Pro-choice protest

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/14/italy.abortion.inquiry

Today, on a wander after a lecture, I chanced upon the Bologna Womens Network library and computer room. Outside, was a notice saying that the office would be closing early today due to a protest all the staff were attending.

I've attached above an article about the situation in Italy in English. Not only does it highlight a horrific incident which took place in Naples it is also about the attitude of Berlusconi towards this issue. A newspaper editor has called for the UN to declare a moratorium on abortions. And unbelievably, Berlsuconi yesterday declared his support.

I am one of those terrible highly opinionated people who will happily declare my support for protesters and applaud their actions but I am usually unwilling to actually go along and show my support. This was the first occasion I have been moved to go to a protest, apart from the enormous Iraq war protest which I only went to pathetically because my mum, brother and all my friends at Woodcraft were going.

The protest was held the Sant'Orsola hospital as this is the Hospital with the highest number of conscientious objectors to performing abortions in the country. As people at the protest said, this is shocking in Bologna, a reknowedly liberal city. In fact I just heard on the radio that 6/10 medics in Italy are objectors and in some areas it is practically impossible to get an abortion without an enormous wait.

Notable at the protest was the relative lack young people. One of my lecturers who was there told me she was scared at this ageing of the feminism in Italy as the people who had turned out were those who had been around during the original campaign to get the 'legge 194' which legalised abortion in 1974.

The protest went from the car park outside the hospital to the street outside, blocking the traffic, then all 500 or so people , and a few press, walked down from hospital one of the main streets into town and onto the main square. Ironically but perhaps intentionally, ending up outside the main Cathedral in Bologna. It was a fantastic 'presidio' - people turned out in force, all very good natured, singing and chanting witty slogans.

I walked the whole way with a diplomacy student, who asked me, 'Why would you leave a civilised country like the UK, to come to *this*?'. The chants of the protesters declared Berlusconi's stance a step back to medieval times. I hope desperately for all Italian women that Berlusconi isn't elected. As another chant went, 'il vero assasine, e l'aborto clandestine' - 'the real killer, is back street abortions'.