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Vol. VIII, 1987$2.95The Journal of Substance for Progressive WomenExclusive Interviews with Phyllis Chester& Harriet PilpelFlo Kennedy/Irene Da vail: "Is Racismthe Rectal Thermometer*/**BETHWWTEHEAD{UR*»of a Sick Society? "MH: ON THE ISSUESHkWomen demonstrate outside Bergen County Courthouse for Mary Beth Whitehead's right to retain custody of her daughter.

ON THEISSUESVol. VIII, 1987CONTENTSPublisher/Editor-in-Chief:Merle HoffmanManaging Editor: Beverly LowyAssistant Editor: Karen AisenbergContributing Editors: Irene Davall,Flo Kennedy, Roberta Kalechofsky,Nancy Lloyd•Art Director: Virginia Kallianes•Advertising Director: Carolyn HandelOffice Services Manager: Anne WalsheEditorial: Merle Hoffman On the Issues 3Phyllis Chesler On: Women, Mothers and Motherhood—An Interview 4Harriet Pilpel On: Women, Law and Social Change—An Interview 5Growing Up Jewish and Female in the 20th Centuryby Roberta Kalechofsky 6ON THE ISSUES.. .A feminist, humanist publicationdedicated to promoting political actionthrough awareness and education; working towarda global political consciousness; fosteringa spirit of collective responsibility for positivesocial change; eradicating racism, sexism,speciesism; and supporting the struggle of historicallydisenfranchised groups powerless toprotect and defend themselves.Publishers Note:In reference to the cover placard reading"Women are not dogs for breeding purposes'.ONJHEJSSUES does not editoriallyor politically support the notion that animalsexist on this planet merely for breeding purposes.We are not editorially responsible forthe level of political consciousness at demonstrationsthat we cover.cfoUnsolicited Manuscripts All unsolicited material will be read by theEditors For return, enclose self-addressed, stamped envelope withproper postage.Articles should not be less than 10 and not more than 15 doublespaced,typewritten pages on women's health, social or political issuesby people with hands-on experience in their fields. Professional papersare acceptable. All editing decisions are at the discretion of the editors.Feminist cartoons are also acceptable under the same provisions.On the Issues does not accept fiction or poetry.Advertising is accepted at the discretion of the publisher. Acceptancedoes not necessarily imply endorsement.ON THE ISSUES is published as aninformational and educational service ofCHOICES Women's Medical Center, Inc.97-77 Queens BoulevardForest Hills. NY 11374Feminism in Australia by Dr. Jocelynne A. Scutt 6Feminist Witchcraft in Today's World by Ann Forfreedom 7The Crusade of Karen Thompson: Part II—An Interview 8Is Racism the Rectal Thermometer of A Sick Society?by Irene Davall and Flo Kennedy 8A Catholic, Feminist Approach To Choice by Frances Kissling 9Ellen Frankfort: In Memorium by Irene Davall 10Early Detection: Breast Cancer [s Curable by Philip strax. M.D 10CHOICES People—A Profile 10We've Come A Long Way??? 12Feedback 14Choice COMING Books IN THE NEXT16ON THE ISSUES• ANDREA DWORKIN ON PORNO-GRAPHY, FEMINIST POLITICS ANDSEXUALITY.• PETRA KELLY, FOUNDER OF THEWEST GERMAN GREEN PARTY, ONNUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, U.S.-SOVIET RELATIONS, FEMINISM, AIDS,PROGRESSIVE POLITICS, NATO,AND—PETRA KELLY.• ROBERTA KALECHOFSKY ON THERELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIVISEC-TION AND PORNOGRAPHY.AND• PAT SCHROEDER — AN EXCLUSIVEARTICLE.Merle HoffmanPublisher/Editor-in-Chief

INTERVIEWPHYLLIS CHESLER On: Women, Mothers and Motherhoodfi\ Mu hpUe Harmon, M.I) (tight of C)ies\t'r)aml l

INTERVIEW 1HARRIET PILPEL On: Women, Law and Social ChangeON: BECOMING A LAWYERI'm one of those who wanted to be alawyer from the time I was 12.When I graduated from high school,the caption under my picture in the yearbookread "A budding Portia", so apparently I hadalready made it known that I wanted to goto law school; and at college. I took whateverlaw courses they had at Vassar — which wereonly two: International Law and Public Law.Then 1 won a fellowship and took a year toget a Masters Degree course in InternationalLaw and International Relations. When Ispoke to my faculty advisor, who happenedto be a law professor, he said, "You know youreally have to be a domestic lawyer beforeyou can be an international lawyer." So Iwent to law school.I was married to a lawyer, before Iwent to school. Not an ideal prescription forone's first year of marriage because you bothwork all the time, and have very little timetogether. But it was stimulating and excitingand at least we shared the same interest. Ihad my first child after I had been married forsix years, three of which were spent in lawschool and three spent getting some sort of atoe-hold on a good job in a law practice. I hadmy second child three and a half years later.ON: WOMEN IN THE COURTSPerhaps I'm peculiar, but I do not feelthat being a woman has been a disadvantageto me as a lawyer. In fact. 1 think it's been anadvantage. I don't have a great many courtroomexperiences because primarily I'm not acourtroom lawyer; I'm a lawyer who makescontracts for the publication of books and theputting on of shows and so on. But I did witnessan argument in one case before the UnitedStates Supreme Court in which JusticeFelix Frankfurter was so hostile to a manwho was arguing a case that he actually satdown in tears.Well, needless to say, I was absolutelyterrified because I figured if he's treating menthis way, I don't dare think about how he'lltreat me. what he'll do to me. But I had forgottenhe came from Vienna. He treated mewith extreme politeness both times I arguedbefore him. Similarly, in the Appellate Divisionhere in New York, there was a judge who didthe same thing. He was out of patience withevery man who appeared before him. 1 wasthe first woman to argue that day and heimmediately became friendly.Maybe it was a different kind of sexism,but I don't think so. I think that, at leastthen, women were such a rarity that thejudges enjoyed them. And mostly the womenwho made it were very good. You had to bevery good then to become a woman lawyer.There were about 12 women out of 269 studentsin my class and that was a lot. At thattime Yale and Harvard did not accept womenat all. But I do not feel that I have been discriminatedagainst.The only part of being a woman law-yer appearing before the Supreme Court ofthe United States that bothered me was thatwe had to take our hats off. And I was a hatperson in those days, both because the typesof hats I wore were flattering and alsobecause it meant I didn't have to do muchwith my hair. When 1 got to the SupremeCourt to argue an important birth controlcase in 1962.1 was told I would have to takemy hat off. It was really very demoralizing.In general. I think that outstandingwomen have done pretty well at the law. ButI think it is true that in almost every lawoffice if you have a man and a woman, ifpresented with a male and a female applicantwho were equally good but not great, in myday, the man would always be selected. But,between a middle-level man and a superiorwoman, they'll take the woman. My guess isthat if faced with a choice between a superiorman and a superior woman, they would probably,at least then, take the superior man.Actually, the way things are today, both couldbe hired. Most law offices are looking for toppeople and that's why they're paying thesefantastic starting salaries of $60,000 andmore a year.ON: MATERNITY/PATERNITY LEAVEI think there should be mandatoryparental leave.My firm's policy (Weil, Gotshal &Manges) is to treat men and women thesame way. New partners are admitted everyyear and quite a few are women. 1 haven'theard anyone say she was passed over becauseshe was a woman. We have a number ofyoung women who have children and whowant to work part time. Some of them workMonday, Wednesday and Friday; some ofthem work Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday.It's up to them and when they go backfull time they can get back on the partnershiptrack.I was at a cocktail reception for theMayor of San Antonio. Henry Cisneros. andKate Rand Lloyd asked a very interestingquestion about whether he favored parentalleave. He said yes and she responded by saying"That's fine, that takes care of the firstsix months of the baby's life. What are youdoing about the remainder of the time?"ON: THE FUNDING BATTLESAs far as funding is concerned withinthe U.S.. there has been an effort both at theState and the Federal levels to defund anycontraceptive facility that does abortions,that refers for abortion or that counsels abortion.At the present time, to the best of myknowledge, there are only 13 states that stillhave state funding; they include California andNew York.On the international front, a new policywas announced by Senator James Buckleyin Mexico City in 1984. Originally what it saidwas that henceforth no American funds wereto be granted to foreign associations orgovernments if they performed abortions,referred for abortions, counseled about abortions,or even sought to change the lawabout abortion, etc. It was originally formulatedto apply to organizations within theUnited States also and to foreign governmentsas well as to foreign health agencies.Apparently, some body or bodies were able topersuade the administration that the "newpolicy" as applied to foreign governments anddomestic corporations was probably illegal,unconstitutional and highly questionable interms of policy. Therefore, the "new policy"provides that no American governmentmoney may be used abroad by any privateagency or individual who uses any money —not just U.S. money — to refer for, counsel ordo abortions. There is presently a case in alower court which seeks to have this policydeclared unconstitutional.The fundamental Constitutional principleinvolved is that under our system of law,a government may not condition the grant ofmoney or services or commodities on therecipient's giving up a Constitutional right. Inthis instance, the Constitutional right of freedomof speech and of the press are involvedas well as the right to privacy. It's a veryimportant case, not only from the standpointof abortion but also from the standpoint ofConstitutional law in general. It is vital thatwe have cases which remind us that majorityrule does not always prevail in the case of theinherent basic rights of individuals.ON: THE SUPREME COURTOne very interesting development inthe United States Supreme Court has beeninsufficiently noted. It has to do with JusticeSandra Day O'Connor.The Federal Government has, formany years, had an arrangement whereby alontiimril tin fuittr 1?On the IssuesVol. VIII

