[NYTr] Amnesty Intl's abortion stance splits grassroots support

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

sent by Tim Murphy (activ-l)

The Independent - Sep 1, 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2917336.ece

Amnesty's abortion stance splits grassroots support 

By Cahal Milmo 

The Bromley and Orpington Amnesty International Group will conduct its
fundraising activities much as normal this autumn. Alongside a sponsored
walk in Kent and a street collection in London, a local theatre group
will lay on a charity premiere of its production of Arthur Miller's
Death of a Salesman.

But beneath the busy exterior of grassroots cam-paigning, there are
rumblings of discontent. The group of about 25 activists in the suburbs
of south-east London is one of a growing number across Britain which is
grappling with resignations and dissent in the aftermath of Amnesty
International's decision last month to change its stance on abortion.

A vote by the organisation's executive committee, composed of members
from 52 countries, to campaign for the right of women to have access to
abortion in certain circumstances was greeted by the high-profile
resignations of two bishops and criticism from the Vatican, which
accused Amnesty of betraying its founding principles and called for
Catholics to stop donating to the group.

Now some within Amnesty's 250,000-strong UK membership have added their
weight to what critics say is a rebellion by activists over the change
of policy and the way in which it was achieved.

The divisions have been intensified by the fact that many of Amnesty's
local groups, which account for 7,000 members, have their origins in
churches and religious groups bitterly opposed to abortion. Amnesty
raises #250,000 a year through its UK branches.

Neville White, chairman of the Bromley and Orpington group, said his
group, which raises about #5,000 a year for Amnesty, has lost a
Catholic member who was responsible for auditing its accounts while
other groups in the area have suffered further resignations and the
threat of the withdrawal of their meeting rooms by churches.

The Independent has been told that branches in Birmingham, Liverpool,
Leeds and Newcastle have also been hit by departures of long-standing
members and there have been calls for debate about the possibility of
unilaterally opting out of the new policy.

Mr White, who has contributed to a debate on the issue in the letters
page of this newspaper, said: "I think the leadership of Amnesty have
failed to grasp how divisive this policy has been and instead taken the
view that they must not buckle to the views of local campaigners.

"Much of the strength of Amnesty lies in the work of its local
activists who are on the streets weekend after weekend and yet the
consultation of the membership was at best too brief and lacking in the
necessary depth to tackle such a sensitive subject.

The branch, which was founded by members of a Quaker group, is to meet
with other local activists to discuss a further response to the new
policy, which was adopted with a large majority at a meeting of
Amnesty's governing council in Mexico. The policy has also provoked
strong reactions beyond Britain. Amnesty has two million members
worldwide, many of them in staunchly Catholic countries.

Under the new provision, Amnesty will now campaign for countries to
allow abortion for women in cases of rape, incest, sexual assault or
when the pregnancy put the mother's life or her health at grave risk.

The human rights group denied that it had rushed through its
consultation with its UK membership, saying it had begun a debate on
the abortion issue early in 2005 and been voted on by its annual
meeting twice. It also played downd resignations among its membership.

A spokeswoman said: "There has not been an exodus. If anything, we have
had a number of people making of point of showing their support for the
policy. Our local groups are very important and we deeply respect
anybody's right to follow their conscience."