improvements in access to abortion services under the last government – with the NHS paying for more treatment rather than leaving women to bear the cost of termination themselves, reduced waiting times and fewer delays, resulting in earlier abortions using safer procedures and significant falls in the teenage pregnancy rate. Yet Abortion Rights is already seeing alarming signs of a lack of commitment and funding for this sector from the coalition government. Expert groups devoted to formulating strategy in these areas have been axed in the government’s ‘bonfire of the quangos’. Contraception and sexual health clinics are facing closure and there is virtual paralysis in the soon-to-be-axed Primary Care Trusts in commissioning training and other vital services amid uncertainty over how their responsibilities will be transferred to Local Authorities and what funding will be available. Cuts to public services and benefits will hit women disproportionately hard – particularly low income and working class women. Economic hardship and reduced support and welfare services maternity grants, Sure Start centres, childcare, to name but a few – make it harder for families to thrive. This has a knock-on effect on whether women feel able to start or expand their families – limiting genuine reproductive choice. Moreover, economic disadvantage is strongly associated with increased levels of abortion. The ultimate effect of the government’s spending programme could mean that abortion rates among teens and women of all ages start to rise again – something none of us want to see. That’s why Abortion Rights is campaigning to stop these cuts to public services and spending and it will be at the top of the agenda at our AGM on March 19, when we’ll be hearing from TUC Deputy general secretary Kay Carberry. We’ll be at TUC Women’s Conference and marching under the Abortion Rights banner at the national demonstration in support of public services on March 26. We hope to see you there! For further information about Abortion Rights or to join the campaign visit www.abortionrights.org.uk THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE Abortion Rights campaign co-ordinator Darinka Aleksic assesses the outlook for abortion rights in 2011 RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2011 :: RMTnews 27 PRO-CHOICE: Lorene Fabian of the Abortion Rights Executive Committee with Bob Crow at last year's TUC Congress in Manchester.