Growing Up Jewish and FemaleIn The 20th Centuryby Roberta KalechofskyFeminism inAustraliaby Dr. Jocelynne A. ScuttMy early personal life—that whichcannot be annulled or denied withoutdenying my existence—was livedin contradiction to what most Jewish Feministsare saying 30 years later about growingup Jewish and female.Because my parents separated when I wastwo. I lived my early years among various relativesand experienced the spectrum of Jewishlife from Orthodox to abnegation. Betweenthe ages of eight and 10 I lived with myfather's parents, Orthodox, East EuropeanJews in a semi-rural neighborhood on theedge of Brooklyn.As the child of divorced parents, whendivorce was rare, and rarer still amongOrthodox Jews, oppression came to me inmany forms, but not through formal Jewishchannels. My first encounter with those twodetermining factors, Jewish and female, waswhen my grandfather had decided that I hadbecome too old to sit on his lap in the shul*.One Friday evening, as we arrived for the service,I was told that I now had to go upstairsto the balcony. I was irritated; I was also coy. 1knew something was afoot and I demandedto know what. He smiled, also coy. but offeredno explanation. I didn't really need one: I nowhad become a sexual creature and I knew thatthe congregation of men knew it also.My second encounter with this newidentity occurred one evening when mygrandparents asked me what I would be whenI grew up. 1 had dozens of answers. The adultworld was enormous, and everything about itdazzled me: flight, glamour, travel, adventure.I wanted it all. My grandparents had othercareers in mind. Solemnly, they delivered myfuture in a nutshell: become educated; if Ibecome educated I can become anything Iwant to become. There were subliminal boundariesto this "anything", which they did notwish to explore at the time, but I was a gluttonfor life and seized the opportunity to geteverything I could. I would be a great leader, ajudge, a lawmaker, but first my wanderlust* "Shul" is the Yiddish word for synagogue.® Roberta Kalechofsky 1987obsession for years to come had to besatiated: I would travel around the world. Iwould see everything that could be seen, thenI would settle for the "anything" I couldbecome. A shadow fell between us. "Not byyourself," my grandfather said, "A womancannot live by herself or travel alone." The distinctionbetween intellectual and sexual freedomwas decisive, and I experienced it ruefully.These rules were reversed when Icame to live with my mother, condemned bymy religious grandparents as "a modernwoman", which meant assimilated (to them),irreligious and. one would have thought,emancipated. Not so! It was a daily knockdown,drag-out fight to go to college. Mymother's worldly advice to her modem daughterwas. "Shut your mouth! A woman'smouth is for kissing, not talking." This wasthe era of Hollywood sirens, lusted over andpraised as being "beautiful but dumb", threewords that have done more harm to me. and Imust assume to many woman of my timeand place, than a thousand mehitzas* coulddo, for they planted the seeds of the perniciousassumption that to be intellectual is tobe unfeminine. Marilyn Monroe's words arehaunting: "Whatever you think of me. pleasetake me seriously." My mother had learnedthat beautiful women never are. She did notlearn that from being Jewish. She learned thatfrom being in the world at a given time and agiven place. Social custom is a powerful force,perhaps more powerful than religion, potentialymore powerful in a mainly secular civilization.Most Jewish women today live largelyin that secular world, professionally, educationally,and often socially, yet Jewish Feminists,a generation later, in counting up thescore of victories and defeats, laid the blamefor their position in the world, largely at thedoor of Judaism, as if they lived only, or evenmainly, as Jews in the modern world.The sources of the Jewish woman'sprofessional and social status are multifarious,and her Judaism is only one of those sources.Moreover, that status has varied enormouslyfrom time to time, and place to place in spiteof the formal "dejure" description of Judaismas a patriarchy. I grew up in the shadow ofPortnoy's mother, that castrating Jewishvirago, depicted by Philip Roth, and stridingthe stage in such recent nostalgic plays asBrighton Beach Memoirs and Of Thee I Sing.But my personal experiences confirmed thatshe existed. All the Jewish women I knew, mymother and grandmothers included, wereviragos, and all the Jewish men I knew lived Interror of them.My generation grew up feeling fatedto marry a "wimp", and wondered how weA "mehitza" is the curtain erected to divide thesitting area of men and women. Many Orthodoxshuls and synagogues frequently have an entirelyseparate area, such as a balcony for women.In Australia, as in the rest of the world,feminism did not begin in the late 1960sand early 1970s. Rather, from the time ofAnglo-Australian settlement in 1788 somewomen in Australia fought explicitly from afeminist perspective to gain equal rights forwomen, in a society that rests strongly uponpatriarchal principles. It is against these principlesand the practices arising from themthat the Australian women's movement haslobbied, argued, fought and, on some occasions,won successes.The Madonna-Whore ComplexColonial Australia was founded on theidea that women could be categorized only asmadonnas or whores. Anne Summer's bookDamned Whores and God's Police, published in1974, critically analysed the prevalent notionthat women coming to Australia as convictswere invariably prostitutes. In her view,women convicts—transported for lesser offencesthan men convicts (in order to keep upthe numbers of females vis-a-vis males, a continuingproblem in the eyes of the ColonialOffice)—were more often victims of rape andother sexual attack and exploitation. Whencoming off the ships after the long journeyout they were paraded like cattle and selectedout as servants and prospective bedmates bysoldiers and settlers. Other historical accountshave shown that women had access to fewtrades or professions which would enablethem to become economically independent ofmen. Katnna Alford in her book Productionand Reproduction recounts the way in whichwomen were deprived of equal access to landgrants: one woman settler wrote to GovernorMacquarie requesting a land grant on thesame terms as men but was refused on thebasis that "regulations" prevented land grantsbeing made to women. Alford's researchshows that no regulations in fact existed butwere enforced because the Governor apparentlybelieved women should not workindependently.But the dichotomy between the"good" and the "bad" woman continues. It isparticularly notable where women commitoffences—particularly where the crimeinvolves allegations of unlawful killing of ahusband, lover, or child. It also arises wherejuvenile women are taken into custody forbeing "incorrigible" or "in moral danger".Two recent criminal cases illustratethe prevailing view. In Perry's case. Emily GertrudePerry was tried for the attemptedmurder of her husband. She was alleged tohave administered poison to him with intentto kill. Mr. Perry said he had been poisonedbecause of his work (restoring pianolas andorgans) which brought him into contact withlarge quantities of lead and arsenic, and protestedhis wife's innocence. The prosecutionignored his version of events, and put intoevidence matters relating to the deaths ofOn the IssuesVol. VIII

