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THE LABOUR LIFE GROUP is a group of pro-life Labour Party members. We are not affiliated to any other political body or pro-life organisation. We are completely independent and self-financing. The majority of our members are women. We exist to protect the rights of the unborn child and the mother, particularly the unsupported mother. We demand better care for single mothers , better housing, benefits and education, so that women can make a real choice whether to continue pregnancy. We demand that women are told the full details of abortion so that they may make a real choice.
DIANA I was born in 1948 with spina bifida. My parents were told I would either die or become a cabbage! After lessons at home, and an initial unhappy experience at school, I took "O" and "A" levels (a big struggle), then a BA (Admin) at the University of Manchester. I have had various jobs in social work, am married with two sons. I am interested in current affairs, handicrafts, music and reading, and writing to pen friends - two of whom on Death Row. I don't regard any of this as remarkable, yet even some of my closest colleagues and friends see me to some extent as "different". I have always identified with the "underdog" and am drawn therefore to the Labour Party - but I am appalled by the dogmatism and intolerance of "pro-life" which we find in its ranks - especially those whom one would expect to be tolerant and open minded.
CATHERINE I had a termination feeling love for my child, an even greater love for the father and believing in the sanctity of life, and I do not believe I am unique in that. It is plainly absurd to speak of "pro-life" or "pro-abortion". How can one be "pro-abortion"? It is a deeply distressing, traumatic experience. My tragedy, and the millions of tragedies worldwide happen, because of fear and ignorance. For many years I was silent about it, as many women are, but then I had to confront my overwhelming pain and in doing so I began to speak openly of it to family and friends. The secrecy and shamefulness around the issue only exacerbate the root of the problem, which is ignorance. Although I am a socialist, I feel this is an issue that spreads across all parties and peoples. The strength of the Labour Life Group is that it has the possibility of bringing in legislation for the provision of real mandatory counselling. What we are never told is that there is another way, that it is not a "solution" to kill the baby. This is a real misunderstanding of freedom and the "right to choose".
STEVE I am a fire fighter. My job brings me in frequent contact with life-and-death situations and it can be harrowing. If I have to rescue a pregnant woman, as far as I'm concerned, I rescue two people. If the woman were to subsequently abort her child, my efforts to save that child's life will have been wasted. Men do suffer from abortion too, and men have a part to play in the pro-life debate. We've got to promote what we're taking about. The most important thing for me is having a family and doing the best you can for them. Real success in this world is how good your kids are, how nice they are to each other, not how much wealth you've got. You should be helping those who haven't got so much. Men should be promoting the family. Because I'm a left-winger, people automatically believe I'm for a woman's right to choose. I've been accused of supporting the National Front! But its my right to choose what I believe in.
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