Motions to call a national abortion conference on July 15-16 in New York, to hold an international tribunal in the fall, and to intensify WONAAC's support to the Abortion Rights Act now in Congress were passed after a lengthy and heated debate.

This debate reflected sharp disagreements within WONAAC over perspectives for continuing the struggle to repeal anti- abortion laws in the face of the growing mobilization of anti-abortion forces.

In just the past few months the women's movement has been confronted with the near adoption of a law overturning the liberalized abortion statute in New York. Also, a new, more restrictive abortion law was passed in Connecticut. This came after women had won a significant victory in the courts against Connecticut's old law.

June 14, 1947
June 9 - More than 11,000 Pennsylvania soft coal miners have downed tools in protest against the Taft-Hartley bill. The stoppage began three days ago when 400 men in the Fayette-Greene County area decided it was time to take action against the Taft-Hartley anti-labor bill now on Truman's desk.

Their strike was not official. Andrew S. Rayner, president of the Gates Mine local of the United Mine Workers, declared: "The men refused to work for some reason but the local did not call any strike."

The strike rapidly mushroomed throughout the Pittsburgh area. "The men think President Truman will veto the anti- strike bill if all the men come out on the strike." said John Ozanich, president of the Robena local. "The men went to work Saturday morning, but the word was spread around that there was no work on account of that bill."

As the spontaneous protest action swept from mine to mine, United Mine Worker officials tried to get the men back to work, but up to now appeared to have no success. At Uniontown, Pa., William J. Hynes, president of UMW District 4, who reported the official efforts to halt the protest action, said the walkout was due to "unrest" over the Taft- Hartley bill.

With 20 mines already shut down, Capt. N.H. Collisson, Coal Mines Administrator, ordered an "investigation." Under government operation of the mines, the United Mine Workers are subject to savage court penalties for official strike action. The Krug-Lewis agreement bans demonstrations such as this one. The coal operators can demand the imposition of fines of $1 or $2 a day.  
 
 
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