three other men with whom Emily Perry hadhad close relationships. She was convicted, butwhen the case went to the High Court of Australiafour judges said some of the evidencehad wrongly been admitted. Two said thatevidence, plus more, should not have been putinto evidence. One of them. Justice Murphy,pointed out that proof of guilt by associationwith circumstances is theoretically acceptableas a means of proving guilt in criminal trials,but it is a highly dangerous way of goingabout finding guilt."This is an extremely dangerousmethod of determining criminal guilt.For centuries it was regularly used inEngland, other parts of Europe andthe American Colonies to convict millionsof persons of the impossiblecrime of witchcraft."Similar concerns were expressed byJustice Murphy about the use of evidence inthe Chamberlain case in 1984. Alice LynneChamberlain was convicted in the NorthernTerritory Supreme Court of murdering hernine-week-old baby by cutting her throat atAyers rock on 17 August 1980. She was sentencedto life imprisonment. Murphy pointedout the absurdity of the Crown case:"The Crown charged a murder committedin a most gruesome manner,within an extremely limited time andin difficult circumstances where thechances of discovery were high. Duringa period of between five and 10 minutesMrs. Chamberlain is alleged tohave gone with Azaria (the baby) andher son Aiden from the barbecue areato their tent some 20-30 metresaway; donned tracksuit pants over herdress: taken Azaria from the tent tothe family car which was parkedalongside; slit Azaria's throat with asharp instrument (possibly scissors)while sitting in the front passengerseat of the car; returned to the tentwith blood on her hands and thetracksuit pants; removed the tracksuitpants and washed her hands in an icecreamcontainer; and returned, quitecomposed, to the barbecue area withAiden."In view of the Crown's claim that agreat deal of blood was shed in the carduring the killing, Mrs. Chamberlainmust also have managed to clean upat least the obvious signs of blood inthe car during this period. The registerednurse who travelled in the carlater in the evening did not notice anyblood. Mrs. Chamberlain also foundtime during these few minutes to putAiden to bed in his sleeping bag, hearhim complain he was still hungry andto collect a can of baked beans fromthe car..."It is not insignificant that both theChamberlain case and Perry's case involvedwomen defendants in trials alleging unlawfulkilling and attempted murder in circumstancesseen in folk-lore as particularly "female".Tales of women as secretive poisoners usingOn the IssuesVol. VIIIi unturned on baaAnn Forfrccd'tinFeministWitchcraftIn Today's Worldby Ann ForfreedomIn 1979, in the backyard of a private homeoutside Sacramento, California, a timelesscircle of women, a "neo-Pagan" studygroup engaged in practicing Witchcraft—especially Dianic Feminist Witchcraftwelcomedthe Great Goddess, the Goddess ofLife, Death and Rebirth into our circle, intoourselves.What is modern Witchcraft; and whyis a specifically feminist Witchcraft needed?Many people who consider themselvesto be "Witches" or "Pagans" today feelthey are reviving a millenia-old spirituality orreligion. Some harken back to cultures thatworshipped goddesses as well as gods, andwere led by priestesses and wise elderwomen. Others see their origins in Paleolithicceremonial magical groups. Some of themidentify with "New Age" thinking. Many donot use that label. Many believe that allWitches are Pagan (in worldview), but not allPagans are Witches. (For more details, seeDrawing Down the Moon, by Margot Adler,revised edition)Witchcraft as a religion focuses onworking with Nature, on psychic developmentand attunement with the natural harmoniesof the universe, and on direct personal relationshipswith Deity (Goddesses, or Goddessand God). The religion emphasizes balance,learning, and responsibility. This pre-Christian,Goddess-oriented religion encourages femaleleadership, and many of its practitioners arefeminist or sympathetic to feminism.The religion of Witchcraft is oftencalled by its older Anglo-Saxon names: Wicce(fern. sing, and plural) or Wicca (Masc. sing,and plural), or Wica (masc). The terms todayare pronounced Wick-eh or Wick-ah. The oldEnglish neutral plural for "Witches" is Wiccan.although some Witches today say "Wiccans."Although the masculine term Wicca, is mostoften used (which I consider symptomatic ofthe internal sexism of modern Witchcraft) theAnglo-Saxon Old English term for the religion(and the term I use) was/is Wiccecraeft.Some people define Witchcraft as anegative or "evil" philosophy or form ofbehavior. Such definitions were used by thewitch-hunting Inquisitions centuries ago, andthey are being used to attack real Witchesand powerful women today.In January, 1985, three women inZimbabwe were shot and killed by a group ofmen who accused them of being witches.In 1985, parents' groups in at least20 U.S. states, under the leadership of rightwinganti-feminist leader Phyllis Schlafly,demanded that public schools get parents'written permission for classroom discussionsand curricula material on a variety of topics,including witchcraft, abortion, social roles ofmen and women, homosexuality, human sexuality,and Eastern mysticism. And a lawsuitfiled by one such group, Citizens Organizedfor Better Schools (Mozart v. HawkinsCounty School System), charged that an elementaryreading series published by Holt,Rinehart & Winston is teaching witchcraft,situation ethics, disrespect for parentalauthority, evolution, and secular humanism.In the past two years Nathaniel Hawthorne'sclassic novel. The Scarlet Letter, hasbeen attacked for dealing with witchcraft andreligion, and Frank Baum's timeless fantasy,The Wizard of Oz. has been attacked for presentinga positive witch (Glinda the Good).By summer, 1985, newspaper and TVreports on child abuse and possible murdercases used the terms "witchcraft," "occult,"and "Satanism" almost interchangeably. (ButSatanism is a medieval Christian heresy, andthe word "occult" means hidden or esotericknowledge.)By August, 1985. Rep. Robert Walker(R-Pennsylvania) had introduced an act toremove tax-exempt status from religiousgroups based on Witchcraft. A real witch-huntbegan to develop, and became critical withthe involvement of Senator Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina), a powerful right-wing politicianlinked to ultrafundamentalistChristianity.On September 26, 1985, Helmsintroduced Amendment 705 to the fiscal1986 Treasury and Post Office appropriationsbill. HR 3036. By voice vote, with no dissentor debate, the Senate passed it. Helms'amendment specified, "No funds appropriatedunder this Act shall be used to grant, maintain,or allow tax exemption to any cult,organization, or other group that has as apurpose, or that has any interest in, thepromoting of satanism or witchcraft." Helmsdefined "witchcraft" as "the use of powersderived from evil spirits, the use of sorcery, ortontinucd on pa^e >-f

The Crusade of Karen Thompson: Part IIIn Volume VII we related the love storythat became a nightmare. For fouryears, Karen Thompson and SharonKowalski lived as more than lovers—theyconsidered themselves married. Then atragic accident left Sharon a paraplegicand unable to speak. Despite the factthat she has indicated that she wants tosee Karen, and that doctors have testifiedthat only with Karen's help hasSharon made any progress, Karen has notbeen able even to see_ Sharon sinceAugust, 1985.Because this case involves a totalabrogation of patients' rights, disabilityrights, gay rights—human rights—wedecided to do the article in two installments.This is the conclusion: a portionof a two-hour interview On the Issuesconducted with Karen Thompson inNovember 1986. Recent conversationswith Karen indicate that nothing hassince changed.OTI: Would you say your actions inthis entire case are motivated by anger or bylove?KT: By love, and by anger as well. It'sa two-edged sword. Anger can be channeledinto positive reaction but it also can eat youup. My love for Sharon is what keeps megoing. The love that says a human beingshould have the right to find out what herlimits are without anybody else putting limitson her. I've had the blinders ripped off. I nolonger can live in my own little isolated worldand go to work and then live my own personallife and nobody knows me. I was verynon-issue oriented. It's been a long hardstruggle. But once you have the blinderstaken, off and you see the oppression in onearea you start to see oppression all aroundyou and it's almost overwhelming. Now. I notonly see what homophobia does to peoplebut also how prejudice can be used againsteverybody. I can make the tie to racism, sexism,ageism, the handicapped. It's all connected.I'm a totally different person now andI'll never be able to go back to the person Iwas.OTI: What do you think are the chancesof your getting the guardianship ofSharon?KT: It's going to be a long timebefore that can happen. I didn't file for guardianshipbecause I wanted it. I filed to makesure that Sharon's right to the best possiblemedical care was protected; that she had theright to see the people she wants to see andto live where she wants to live. The only wayI could gain input into the process was to filefor guardianship. On the other hand, I believemy educational background has prepared meto take care of someone in Sharon's condition.My Ph.D. work was in the area of psychologyof sports. I have done a lot with motivationfor learning and brain injured patients.Sharon Kowalsky (right) with Karen Thompson inhnjjpir} times.I see Sharon as having come along a verynormal learning progression. I wonder howmuch Sharon would be doing now if we'dhave been allowed to keep making that kindof progress?OTI: Have you had any support fromnational organizations on the Patient's Bill ofRights aspect of the case?KT: Most of the disability rightsgroups I've talked with from coast to coasthave agreed that Sharon's disability rights arebeing flagrantly violated. The problem seemsto be that it's hard enough fighting for disabilityrights without getting involved in acase that has gay rights attached to it. Howcan you pick and choose whose rights you'regoing to protect? This case is going to setvery bad case precedents in the area of disabilityrights. It's going to affect themwhether they want it to or not. Can people inan institution have all rights taken away atthe whim of the guardian? Can a person bedenied the right to be in the courtroom whenher future is being determined?OTI: Sharon's father now is actingguardian. Do you consider his main concernthe sexuality issue?KT: Well, that's been one issue thatcertainly has come out. He's denying hisdaughter is a lesbian which really has nothingat all to do with it. Again, it doesn't matterwhether Sharon and I had a relationship. IfSharon is asking to see me now, the FirstAmendment to the Constitution guaranteesus freedom of association and yet Sharondoesn't have that. If we were equally protectedunder the law, as the FourteenthAmendment of the Constitution guaranteesevery human being, and we were a man andwoman, we could be married and thiswouldn't be happening to us.OTI: Is part of your political agendato pursue the struggle for same-sexed individualsto have the same legal rights as heterosexualmarried couples?KT: I certainly think that in domesticpartnerships, some sort of an arrangementbetween two consenting adults should beallowed. Sharon and I did want to make aIs Racism TheRectalThermometer Of ASick Society?by Irene Davall and Flo KennedyIf racism is the rectal thermometer of asick society, how high is America'stemperature in 1987?Our society made extraordinary progressin ending official racism in the twodecades following World War II. but passinglaws may be easier than enforcing them.When it comes to anti-discrimination laws,passage and enforcement are often extremepolarities. For example, racial segregation inpublic schools was unanimously ruled unconstitutionalby the Supreme Court in 1954,but near-segregated schools still operate withminimal interference from state and federalagencies.The Texas system of financing publicschools currently discriminates against poorerdistricts and is unconstitutional, according toa ruling by Judge Harley Clark. The judge saidthat 200 school districts at the upper end ofthe property tax spectrum spent over $7,000per pupil on the average while the 200 districtsat the lowest end of the spectrumspent less than $3,000.In 1964. Congress passed an omnibuscivil rights bill banning discrimination in voting,jobs, and public accommodations. Morethan 20 years later, job discrimination againstBlack and Hispanic women and men persistsat an "alarming" rate, at every age level, atevery education level, at every skills level,according to a report by the U.S. Commissionon Civil Rights.A special New York State panel, establishedby executive order, was charged withexamining bias incidents based on race,nationality, religion and sexual preference. Ofthe 40 people testifying, many criticizedexcessive force used by police officers dealingwith suspects who are members of minoritygroups. Manhattan Borough President DavidDinkins testified a "mean-spirited climate"exists as a result of cutbacks in social servicesby the Reagan Administration and the feelingthat gains made in the civil rights strugglehave diminished.New York is not the only city to complainthat white police use excessive violenceagainst minority people. The arrest of DwightGooden. Mets baseball pitcher, put the Tampapolice under a national spotlight and fannedemotions in that city. The Gooden arrest wasnationwide news, but most stories omittedthe fact that in the four months precedingthe arrest, four Black men had been killed byTampa police. Mayor May Sandy Freedmanadmits the city's biggest failure has been inrecruiting Black men to serve on the forceand that 25 percent of Tampa residents are8iimlinunl nil jitter V,On the IssuesVol. VIM

