TORRES OUTLINES POLICIES OF BOLIVIAN GOVERNMENT LA PAZ—In an interview with correspondents of Soviet news- papers Pravda and Izvestia, President Juan Jose Torres outlined the policies of the new Bolivian government. He said “the state will be in control of the main branches of industry including metallurgy, gas extraction and petro-chemistry. We shall encourage agricultural production . . . and develop our cooperatives.” He said the govern- ment would steadfastly adhere to an independent foreign policy. “We shall widen our relations with the socialist world as required by our mutual interests, and must not at the same time forget about the problems connected with Bolivia’s geographic position.” COMMON MARKET MINISTERS IN TRADE WAR WITH U.S. LUXEMBOURG—Foreign ministers of the six European Common Market countries approved a $3.8 billion budget for 1971 and dis- cussed proposals for achieving a full economic and monetary union, including creation of a common European currency to rival the U.S. dollar by 1980. Italy is expected to press for retaliatory measures by the six against the United States if the so-called “Mills Bill,” imposing import restrictions on shoes and textiles, is passed by the U.S. Congress. GREEK JOURNALISTS PROTEST U.S. AID TO JUNTA NEW YORK—Twenty-five Greek journalists living in exile have protested to President Nixon his administration’s decision to resume the shipment of heavy arms to the ruling fascist junta in Greece. They challenged White House claims that the trend in Greece is to- ward “constitutional order,” declaring that hundreds of political prisoners languish in Greek prisoris and freedom of the press is non-existent. SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL FOR EUROPEAN CONFERENCE PARIS — The bureau of the Socialist International has approved the convocation of an all-European conference om questions of secur- ity and cooperation. Chairman Bruno Pitterman told correspondents Oct. 26. Representatives of Socialist and Social-Democratic parties attended the meeting from Austria, Belgium, France, Federal Ger- many, Britain, Israel, Italy, Holland, Denmark and Finland. . U.S. ADMITS VIOLATIONS OF SOVIET AIR SPACE WASHINGTON — State Department officials have acknowledged that a Soviet charge of at least ten U.S. violations of Soviet air space in the past decade is correct. The U.S. said the violations were all accidental, but the USSR says they were “openly hostile to the Soviet Union” and resulted from increased activity at U.S. bases around the Soviet border. No Soviet violations of U.S. air space have been claimed during this period. BU PT : Family protection and laws on abortion in the USSR | iA iF TOMVAQENUAUAUEUEOUALALEVEAASOOEOUOEEEOUEOEDEOEOUUEE AUAGEUUOUOEOUEGEOOOEOUOUOUOUEOETEGCOOOUOOOUEUEOEOUOUOUOOSOOUOOOOOOOEOEOOUEOUOOOEOEOCOCOUOUEOEOOONOUOUOUOUEOEOAOEOEOEOUOQOOONOUOOUODOONOOONOOUEUOOOUOUOUOUESOOOOSONOOOUOOUOOEONOUOUOEGEDUOUOOEOOID” By ELENA KORENEVSKAYA Abortion in the Soviet Union is legal, easily accessible under the health service, free of charge to women who work, or at a small fee to those not in employ- ment. That’s not to say that abor- tion is encouraged. On the .con- trary, the Health Service and other social organizations give widespread publicity to the pos- sible hazards of the artificial ter- mination of pregnancies, espe- cially a first pregnancy. The marked decline in the number of abortions over the past two years is directly attri- butable to this publicity, to bet- ter facilities for contraception and improved sex education among the population. Yet much remains to be done before abortion becomes the rarity that medical and social opinion would like it to be. The essence of the official Rus- sian attitude is summed up in the words of Dr. Olga Nikonsh- chikova of the Institute of Gy- naecology and Obstetrics: “With legalized abortion there is less danger to the health of women than existed when it was ban- ned.” Abortion was first legalized in Russia in 1920 following the de- vastation of the Civil War, when living conditions were poor and the majority of women in their new-found freedom were going out to work. Abortions were generally free of charge and were performed at State hospitals. Doctors in pri- vate practice (of whom there PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 need Tad wa x5 3 FEAR ¥) 23 ’ a4 i were many at the time) were not allowed to perform such opera- tions, because in the majority of cases they lacked the necessary facilities and adequate sanitary conditions. At the same time, the ’20s witnessed an unprecedented ex- pansion in scientific research on mother and child-care. A Mater- nity Protection Institute was set up, Which became a centre for the best