DON'T FOOL WITH WOMEN'S LIVES

SAN FRANCISCO-This April 1, women and men can demonstrate
that they aren't fooling about defending reproductive
rights-at the "Rally for Women's Lives" called by the San
Francisco Bay Area Pro-Choice Coalition. The Coalition
represents a broad spectrum of Bay Area women's advocacy and
reproductive rights groups.

"There is a new level of outrage among women," said
Coalition member Claudette Begin. This rally will give voice
to outrage at the violence committed by anti-abortionists,
most recently the slayings of two abortion clinic workers in
Massachusets, and the fire-bombings at several Northern
California clinics.

Although the rally was precipitated by the increased attacks
from the ultra-right, Begin said, it is also aimed at the
government for not vigorously investigating and prosecuting
those responsible for the violence. "Politicians don't
consider defending a woman's right to choose to be a
priority. The majority of people in this country do. We aim
to remobilize that majority sentiment," Begin told the News.

The rally also calls for an end to the war on poor women, as
examplified by right-wing efforts to cut assistance to
children and their mothers on welfare, to deny aid to single
parent families, to ship poor children off to orphanages,
and to deny prenatal care to immigrant women. "It is
important to see these as another aspect of government
taking away women's reproductive rights,"  said Begin. "We
must put the rights of all women on equal footing."

The rally will begin at noon at United Nations Plaza near
the Civic Center BART station in San Francisco. For info:
(415) 995-2684.-Jonathan Nack