Black while 90 percent of Tampa cops arewhite.Non-white killers of white people arefour times as likely to be sentenced to deathas killers of Black people and the SupremeCourt hasjust declared that it is not necessarilyracist and is perfectly constitutional. Itmay be perfectly constitutional but manypeople think the facts point toward racism.Since the 1976 Supreme Court decision reinstatingthe death penalty in some cases. 70people have been executed: 42 were Black,26 were white and two were Hispanic. [Editor'sNote: This was as of May, 1987.]Vigorously exercised, freedom of thepress can go a long way toward helping toeliminate racism. In that context, a spring1987 court decision assumes considerableimportance. That decision found the NewYork Daily News guilty of discriminationagainst four Black employees. The News (circulation1.37 million) had denied them promotionsand retaliated after they complained.While the suit has enormous symbolic importancefor minority journalists who are presentlyemployed, original hiring problemsremain stubbornly persistent and are gettingworse.While Blacks and other minoritiesmay have less than their share of top jobs,they do have more than their share ofhazardous waste dumps. About half of Americanslive in areas with waste sites, but thegreatest numbers are in the non-white areas.The largest waste landfill is located in Emelle,Alabama, where Black people make up 80percent of the population. The locations ofthese dangerous dumps seems to hinge oneconomic incentives. Residents at the sitesoften agree to host such facilities in exchangefor jobs and contracts to minority-ownedfirms.Every segment of American life seemsriddled with racism, beginning at birth andending only at the grave.Even little babies are victims ofracism. Ninety-two percent of babies infectedwith the AIDS virus are Black or Hispanic.Among New York City adults. 31 percent ofAIDS cases are Black and 23 percent are Hispanic.Most medical experts agree that goodliving conditions, a nourishing diet and excellentmedical care (including prohibitivelyexpensive and difficult to obtain medications)will probably help to prolong the lives and thequality of those lives of AIDS patients. Certainly,few Blacks and Hispanics have accessto any of these requisites. "If you're middleclassand have AIDS." says Suki Ports whoheads an AIDS Task Force, "you can expect tolive another two years. Most of our people dieafter six months to a year."To test our theory that racism hasbeen on the upsurge for the past decade andthat the present scapegoat mentality reflectsitself in anti-Black, anti-poor, anti-woman feelings,we talked with people working in jobswhich put them among the cognoscenti onracism. The following quotes are from someof those who graciously shared their viewswith us.A Catholic, Feminist Approach To Choiceby Frances KisslingTo be Roman Catholic, a feminist, andpro choice seems to some to be a contradiction—indeedan impossibility. Andyet, it is a condition shared by most Catholicwomen; women who know that to concentrateexclusively on one and only one importantfactor in the abortion debate, the questionof the status of the fetus, is contrary toboth the Catholic tradition and the feministtradition. This knowledge has influenced thework of Catholics For A Free Choice in seekinga change in the current Roman Catholicposition prohibiting all abortions, artificialcontraception and elective sterilization as wellas a recent Vatican pronouncement forbid-Fnitnes Kisshllgding the use of all methods of artificial inseminationby husband, in vitro fertilization andsurrogacy. While Catholic bishops have mademuch of the status of the fetus and we agreethat its value and potential for personhoodare important, no area of religious, ethical orlegal judgment rests exclusively on a singlefactor: no area of value judgment is withoutits complexity. Most involve the careful anddeliberate weighing of competing values.None of us are strangers to competingvalues. We all, for example, value peace.We also highly value our national integrity,our freedom and our way of life, as well asour actual life.Often, when faced with aggressionthat threatens our way of life, we choose notto surrender, but to fight, to take life. Wealso know that, in our time, it is impossibleto fight even a conventional war that doesnot kill innocent people.When we make such choices betweenvalues—The "better dead than Red" choicearewe pro-war? Are we pro-killing? FewAmericans, even fewer Catholic bishops,would think so.Catholic feminists also stress the differencesbetween our judgments on publicpolicy—legal options: and our religious beliefsor personal morality.As Catholics, we all would agree thatwe think every abortion is in some respecttragic. We may disagree on the location ofresponsibility—and even the nature of thetragedy. We may, and do, disagree on thelegal solution to the problem of abortion.But we are, within our church andbefore our creator, free to disagree on legaloptions. There has been no divine revelationon the relative merits of the Hyde amendmentor the Hatch Amendment. God, in Herwisdom, has not spoken out on either criminalizationof abortion—the punitiveapproach—or better family planning andsocial and economic supports for women andfamilies—the nurturing approach.For a religiously motivated personseeking to develop a position on the legalityof abortion I would suggest careful analysisand reflection on a number of social andecclesial values.These include, in addition to questionsabout the status of the fetus, an explorationof the nature and purpose of women,the value of their physical lives, psychologicalwell-being and their own vision of the creator'spurpose for their lives. It includes reflectionson the appropriate role of law in moraldecision making, particularly when there aredoubts about facts. In such cases are womento be valued, trusted and affirmed as moralagents, or are we to give our lives over to thepower of the state? Finally, how are we tovalue and protect in a civil society the verydifferent official positions of the mainstreamfaith groups in America—Catholics. Episcopalians,Methodists, Presbyterians, and Jews—insuch a way that fully permits adherents ofthose faith groups to follow their conscienceswithout fear of being made criminals?Catholics For A Free Choice has studiedthe many and varied areas of moral andreligious concern extensively. Only a few canbe examined here. First, as to the status ofthe fetus and the commandment Thou shallnot kill." The hypothesis that abortion forwhatever reason and at all stages of pregnancyfrom conception forward violates thatcommandment has recently been adopted bythe Roman Catholic hierarchy. FundamentalistChristians, and some segments of the secularRight-to-Life movement.But no matter how often or howloudly some religious leaders assert this, it isnot grounded in biology, philosophy or law.The Bible itself is totally silent on abortion.Indeed, within the Roman CatholicChurch today, it is acknowledged by theteaching authority of the church, that theanswer to the question of when the fetusbecomes a person is unknown and has alwaysbeen unknown.We need also to look at interpretationsof the commandment "Thou shall notkill," seemingly a very simple four words. Ifwe interpret it most rigidly, as some wouldhave us do in the case of the fetus, only thevegetarian pacifists among us survive asmoral persons.Indeed, we need to ask "thou shallnot kill whom or what." and under what cir-On the IssuesVol. VIII

Ellen Frankfort:In MemoriumBy Irene DavallEllen Frankfort—woman, wife, pioneeringfeminist writer and teacher, has chosento leave us. After two decades of strugglingfor women's rights, battling against asystem which she saw withholding fromwomen dignified, adequate health care atreasonable fees, Ellen found the burden tooheavy, the path too rough. On May 24th,1987 she elected to fight no more. She will besorely missed.In the 1960s' ferment of change andsocial revolution, Ellen began writing articleson women's vital health matters, investigatingissues involving women and the healthestablishment, promoting self-help programsand trying to demystify women's bodily functions.From 1968 to 1973 her weeklycolumns appeared in the Village Voice. Shewas also a frequent contributor to undergroundfeminist journals such as Urban Undergroundand Sojourner.For six years after graduation fromBarnard College, Ellen taught English in NewYork schools and from that experience, at age32, came her first book The Classrooms ofMiss Ellen Frankfort: Confessions of a PrivateSchool Teacher.Her next book, now considered a classicin feminist literature, sought to define patriarchalcontrol of women's bodies under theguise of health and religion. Vaginal Politicswas published by Quadrangle Books, a subsidiaryof the New York Times. Ellen recountedwith delight her standup to the Times executiveswho wanted to change the book's title:"Newspapers accept hundreds of thousands ofdollars to advertise worthless and possiblydangerous vaginal sprays for women. It mustbe the word 'politics' which has you uptight.Clearly you have no objection to the word'vagina'." Ellen immortalized her years at theVillage Voice in The Voice: Life at the VillageVoice, an unflattering look at the weeklynewspaper where she was a columnist for severalyears. Another book Rosie: The Investigationof a Wrongful Death, was an expose ofthe first illegal abortion death following thecutoff of Medicaid abortion funds in 1977. In1979 Ellen received the Columbia DuPontJournalism Award for investigative reportingpresented to WFAA-TV, a Dallas ABC affiliatefor its televising of Rosie. Her latest bookKathv Boudin and the Dance of Death, publishedin 1984, described the radical activistwho later was convicted of murder androbbery charges.In her final days Ellen gave thoughtfulconsideration to her husband, Wesley MillerJr., tape recording suggestions for a memorialservice, her cremation and the spreading ofher ashes around the Statue of Liberty.Adhering to her wishes, more than ahundred friends gathered in the garden of St.John's in the Village Episcopal Church in Manhattan.Her eulogy included letters written bythree feminist friends and since Ellen was first,CHOICES PEOPLE:Sylvia SchwartzSylvia S

