September 4, 2000 Features Never Mind the Bollocks BY BILL BOISVERT Here's the new Republican Party The Battle of Philadelphia BY DAVE LINDORFF Working It BY DAVID MOBERG Will unions go all out for Gore? Black Radicals Regroup BY SALIM MUWAKKIL Detroit hosts the Black Radical Congress. Mad Sheep Scare BY TERRY J. ALLEN Farmers, scientists and the USDA square off in Vermont. News Cleaning Up BY HANS JOHNSON Missouri, Oregon consider campaign finance initiatives. Star Strike BY BEN WINTERS Actors demand a better deal. Renegade or Redeemer? BY STEVE ELLNER Hugo Chavez leads Venezuela into a new era. The New Front BY KARI LYDERSEN American anti-abortion groups crusade in Ireland. Profile BY TED KLEINE Johnny Lira is in their corner. Views Editorial BY DAVID MOBERG Big money problems. Appall-O-Meter BY DAVID FUTRELLE A Terry Laban Cartoon Dialogue: The Balkans More Conspiracy Theories? BY EDWARD S. HERMAN A Humanitarian Crusade BY DIANA JOHNSTONE Culture A Man for All Seasons BY HOWARD ZINN Francis Wheen's Marx: A Life. Interstate Rambler BY PHILIP CONNORS On the road with Larry McMurty. England's Dreaming BY JOHN GHAZVINIAN History falls off the back of a lorry. Under the Influence BY JASON SHOLL Sadie Plant writes on drugs. Vanishing Act BY JOSHUA ROTHKOPF Paul Verhoeven's Hollow Man. Presidential Dance Parties BY GREG SMITHSIMON

The New Front By Kari Lydersen In the eyes of militant anti-choice leaders, Ireland is the final frontier. The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are the only countries in Europe where abortion is still prohibited by law, except in cases of extreme danger to the mother. Now, just as pro-choice advocates are making headway there, American pro-life groups are flocking to the Emerald Isle to protect the last place where "baby-killing is still illegal." The Irish government is currently reviewing a study that addresses some of the medical, social and legal issues surrounding abortion. Irish pro-choice advocates predict that the document may lead to more abortion rights for women. Though concrete changes could be years away, the fact that the government is publicly examining the issue at all is a good sign, say pro-choice advocates. For the time being, they want to protect the right to receive "nondirective" counseling about the availability of abortions in England. About 5,000 Irish women pursue this option each year despite the considerable expense - as much as $850 plus travel costs. The pro-choice movement has been steadily gaining strength over the past decade. In 1992 Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) director Tony O'Brien and other reproductive rights advocates formed the Alliance for Choice, which introduced "nondirective" reproductive counseling to the country. The Irish Supreme Court also made relatively abortion-friendly rulings in two highly publicized court cases in 1992 and 1995; public debate surrounding the rulings revealed increasing support for reproductive choice, O'Brien says.   TOP HOME SUBSCRIBE MAIL   In These Times © 2000 Vol. 24, No. 20