specialists working in that field. One of the most active groups at the institute was that studying abortion in all its as- pects. Medical opinion on abortion was clear; physiologically, it could be harmful to the female organism, but socially, by giving women the right to decide for themselves whether or not to have children, it was necessary and even beneficial. Practice showed that prohibi- tions did not stop abortion, but merely added to the risks to health and life from illegal abor- tions. The country was tod poor and too preoccupied at that time to tackle adequately the problems of the mass production of con- traceptives, sex education and extensive campaigns on the harmfulness of indiscriminate abortions. Yet, the booklets on sex. edu- cation that were put out were a big step forward in a country where for generations a prudish attitude had prevailed. A declining birthrate strength- ened the hand of the advocates LSS RSA fais Pisano ig eRe DETROIT — Black Panther Party spokesmen charge that police were prepared to- apply weapons of war, including a tank, in a “confrontation” with 17 members of the National Committee to-Combat Fascism (NCCF) but were thwarted by the people of the community, who bodily protected the youths for 10 hours. The incident began when two youths in an inter-racial section of the city were harassed by police and two NCCF members tried to stop it. A scuffle ensued and a riot call was issued, bring- ing the tactical mobile unit with cars and guns into the area. In the melee that followed one policeman was killed and an- other wounded. Although no one knew who had fired, the cops attacked the house with shot- guns where the NCCF was located. : William Allan, reporter for the Daily World and the Cana- dian Tribune, tells what .hap- pened then: “When I arrived on the scene at 7 p.m., a 10-block square area had been cordoned off by police cars, with hundreds of commu- nity people, black, Chicano, white, mostly youths, demon- strating outside the blockade. “A committee of 10 local lead- ers forced the cops to hold their fire while they talked to the 17 young people inside the house, now lit up with police flood- lights, and the focus of at least 100 firearms. : “The local committe couldn't convince the youngsters to come out and face the trigger-itching wall of death awaiting them in the street and. alley. I couldn’t in 1936, a Government decree made abortion illegal, explained officially by the need to boost the birthrate in the conditions of rising living standards. As a consequence, illegal abor- tions became commonplace, in- curring medical eomplications, fatalities and more cases of sterility among.women, particu- larly in rural areas where emer- gency medical services were often lacking and the conditions in which abortions were carried out were primitive. It was not until 1955 that abortion was again made legal. The decree legalizing it pointed out: “Abortion is not innocent. It inflicts harm on the female organism, especially in a first pregnancy. “A reduction in abortions can be achieved, not through a com- plete prohibition, which can have the opposite effect to what is in- tended, but by an intensive cam- paign against them, by better sex education and by more faci- lities for contraceptives.” Today any woman who wants an abortion simply goes to her local polyclinic. She is given a thorough examination, and if there are no medical objections she is told the place and the time of the operation, which is usu- ally within three days. An abortion is not given after the 12th week of pregnancy un- less there are sound medical rea- sons why it should be. Working women in the lower- income bracket pay nothing for an abortion and the trade union le a BULA LNA, UY) IT ATE LE | | Neighbors prevented massacre get through the lines until NCCF leaders said they wanted other representatives. than from- the capitalist press. I then held up my police card and shouted, ‘My sister Angela Davis is in jail. Vl go in.’ “Police Commissioner, John ‘Nichols, told them, ‘If that’s whom you want, bring him in.’ The scene was oné to chill the blood. Police crouched behind fences and cars, their caps turn- ed backward, rifles, shotguns, teargas guns, sacks of shell, and the ugly monster of a tanks were within sight of the 17 teenagers inside the house. “The constant clicking of trig- gers and yells of the cops were heard. The house was under the daylight glare of enormous spot- lights, while for many blocks .around hundreds of homes were darkened, with their terrified residents crouching or lying down as orders came from police to stay indoors. “Despite hysterical broadcasts by the press, TV and radio that the youths in the house were ‘heavily armed and had a dyna- mite cache,’ 24 hours’ later there was still rio statement by the police that they had found any- thing. “Acting Mayor Mel Ravits arrived on the scene and offered to go into the house and lead the young people out. At 2 a.m. Ravitz, with some black and white community leaders, led out 10 young men and women down the street. Ravitz held his hands high above his’ head; as did the youths. “The youths were roughly frisked, their hands were hand- cuffed behind their backs, and they were shoved into a patro wagon. ‘ the higher-income group don’t pay a fee, but they are not given paid leave of absence. Usually women take from five to ten days leave, covered by a _. medical certificate, which, inci- dentally, need not mention the specific nature of the illness if a woman prefers not to reveal it. Women not in employment pay a set fee of five roubles for an abortion in urban areas and half as much in rural areas. Medical authorities note with satisfaction that although the overall decrease in abortions is not as significant as could be de- sired, the number of termina- tions of first pregnancies has shown a marked decline. “T don’t know a single doctor who does not hope for the time when abortion will become a rare thing,” Dr. Nikonshchikova told me. / Referring to the family plan- ning campaign, Dr. Nikonshchi- kova said one of-the main vehi- cles, the magazine Health, was extremely popular and its circu- lation had topped ten million. “We have been advocating sex education for years,” she added, “but so far we haven’t won the battle. “Practically nothing is done in schools to teach children about sexual relations, for fear of ‘‘vul- garity’ or of ‘contaminating in- nocence’.”’ In the Soviet Union there is nothing like the marriage coun- cils that exist abroad and the only professional advice open to newly-weds is from the local doctor. Yet a certain prudish- ness exists, and many, young Yeu re tere a we .. all the professions... .... “Next came three moi youths, but four inside refust saying it meant certain death*) come out. They were final) forced out by tear gas shells a hails of bullets. They emeré' with hands held high, One youl” got away.” Iris Pita, member of the Micy gan Committee Against Repre : sion and one of those who hi) stood for almost five hours if freezing cold, protecting Wi!) their bodies, the youngsters | side, said, “The people sav@| these young people tonight. “The thousands who st0 outside the police blockade wouldn’t go home until thay knew they were not injulet|” helped to save them. The me | — bers of the committee we oat ed there on the street were re | ly a thin line before these rifles : and shotguns and that horrible tank with its machine gun, ™ bazooka and gas guns. | have no proof that any of thea youngsters fired that shot. ! { could have been anyone, but ae cause they moved in here, "i up a sign, Black Panther Heat : quarters, they became a tare Now all but two are in jail. | “Bail is $25,000 and $10,000 i connection with complicity will murder. “They must be gotten out "| they will all be railroaded ® jail. a “The acting mayor, Mel Rf vitz, really acted for the people tonight. That was a courage’ act to march down that stree his hands in the air, protectife these youngsters. All the peop! — black and white, who let it known there will be no shoo out in Detroit, was what savel | the youths.” 4 Zi Z\. people hesitate to discuss SY intimate matters even wl doctor. As regards birth control, wi 8 intra-uterus device has fot Q known in the Soviet Union 1 | decades and since it mass P ne |: duction any woman can have net * fitted at the nearest clinic ff | of charge. But there is still 4™ | luctance to use them and @ a ; tain apprehension about th” possible harmfulness. igh Soviet medical circles rem ' rather cautious about the “pil : The Russian pill and those if ' ported from Hungary are am being prescribed only on an ee, perimental basis. Condoms ™|. main the accepted method . | birth control, although phragms and IUD are sl0 - winning favour. Mother and child protecti! ; laws in the Soviet Union are ¥ versally acknowledged to . gl very generous to the workit mother; four months paid le" for each child and jobs kept ® 4 for one year after the birth of child; day and week nurse! name dia” why and kindergartens from the a of one for a nominal charge 2 in some cases, free; schools wit 7 -a prolonged day; summer Le day camps and recreatio® clubs for children. Yet the key problem or rec? ? child upbringing remains a V® real one for Soviet women, Me have always been encouraged d be economically independent 2” ciling professional careers W! ' equal opportunities availabl a ae ——a jes) babe e| to take full advantage of ;