when any woman will develop breast cancerand since the disease has a protracted history—sometimes up to 10 years—women mustbe examined regularly on a periodic basis. It isprobably true that some breast cancers aremore rapidly growing than others, especiallyin younger women. We do not, however, haveany way of knowing which type may be presentin any individual woman.When a woman finds a previouslyunnoticed lump, pain or discharge she willusually contact her physician, who shouldthen proceed with a definitive investigation.This should involve expert palpation, mammography.plus other modalities, including, ifnecessary, a needle aspiration leading to adecision of surgical intervention or watchfulwaiting. However, many women procrastinatefor emotional or financial reasons afterthey become aware of a difference in theirbreasts. Many, especially those in the lowincome bracket, would be more inclined to goto a "wellness" center, especially one connectedwith a hospital. A facility that offers acomplete breast examination primarily for"assurance" that all is well may go a longway to overcome the fear of the disease,especially if the complete examination can beoffered at a much-reduced cost to the womanand involve recognized expert means ofdetection. Whether a mass screening center isavailable or the process is done with the helpof the individual physician, the result maywell be the same: detection of more breastcancer in an earlier, more curable stage.A baseline inanunoi^ram is important \m womenbetween the ages of ?5 anil 40.If you go to a mass screening center,the basic procedures must include:1. An interview covering demographic data,such as ethnic background, education, parity,menstrual and breast history to develop cluesto increased risk.2. A careful clinical examination by a physicianwell versed in the procedure or by a paramedicalperson with proper training and under theguidance of a clinician.3. Teaching of breast self-examination, preferablyon a one-to-one basis with emphasis onthe importance of continued performance.Because none of the methods for detection ofbreast cancer is 100 percent accurate, womenneed to be made aware that a cancer maybecome detectable within a few months aftera presumably negative examination, the soOn the IssuesVol. VIMcalled "interval" cancer.4. Mammography or soft-tissue x-ray examinationof the breast. This procedure, which isat least 70 years old, has been considerablyrefined and brought to a high degree of technicalexcellence. Use of special dedicatedmachines with molybdenum anode tube andcompression has made possible the use ofspecial fast films with rare earth screenswhich produce mammograms of excellentquality with markedly reduced radiation dosage.Many radiologists use their usual x-rayequipment with a xerox process producingimages on charged selenium-coated aluminumplates ending with mammograms onspecial paper. This method also producesbreast images of excellent quality, althoughwith radiation dosage to the breast about sixto eight times that of modern film-screencombinations. There are strong advocates ofboth methods. Both can produce vital quality,as long as the radiologist develops the properexpertise and dedication to the procedure. Aless than fully adequate film may lead to afalse diagnosis.Since the breast is readily accessibleto clinical examination, why do we needbreast imaging mammography with differentmodalities to ferret out pathology? Considerthe following:The breast is naturally "lumpy" and itis difficult to detect the small nodule of anearly cancer among the many other normal"lumps". Mammography has had a long historyof being able to make an important contributionto this problem. The mammogramvery often—not always—gives the physicianthe additional information she or he needs toknow whether the lesion is malignant orbenign.Also, even in the presence of a definitelesion on clinical examination, themammogram offers additional informationon the condition of the rest of the breastunder concern or the opposite breast. Acancer which is non-palpaple may be lurkingelsewhere in either breast and that "other"lesion may be the cancer, not the mass leadingto exploration.Perhaps the most cogent reason formammography in the symptomatic womanwho feels a vague mass, localized pain or nippledischarge is the varied expertise of physiciansin breast palpation. A mammogrammay be life-saving in avoiding delay.And, most importantly, a breastcancer may not be palpaple by even the mostexpert hands in the early stages. It has beenknown for many years that the breast mayharbor an occult cancer, completely asymptomaticand non-palpaple, detectable only onmammography.Because neither palpation nor mammographyis 100 percent accurate, if cancer issuspected on palpation, a negative mammogramshould never be allowed to delay explorationof a breast. Similarly, a clinician who isfaced with negative clinical findings, but witha positive mammographic report, shouldseriously consider exploration. The two modalitiesare complementary, not competitive.Mammography can help in differentiatingthe benign from the malignant lesion.As such, it can occasionally avoid or delayunnecessary exploration, but even moreimportantly, it can expedite surgical interventionwhen needed.The continually improving techniqueshave resulted in a substantial increase incancers found on mammography, yet lessthan 15 percent of women in this countryhave ever had a mammogram and the type ofproper palpation needed to achieve success.Questions had been raised about thebenefit of screening in women under 50 yearsof age. Up-to-date statistics from 18 years offollow-up indicate definitely a similar reductionin mortality of about 25 percent inwomen under 50 as well as those over. Certainlyall women over 40 should be given theopportunity not only to get the reassurancethat they are well but the potential of curabilityif a cancer is indeed present..l\\mplomatt< women over *>U \huuld have a m/tmmo-%]tim annually. Women 40 In V> \Uo\tU\ have one ever\nne lo two \em\Concern over hazard from x-radiationin mammography has been sadly overratedand has led to unnecessary and unreasonablefear that the procedure itself could causeharm. For many years, it has been knownthat the breast is sensitive to x-rays. In 1976,statements were made and reported atlength in the media that mammography,which uses x-rays, might in itself producebreast cancer and the hazard might begreater than the benefit.Scores of women of all ages throughoutthe country refused to have mammogramsand many cancers were not detected inthe more curable stage. Numerous studieshave concluded that risk from mammography,if any, is dependent on the age of thewoman and the dose of x-rays given. There isno evidence of significant hazard in womenover 35—the age at which periodic massscreening is suggested. The dose from modernmammography continues to be reduced—down to less than 0.05 rad to the midbreast—thatany hazard from periodicmammography even over many years mustbe considered negligible and probably noteven measurable. Certainly the potentialbenefit from mammography far exceeds anytheoretical hazard.rontniui'tl an f>,,K< 1111

News Special from the New YorkTimes-,How Massachusetts courts handledomestic violence has come under scrutinybecause of assertions that a state court harrassedand failed to protect a battered womanwhose husband has been charged with hermurder. Complaints from other abusedwomen, their lawyers and advocates for batteredwomen have raised complaints over thetreatment accorded 22-year-old Pamela NigroDunn when she appeared before Judge Paul P.Heffernan in the Sommerville District Court torequire a restraining order and police protectionfrom her estranged husband. Paul J.Dunn. Thejudge told Ms. Dunn, in open courtwith Mr. Dunn present, that she was wastingthe court's time, that her fears were unfoundedand that she should act more like an adult.Thejudge granted the restraining order butrefused police protection. Several monthslater. Ms. Dunn's body was found in a towndump. The pregnant woman had been abductedin a car by her estranged husband asshe was walking with her mother. The bodywas severely beaten, in addition to Ms. Dunnhaving been strangled and shot in theabdomen.According to Sara Buell of the Governor'sAnti-Crime Council: "Police do not treatdomestic violence as a crime, and judges misapplyor refuse to apply the law.. .Whileother homicides decreased in the first half of1985. domestic homicides increased 71percent."Said Paula Becker, an attorney for Ms.Dunn. "To listen to thejudge. the case was anannoyance and she was the problem."And some peopie wonder why somany battered women don't take action!They know exactly how much protection willbe afforded them by the justice system andhow little ' justice" they will receive. Beingproven right doesn't help much when you'redead.Reported by Campus Voice. Winter1986:At the University of Florida, a psychologyprofessor spent six years and $267,000to determine whether male field mice wouldprefer to have sex with virgin or experiencedmice. The study was in the category of "basicresearch", meaning it wasn't designed toanswer a specific medical riddle but to observebehavior. In one test, the males were allowedto choose between two tied-up females, whichanimal rights advocate Holly Jensen promptlybranded "gang rape" The professor onlycommented that "it's difficult to explain basicscience to such a person". Incidentally, most ofthe male mice liked the virgins.Too bad no one asked what thefemale mice liked. We're sure it wasn't beingraped!WE'VECOMEALONGWAY???According to researchers at theNational Center for Health Statistics inHyattsville. MD. the United States leads 19 ofthe most industrialized countries in thenumber of Caesarian section births performedeach year. The rate is 50 percent to 200 percentmore common than in most othernations.And with doctors anxious to produceperfect babies, the rate will continue to rise,and women will be urqed (and sometimescoerced) into having unnecessary surgery whilehaving their maternal instincts manipulatedby being told it's for the good of the fetus.In northeast England, reported theNew York Times, hard economic times haveled the wives and girlfriends of unemployedmen to work as nude dancers at clubs, pubs andprivate parties. Although other industries andbusinesses are on the decline, an agency thatdeals in strippers has rapidly expanded. Accordingto Ann Robertson who owns the agency,fully half of her strippers have unemployedhusbands at home minding the children whilethey dance. "Nowadays, it's often the husbandwho rings up to see if we'll take his wife on,"she said. Although many of the unemployedmen could look for work in fields other thantheir own, Britain's $16 billion annual welfarebudget guarantees many jobless family menpayments that are more than they wouldordinarily earn in a menial job.Obviously with enough left over to goto_ pubs, drink and watch their neighbors'wives strip.From the New York TimesAIDS can kill in many ways—not theleast of them being violence increasinglydirected toward homosexuals. At a hearingbefore the House Judiciary Subcommittee onCriminal Justice, Julian Epstein, a spokesmanfor Rep. John Conyers Jr.. Michigan Democratwho heads the subcommittee, said: "It seemsclear from the testimony that there have beenincreases in violence directed against gay menand lesbians and the violence seems to beconnected with the AIDS problem and a generalhostility directed against the gay and lesbianpopulation." Included in the testimonyfrom gay watchdog organizations were 351incidents from verbal attacks to homicides inthe first nine months of 1986 as opposed to167 incidents for the same period in 1985.Seventeen homicides appeared to be becausethe victim was gay. Homosexual rights groupssay that gays have always been the victims ofviolence, but that the attacks have becomemore brutal and more frequent and assailantshave increasingly referred specifically to AIDS.Those who have counseled the victims of theviolence say that AIDS has led to an increaseby providing people with a justification fortheir existing hostility to gays and has forcedsome others to confront a population thatthey had ignored.Gay rights groups say the attitude ofthe Vatican toward gays as well as speechesby religious fundamentalists have also contributedto the rationalization of aggression.The same kind of thinking that led towitch-burning in the p_lague_ years. Japaneseinternment during World War II and ultimatelyto the holocaust.Speaking of AIDS: a news item in theNew York Daily News reported that in Nevada,prostitutes infected with the AIDS virus whocontinue to solicit customers will face up to20 years imprisonment under planned legislationsupported by brothel owners and statehealth officials.And what will be the punishment forinfected Johns who continue to patronizeprostitutes?According to the manufacturers, anew device called GloveGuard "provides individualswith a new level of protection neverbefore seen. The glove's main thrust is 8.000volts of nonlethal stun power along with CSRiot Spray, all incorporated into a smartlookingpolyester-blend glove." The makersclaim it is "safe, effective to stop rape,muggers, murderers" and that it is "alsoeffective on animals"Aside from probably killing smalleranimals, it is also an effective way for muggersand rapists to disable their victims.12On the IssuesVol. VIII

