More than 20.000 West Midlanders have signed a petition protesting against proposals to open two National Health Service abortion day care units in the area.
T:es petition, vvhieh also at Lk I plans to use monea from
IL s'eardial Health Authority iy for abortions at the
• it Pregnancy Advisory Lee clinic in Leamington a as.Y.as handed to the R HA last week by Professor Hugh McLaren, a leading consultant gynaecologist.
A separate petition signed by more than 1,000 nurses, organised by the Birmingham I LE nurses group, was handed
the same time.
A Life spokesman corn: ••The West Midlands ailA is one of' the first to ,Lablish plans to spend yet more ishe money on abortions at kpensc of other. nonasversial but vital health "People Should write and lobby now to prevent scarce money from being invested in more killing when the maternity scrs ices. special child-care units and infertility treatment centres arc seriously underfunded."
Meanwhile in Rome the Association of Social Medicine has (petted a centre to offer I ree medical and legal advice to women seeking abortions under the new law• passed in Italy last week.
The law permils abortion within the first VO days of
pregnancy if the mother faces serious physical or mental dimger, or for economic, social. or family rea.o.
It is one of the most liberal abortion measures in Europe, and the Vatican has condemned it. saying that abortion remains an "abominable crime" before od
Before the Bill was passed, it was condemned in the Jesuit review Civiba Catholics as being a inure serious event than the killing of Signor Aldo Moro.
The murdee of Isloro was a "hoi rendous crime," the paper said, "but no damage was done to the principle Of the right to life and to freedom," That right svas under attack in Parliacrieni, it said,
• The abortion issue has also been revived in New Zealand, where Parliament has been presented with a petition carrying more than 250.1)00 signatures calling for the repeal al the existing legislation.
itics of the law have described it as one of the most restrictive in the world.
Many complaints on NHS to Ombudsman Many people arc continuing to complain ahout the National Health Service, according to Sir idwal Pugh, the Health Service Ombudsman.
hi his mutual report for 1977/8, published last week. he said that Yorkshire and -I rent were the only regional authorities which did not have complaints upheld against them. Out of 20 cases involving the North East Thames authority, 14 were found to be wholly or partly justified.