UFAWU to shut plants
to protest GATT ruling

— page 12

Dressed as characters out of A
Handmaid’s Tale — Margaret Atwood’s
bleak novel of an oppressive post-feminist
society — demonstrators make point against
Socreds government’s anti-women stance
Feb. 24.

They were part of an estimated 2,000 who
spontaneously swelled the ranks at a rally
outside the provincial legislature to protest

Editorial, page 4

the government’s refusal to fund abortions
through the provincial medical plan, a
position currently being challenged through
the courts. The rally, sponsored by the
Victoria-based Status of Women Action
Group, heard several speakers, including
NDP MLA Joan Smallwood and provincial

Mary Connolly of Physicians For Choice

leader Michael Harcourt, (photo at right) Dr,

Rally hits Socred
Stand on abortio

and Norah Hutchison of Concerned Citizens
for Choice on Abortion.

Another speaker, Maggie Thompson of
the B.C. Coalition for Abortion Clinics, said
later the coalition is very optimistic a
Vancouver clinic can be established soon,
based on the coalition’s “bottom line”
principals, including not denying service to
any woman unable to pay for an abortion,
and billing the B.C. Medical Plan for each
operation. She said the coalition has a long-
term goal of establish a women’s health
centre, with several other services, hopefully
later this year.

March 2, 1988
4%

Vol. 51, No. 8

SILCKOFO XOIWIIETRA Soci
ganization of agricilture; 4. 4:
re-tuning.

nepectyknna une cfc me;

JACKIE AINSWORTH

PHOTOS