Featured in the New York Times:There is a growing proliferationthroughout the country of household managementagencies that will take care of everythingfrom picking up your dry cleaning toshopping for groceries, hiring caterers, providinghouse-cleaning crews—in fact, providing allhousehold services for those too busy to handlethe chores themselves—at a hearty price.The emerging market, says Nancy Van Wie.founder of Sitters Unlimited, is centered onupper-middle-income families. Some of theother agencies have more demeaning antiwomennames such as the "Stepford Group"based on The Stepford Wives, perfect housewiveswho are robots; and "Rent-a-Wife".Most who use these services are well-off marriedwomen with full-time careers. The restare single men, many of whom are divorced,middle-aged and have high incomes. ObservedMelissa Schwartz, co-creator of one of the services:"Single mothers can't afford us."doubt.Such as the ex-wives of those men noA feature article in Parade by EarlUbell reveals that informal estimates by concerneddoctors and nurses indicate that physicianswithhold anesthesia in half (italics theirs)of all major surgery performed on prematurelyborn infants. According to Dr. Fritz Berry, specialistin pediatric anesthesiolgy at the Children'sMedical Center at the University of Virginia.Charlottesville: "With new techniques,we can anesthetize preemies as we do anypatient with an unstable circulatory system.But some doctors fear that if given anesthesia,these children will die." But studies done byDr. K.J.S. Anand. a researcher at Children'sHospital in Boston, show that the oppositemay be true: killing their pain may help thesebabies live. Doctors gave one group of babies amuscle relaxant plus nitrous oxide, a mildanesthetic. The others received fentanyl. whichputs patients to sleep. Dr. Anand found thatthe latter group had fewer problems withbreathing and heart stability. His measurementsof blood hormones showed clearly that,without full anesthesia, the babies experiencedgreat stress and pain. Despite these findings,many doctors continue to withhold anesthesiabecause, as Dr. David Swerdlow, Children'sHospital, Philadelphia, says: "We really have noway of knowing just how much is really safeand effective too. It is better to survive andperhaps feel discomfort than die and not feelany discomfort."As of now, no law compels a doctor tofollow the wishes of an infant's parents. If thedoctor feels that anesthesia might impose toogreat a risk, he can order the drug withheld.Doctors seem to show as little regardfor the pain of preemies as they do for animalsuffering in labs. And it also seems the timehas come for parents to rally to enact legislationthat will enable them to exert some"Patient Power"!According to the National Committeefor Prevention of Child Abuse, reported deathsof abused and neglected children increased 29percent last year in 24 states. Nationally, thegroup said it believed 1.300 children died in1986 after child abuse or neglect, as against925 in 1985. Anne H. Cohn. executive directorof the committee, said that abuse might beon the rise partly because those referred to asthe "underclass" have seen things deteriorate."There is joblessness, violence in neighborhoodsand young people having babies. Weneed to focus on getting treatment early so itnever gets to the point that things are so badthat parents lash out at their kids." Ms. Cohnalso said that state agencies were getting toooverburdened to cope with the problem."Caseloads are too high. Some familieswho might have been helped by treatmentdidn't get it. Death is one of theoutcomes."Why should government fund vitalservices benefitting children? After all, kidscan't vote—and unless agencies have sufficientstaffing to address the problems, chances aremany children won't survive to voting age.A South African woman is pregnantwith her own grandchildren according to newsitems in many newspapers. Pat Anthony. 48,is pregnant with her daughter's offspring.Because she was impregnated by in vitro fertilization(her daughter's ova were fertilized byher son-in-law's sperm and then implanted inMs. Anthony's uterus) and doctors have foundthat multiple implantations provide a betterchance for at least one ovum to survive, fourhealthy eggs were implanted and three areprogressing in what appears to be a normalpregnancy. Said her daughter, who underwenta hysterectomy after the birth of her son: "Iwas terribly depressed. Alcino (her husband)and I had wanted four or five children. A coupleof friends offered to become surrogat"mothers, but we didn't go ahead. Then mymother stepped in."Rather like selecting the proper incubator.One also wonders how much motherlove is required for a 48-year-old woman totake such a risk? Just think, we may end witha whole new family structure. Aren't the newtechnologies wonderful?Reported in the publication Nature:Scientists have found that toxic fog. made upof microscopic water droplets containingunexpected high concentrations of pesticides,herbicides and many other chemicals, formsover at least some parts of the United States.The scientists say that some samples of thechemical-laden fog. including some taken inBeltsville, MD (just outside the heavily populatedNation's Capital!) resemble the infamous"killer fogs" of 19th-century London andcould prove to be more of a health hazardthan the air in which the fog forms.It's interesting to note that our presentAdministration is so little interested inspending for environmental issues that they'rewilling to accept potential death on their owndoorstep. Funding is always available for themilitary. Rather a total death wish, isn't it?Cancer ill /nun /Mi;,' ll\Because mammography has producedconcern in some quarters, other modalitieshave been introduced, presumably to replacemammography. However, a finding by variousradiologists and emphasized by the AmericanCollege of Radiology is that only mammoqraphyis capable of detecting the non-palpaplecancer. Thermography, sonography. diaphanography,magnetic resonance or aspirationbiopsy can be useful in providing additionalinformation on a palpaple cancer. Since, however,one of our important activities in massscreening is detection of breast cancer in anon-palpaple stage, mammography is theonly valuable method of breast imaging inmass screening.When large numbers of asymptomaticor minimally symptomatic women areinvolved, as in mass screening (especiallythose in a low-income bracket) the cost ofthe procedure becomes important. In general,community mass screening involves the useof dedicated personnel under the auspices of anon-profit or low-profit center, using manyvolunteers and medical personnel imbuedwith a sense of dedication and even personalsacrifice for the satisfaction of savingwomen's lives. It should be emphasized thatlow cost mass screening requires the involvementof large numbers of women, at least10,000 per year.It also requires the dedication ofcommunity leaders as well as that of physiciansin the area, cooperation of women'sgroups and operation of the screening activitiesunder community auspices rather thanthat of a "for-profit" institution. Attempts atcooperation ,of third party payers are alsoimportant. The two factors indicating highestrisk—a personal history of cancer in onebreast or a positive family history involving apremenopausal mother or sister, especiallywith bilateral breast cancer, are found in avery small percentage of women. To makemass screening even more effective, we needto know and be able to detect a truly highriskwoman to concentrate our efforts onthose who have the greatest need. Today,three out of four cancers are detected inwomen who have none of the usually mentionedrisk factors, according to the AmericanCancer Society statisticians.Perhaps the most important factor inmaking mass screening successful is thedevelopment of women's motivation toaccept the procedure. Saving lives is in directproportion to the number of womenparticipating.There is much talk concerning the socalled"epidemic" of breast cancer. AlthoughOn the Issues Vol. VIII 13

