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ACTIVISMWitness forWomen's LivesOn Saturday June 8, in 13 citiesacross the nation, marches wereorganized by NOW to protest theCatholic hierarchy's increasingly stridentopposition to birth control andabortion. CHOICES. Catholics for aFree Choice. RCAR. NARAL and otherpro-choice organizations co-sponsoredand joined in the marches.Although hundreds of people participated,there was virtually no presscoverage in New York except by NBC-TV and ABC-TV News and WCBSNews Radio 88. We have been toldthat CNN covered the march inWashington, but, to date, have notheard if anything was aired.The New York march had beenscheduled to begin at the Archdioceseof NY on 55th and First Avenueand proceed to St. Patrick's Cathedralon 51st and Fifth Avenue. Oralpermission had been given by thepolice department to demonstrateoutside St. Patrick's as long as noamplification was used and weremained on the public sidewalk.Suddenly, as we reached 55th andFifth, we were met by a phalanx ofmotorcycle cops who literally beganto throw up barricades in front ofus. Several of us on the front linesjust missed being badly injuredsuchwas the violence with whichthe heavy wooden barricades werehurled. We were then informed that"for our own protection" we wouldnot be permitted on the same side ofthe street as the Cathedral. We protestedthat we had been given permission,that it was our right astaxpayers to walk on the sidewalk—and the response was that, if we did,we would all be arrested. Unable toreach our attorneys and aware thatwe didn't have enough money forbail, we at last decided to demonstrateacross the street from theCathedral. We were extremely visiblebecause the NY marchers adoptedMerle's idea of wearing red andblue—red for courage, blue forsteadfastness—and we did—fromhead to toe, clothes and ribbons.Despite the police, it was a successfulmarch, the speakers weremoving and eloquent and, best of all,a wedding party emerged from St.Patrick's and stood there watching—and listening. One of our speakersaddressed the bride, saying that shehoped the bride would always havechoices available.Although the day was rainy andovercast, more than 200 peopleturned out.And the media missed it all!Women UniteCross-CountryOne afternoon in April, Merlereceived a phone call inviting her toappear on the Sonia Friedman Show,a popular Detroit talk show, whichwould be aired on station WDIV-TV.She was told she would representthe pro-choice side against Rev. JerryFalwell's anti-choice stand. Merle hadsuccessfully debated Falwell twoyears prior and she very much welcomeda re-match!Early the next morning, callscame in from NOW-DETROIT ANDNOW-NYC, stating that NOW haddone some investigating and foundthat the program had a strong antichoicebias. In fact, Merle would notbe debating Falwell at all, but DianeTrombley, an anti-choice personMerle had just debated in Detroit inJanuary. She also learned thatFalwell would be given air time aloneand be introducing parts of the film"The Silent Scream", after which hewould be answering questions fromthe audience.Merle contacted the producerurging fairness and equal time andthat she be allowed to show PlannedParenthood's filmed rebuttal to "TheSilent Scream" so that the audiencewould be truly presented with bothsides of the issue. She also requestedthat she be allowed to debateFalwell as she was initially asked todo. " You have a chance to be on thesame stage with Jerry Falwell" wasthe producer's response. Merlestressed the issue was not one of apersonal ego trip but one of fairnessin media in presenting this mostimportant issue. Shortly thereafter,the producer called back, saying thatthey would find another pro-choiceperson to do the show.Immediate contact with NOWand other pro-choice people inDetroit produced a promised boycottand picket of the program. Unknownto them, Louise Tyrer, M.D., VicePresident of Medical Affairs. PlannedParenthood Federation of America,(not being aware of the previouspolitical problems), had accepted theproducers invitation and flew toDetroit to appear. The producers,fearing the same thing would happenwith Tyrer as it did with Merle,did not inform Tyrer of Merle'sissues with the programming, and inresponse to questioning calls fromNOW, offered "no comment".At this point, all pro-choicegroups united and informed WDIVthat unless a program was producedthat aired the issues with adequatefairness and equal time, everywoman in every organization wouldboycott the station, and that theywould get as many other women aspossible to join them. As a result ofthis pressure, WDIV committed toallow airing of an entire hour of thepro-choice side before airing theFalwell tape.Pro-choice people thankedMerle, stating that if she hadn'tpushed the issue of equal time andfairness, the Falwell tape would haveaired as scheduled and pro-choicevoices would have been muted.At this writing, the Falwelltape has not been aired.As an extra point of interest,the Sonia Friedman show is on TedTurner's CNN. When women worktogether, even Turner can be turnedaround.