FEEDBACK"/ write to applaud Merle Huffman's editorialin Volume 1 II. It is the best analysisI have read of the effect 'style' has onwomen's lives and our perceptions ofourselves. As a member of the clergy, Ibelieve that on the whole men's greatestsin is pride and women's is the opposite:lack of self esteem. Women as well as menare made in the image of Cod. If by ourclothes or demeanor we convey theimpression that we are looking to menand their approval to validate ourselves,we are looking in the wrong place. Wethereby deny the divine that dwellswilhm each of us. And, as you point out,by our 'stylish' clothes we reinforce theseparation between ourselves and our lessfortunate sisters."The Rev. Beatrice BlairNew York, N.Y."I would like to thank Merle Hoffmanfor reviewing my book Eros and Power(On the Issues, lot. I'll) and for takingthe tune to explain m\ argument. You)review carefully laid out the case I wasmaking and I am grateful for that. Thereis, however, a small mistake which needscorrection; a quote by Adrienne Rich wasattributed to me:'. . .the most notable fact that cultureimprints on women is thesense of our limits. The mostimportant thing one women can dofor another is to illuminate andexpand her sense of actualpossibilities.'I wish I had written these lines . . . but forMs. Rich's sake and my own, I think it'scrucial that the attribution be made. Keepup the good work."Huanam-Kay TraskHonolulu, HI"/ was delighted to rend Mole Hoffman'sscaiding analysis of the Mmltson Ave.women's movement vs. the Real Women'sMovement. You have captured the crux ofthe matter so well that I am requestingyour permission to reprint your editonalin our upturning newslettei for theWomen's Information Xclwork at BellCommunications Research in Pisi a tawny,A'./. Thank you for your support offeminism."Sherry C. Rue heiPise ataway, N.J."Thank you for the artii If assessing tlieWomen's Moi'ement and its connection tothe fashion world. For over a centurynow, our Moi'ement has been proceedingby taking one step forward and two back.Thanks to publications like yours, wewho struggle feel informed and affirmed.I knew after reading just one article, I'dhave to subscribe."Linda l'illegas LinzeyBaltimore, Ml)" Thanks a lot for send ing On the Issuesto the Lesbian Archives here. The LesbianA) chives are running well, nationallyand internationally, only money forbuying information is not too big. Wouldit be possible if you could/ would thinkabout giving a free subsi nption to thisorganization? For any question that youhave for us, we would be glad if youwould write!"Majo, for the collectiveLeeuwarden, NederlandEditor's Note: For orgunr.ation'i sue h usthis where mone\ is a teal problem, Onthe Issues will be si'iit free."I'm not sure how the National Anti-I'n'isection Society got on your mailinglist to ic'tcive lol. I'll of On the Issues,but I'm glad ive did! We enjoyed evc-ry bitof it and are quite impressed with thequality of writing, as well as the appearanceof the publication. Of particularinterest to us was the article by Julia Piggm,'Into You) Hands .he They Delivered',and I'm writing to ask permissionto reprint it in our membership publication,the Bulletin. Please extend our congratulationsto Ms. Piggin for a finearticle."Penny Feltz, DirectorProgram and EducationChicago, IL' Dream Agony and FasluonAwake fair lady, youhare been wronged.Someone conspires to hurt you, todayand yesterday and, unless you act NO It'tomorrow (even through hurting yourdaughters). Someone evil, $, evil, $crushes every step you take. Our steps arethose of Hans Christian Anderson'smet maid.We dance, walk, drag through life onpretty swords—liighheelsU'IIK h pun e with agony.Look—See—Know -> Demand Changelist your own feet ±r highlieels. Youwon't like what you see.There are few shoes for womenwhu h cue comfortable. Object to this.Speak out. Olijei I."C.A. ThrockmortonColumbus, OH"I read the article 'Invisible Woman' byMelody Anderson and Leora Magier. It isobvious they would be a great 'Resource'lor us. We would like to hear more abouttlieir program."If you can refer anyone whomight be interested in submitting work toHeresies, that would also be appreciated."Penelope GoodfnendNew York, .V. Y."Thank you for On the Issues. We findthe articles valuable for our researchsection."Betty FeldmanLibranan-in -ChargeWashington Irving H.S.New York, N. Y."I was very impressed with the writing inOn the Issues. It's wonderful to seeanimal rights included with other progressiveissues. We are working to shutdown the Cornell Cat Lab in New YorkCity. Many people m our group are heavilyinvolved with other progressive issuesas well."Dana Mane StuchellNew York, N.Y."I shall pass on On the Issues to otherwomen—in fact, I will plan to submitthem to our local Women's Center, plusleading them to the blind. This areaneeds muc h of the good information andI haven't seen your publication at theWomen's Center. I rather think materialismhas taken over many lives, just forsurvival—if that is what they need forsurvival, I don't understand. I feel toomany women have their heads in the sandstill—even my own daughters, of which Ihave three!"Betty B. DonerWatertown, N.Y.14On the IssuesVol. VIII

"I am a f>S-year-old radical feminist whothoroughly enjoyed I'olitme I'll. I alsoenjoyed the cover and I believe of thosechoices portrayed that I am one of thoseseeking peace and knowledge who willneed to join up with those who are ridingin the forefront—the courage group! Bui1 keep hanging in there. I became activelyinterested in minouty issues in the earlx60s—those of us who are women andthose of us who are Black. I happened tocome in as 'white' since I am of hish-Dutih origin; but women, white andBlack are still fighting patriarchy—andI'm glad you're one of us as seriousfighters."Willo L. CurrierMadison, 117"In general, I find your publication outstanding.I've been involved in theWomen's Movement for the past 15 yearsand am now working for a trans 'nationalwomen's health organization. The articleon fashion was right on target. For centimeswomen have been directed by men.Many of them did not feel that beingdirected by other women was necessarilyan improvement. I remember winning anoffice in a local women's group in theearly 70s simply because 1 was dressed inthe Movement "uniform" and my opponentwas not. Her lack of feminist saiwy(make-up, a dress rind heels) was i'eryaudibly commented upon. The dream ofthe Women's Movement will not be realizeduntil women have true choices—notdictated by men—not dictated by their'Sisters'."However, I did find one article inyour periodical to have as insensitive astatement as I've read in the most sexist ofmagazines. The article on women andaging made a reference to so-tailed'empty nest syndrome'. The authors referto depression among mothers who haveno children left at home 'a reflection of alack of other forms of stimulation andfulfillment...' This is just as much amyth—and just as patronizing—as thepseudo-psychologic al term 'empty nestsyndrome'. Most of my friends arefeminists—we all work outside the home,most at reasonably fulfilling jobs. But weare all terribly saddened by the departureof our children. There are many reasonsfor this.. .but the main reason is that welove our children and it is normal andhealthy to miss the company of people,who are greatly loved. Please do not trivializeour sadness with simplisticexplanations."On the IssuesVol. VIIISue DeutschMilwaukee, Wl"Volume I'll appeared recently, at a verysensitive time in my life, and I welcomedit, reading it from covet to cover, oftenwhile nin sing my three-month-olddaughter. Although I do often find myselfthinking of my roles as wife, mother andwoman in this world, I be, ome ton fusedas to what my prtouties ate. Your informativeand thoughtful publication hashelped to put it all in petspe, live. 1 amreminded that I, as a whole woman andan individual, am the most importantperson to me: and that in order to provideboth my sou and daughter with thoughtsof equality and respect, I must recognizethem in myself. As a woman who hasexperienced abortion, discrimination andlow self-esteem, I find your publicationinspiring, supportive and informative.And although I found most of yourreportings quite sad and anger producing,I also sensed hope, sisterhood, prideand determination. And, very importantly,it was illuminated to me in morethan one article that I can 'I expect muchof a future n.s a productwe 'older' womanif I don't prepare for it now. Women likeme need you'."Many MartinMonte Rio, CA"In browsing through and enjoying Vol.VII, I came across a wonderful piece—apparently written by Merle Hoffmanentitled'Patient Power'. I believe this isjust the thing for the newsletter the People'sMedical Society puts out. Will yougive us permission to reprint it in anupcoming newsletter? I hope the answeris 'yes'."Karla MoialesCommunications DirectorEmmaus, PA"I am a member of the Assot lation forWomen in Psychology, a not-for-profitorganization that, among some otherfeminist activities, issues a Newsletterthree times a year. We have not done itbefore but, if possible, we would like toreprint 'Abortion and the Monk's Mistress'by Irene Davall. I would like tocompliment you on your publication andthe various activities in which you areinvolved."Dons HowardNew York, iV, V.Editors Note: Permission granted. Torebnnt articles from On the Issues, sendthe request on your organization's letterhead.We require that On the Issues becredited and that we receive a copy ofyour publication when the reprintappears."Thank you for sharing the video'Abortion—A Different Light' with Turningpoint(an organization for victims ofDomestn Abuse). River Falls is very ruraland the community is predominantlyCatholu or of other fundamentalist-basedreligions. Howevei, the video wasaccepted openly and induced tonvrr.iationabout the issue of freedom of choiceand empowerment of women (winch isthe basis of the support group). Threemembeis shared their experiences of abortion,one of whom revealed site hasn'ttold anyone but immediate familymembers. Several in the group have prepubescentdaughters and the discussion ofbirth control surfaced which, of course,opened the doors foi ideas in group topicsregarding the jwy subject!"Ramona K. DeSmith, B.S.W.River Falls, WlJewish & FemaleMil. limcould escape Mrs. Portnoy's shadow. When Iarrived at college, the type was so well studiedand tabulated that the socioanthropologicaldescription of the Jewish familywas that of a matriarchy, and Jewish girlswere ashamed of that.So it was with surprise that I discoveredin the middle of the Women's Movementthat Judaism is a patriarchy and that allour troubles, in fact the troubles of Westerncivilization, if not of the entire world, are dueto this fact. Where did the Jewish viragos go?Had they ever existed in these proportions, orwere they also the result of polemical fictions?How had they become transformed into Jewishfemales who claimed oppression at thehands of their Jewish male relatives? Mygrandfathers did not have the freedom tochoose the soup they wanted to eat, andnever made a business decision without askingmy grandmothers, who did not hesitate togive it. My grandmother's generation ruled bythe sentiment expressed by God to Abraham,in Genesis: "In all that Sarah saith unto thee,hearken unto her voice." (21:12). The polemicsof the Movement did not match myexperience.One needs not only principles by whichto study the past, but the discipline to resistanachronism, particularly with the study ofsocial history. Social history is easilymishandled because of the materials it dealswith: sensibility, ethos, customs, mores, theephemera of daily life—not hard facts likebattles, dates, biographies. As Peter Gay. oneof the eminent practitioners of social history,has pointed out. historians cannot do withoutgeneralizations, but all generalizations aredangerous. Let us therefore beware of suchsummary distinctions, as "matriarchy", and"patriarchy", as warning signals of potentiallymuddied generalizations. So is the distinctionbetween Orthodox and non-religious, as far asthe rearing of a Jewish female in this centuryis concerned. My emancipated mother wasmore vulnerable to non-Jewish social valuesthan my Orthodox grandparents, and I learnedtoutinurd on l>ng

Choice BooksTHE FIRST YEAR OF MARRIAGE byMiriam Arond and Samuel Pauker, M.D.(Warner Books. New York. NY; $17.95 hardcover)is a perfect example of why you can'ttell a book by its cover. In fact, the rose-pinkjacket with the photo insert of a young couple,candles and a rose almost kept thisreviewer from opening the book at all.Miriam Arond. a feminist writer onpsychological and family issues, and SamuelPauker, M.D.. a New York psychiatrist who haspublished and lectured nationally on a broadrange of psychiatric topics, have produced awell-researched and insightful look into theproblems, transitions and crises attendantwhen people decide to join their lives legallyeventhose who previously have lived togetherfor a number of years. The book is based onin-depth surveys and interviews with people ofall ages, walks of life and cultural backgroundsthroughout the country. The research spansnot only those who are newly wed but thosewho are looking back over the perspective ofmany years of marriage.A vast number of topics are included:the marriage mystique, conflicts, powerstruggles, money, families, communication,sex, intimacy—in fact, just about every issuethat comes into play in marriage. There aremany case histories, a number of questionnairespertinent to the respective chaptersand. in Appendix B. the original questionnairethat was distributed. Because this is a senous,clinical book, far removed from the usual"advice" and "how-to" publications on themarket, it contains extensive notes, documentationand breakdowns of the research demographics.It also manages to be a "goodread"—no mean feat!Although the easy-to-read style willappeal to the average reader, it is obvious thatthe authors intended it for use by professionalsas well: psychiatrists, psychologists, socialworkers—in fact, anyone who practices marriagecounseling. That is reason enough to beannoyed with the publisher on the choice ofcover. Obviously, with mass sales in mind, thejacket is deliberately designed to appeal tothose contemplating marriage or newly married,with an emphasis on youth. Cliniciansprobably would not give it a second glance. Infact. I tried out the jacketed book on a marriagecounselor who immediately said it wasthe type of book she would never pick up—until she opened it and read a few pages. Justin skimming she remarked on what a valuabletool this could be and that she intends to pur-chase it. She was also perturbed that thejacket read "What you can change... Vital andreassuring answers to the questions you'reafraid to ask..." (underscoring ours) becauseit misleads—implying this book belongs in therealm of pop psychology. That is. no doubt,the way it will be marketed.Considering the amount of time andcareful research Ms. Arond and Dr. Pauker putinto creating this excellent work, that isunfortunate indeed.—Beverly LowyMAKING PEACE WITH FOOD bySusan Kano; drawings by Linda Bourke (AmityPublishing Co., PO Box 933. Allston. MA02134; $14.95 plus shipping; paperback) isthe best book on freeing yourself from society'sidea of what your image should be sinceSusie Orbach's Fat is a Feminist Issue. In fact,I must admit, I consider Making Peace WithFood even more pertinent and interestingthan Orbach's landmark book. Although Ifound the workbook pages a bit overlong.they are so well constructed that I had newinsights into my own psychejust by readingthem. This is not your usual "how-to" book;instead, it reveals in depth the many ways weare conditioned to be "thin", to wear uncomfortableclothing, dangerously high heels—infact, to even kill ourselves trying to be ourculture's ideal.Why do people who constantly dietend up by regaining the lost weight? Why isfood (or lack of it) so much an obsession tomost of us? Does a woman ever feel that sheis "thin enough"? (The answer to that one isa resounding "NO".) Kano asks you what youconsider your ideal weight. Then she asks, ifyou had to make the choice of being 10pounds over that weight or 10 pounds under,which would you choose? Considering thatanorexics still feel "fat" when they are dyingfrom starvation is answer enough. Speaking asa woman who has been size 4 or 6 most ofher life and who dresses comfortably all thetime without regard to fashion, this bookmade me ponder why 1 too am obsessed withmy weight—an obsession I have seen mirroredin many staunch feminists. The bookalso demonstrated why I can eat a lot of richfoods and rarely weigh more than 112 or, andI must admit I've done it. starve myself andnot go below 108. (Of course I never really"starved" myself to the point where myhealth was impaired as too many others havedone.) My "setpoint" apparently is around110. and setpoints are something we all have.Kano provides accurate scientificinformation that has long been lacking inbooks that center on body image and weight.She also discusses in-depth the myths ofbeauty, discrimination against fat people, sexism,racism, unattainable stereotypes, the differencesbetween hunger of the body andhunger of the mind and much, much more.She also devotes a chapter to the loved onesof those who are suffering with a dieter'smind set and suggests the ways they can offersupport and help.The book is leavened with delightfuland sometimes poignant cartoons and thetext is not only informative but easy to read.Best of all. this book is truly feminist.Whether or not you think you have an imageproblem, you should read this book to discoverthe many hidden ways society manipulatesus and sometimes destroys us.—B.LNOT AN EASY CHOICE by KathleenMcDonnell (South End Press. Boston. MA; $8paperback) is subtitled "A Feminist Re-Examines Abortion" The author, who haswritten extensively on women's health andother issues, does far more than that. She hasencompassed most reproductive health andrights issues in the United States and Canadaand has also provided a historical perspectiveof the present pro- and anti-choice movements,going back to their roots in the '60s.Ms. McDonnell honestly explores theoften conflicting emotions prior to and postabortion; the differences between abortion bychoice and abortion by medical necessity in awoman's post-abortion reactions: the truth ofwhether or not abortion is really a "no-winsituation" for women: morality and abortion;whether a man should have any part in awoman's decision to abort; and many more ofthe issues feminists discuss among themselvesbut hesitate to bring into the open for fearthat anything that sounds remotely questioningor negative will be used against them byanti-choicers—or other feminists.Women in the United States will beespecially interested to note the differencesand samenesses between themselves and theirCanadian sisters, not solely in the areas of choicebut in the struggle for support services forpoor women and children, paid maternal leave,improvement in social, economic and culturalconditions, etc. McDonnell even examinesgenetic engineering and the new technologiesand their effects on women's lives. She discussessurrogate motherhood from a feministpoint of view and. considering that this bookwas written in 1984. shows remarkable clairvoyanceabout it. She is mistaken in only onething which is when she writes:"Because of the complex legalities andthe highly charged emotional atmospheresurrounding it. surrogate motheringwill probably remain a minor elementin the artificial reproductionrepertoire, and may well be maderedundant by some of the newertreatments for infertility like in vitrofertilization and embryo transfer."16On the IssuesVol. VIII

As we know, just the opposite hashappened. However, no one can bat .1000constantly and McDonnell scores 90 percent ofthe time.Those who have been involved withthe pro-choice movement for a number ofyears may be familiar with a lot of whatMcDonnell has to say but that doesn't mean itisn't worth re-thinking many things. Thosewho have come later to the movement willfind this book invaluable.—B.L.NATURAL HEALING IN GYNECOLOCY by Rina Nissim (Pandora Press, NewYork,~NY: $32 hardcover; $9.95 paperback) isan interesting addition to the women's selfhelpmovement in its description of the use ofherbs, trace elements and diet in ensuringproper body functioning and in the treatmentof gynecological disorders. Rina Nissim, R.N.has been active in the Women's Movementsince 1972 and a founder member in 1978 ofDispensaire des Femmes, a women's healthcenter collective in Geneva. Switzerland. She iscertainly most knowledgeable about women'sgynecological health.Whether or not you put your faith inthe use of herbs for gynecological problems,this book is useful in helping you diagnoseyour ailment(s) and also presents the treatmentsusually prescribed by the medical establishment.To Ms. Nissiirfs credit, she does notgo overboard recommending herbs forillnesses that must be cured by antibiotics oras alternatives for surgery. Sometimes shecombines conventional medical treatmentwith natural remedies. Furthermore, the bookis well-documented and indexed as well ascontaining useful addresses of women's healthcollectives in the United States and a numberof other countries.In spite of all its very good points, Ihave a few caveats about this manual. First,using herbs has attendant dangers, just asusing medications prescribed by the medicalestablishment. Many people have allergies to avariety of natural substances as any hay feversufferer will testify. When used internally,either by mouth or in the vagina, or in thesensitive areas of mucous membranes, painfulswelling—even anaphylactic shock resulting indeath—can occur.The second problem is a practical one:few people will have access to most of herherbs, especially if one lives in an urban area. Iwent into a number of large health foodestablishments that carry a vast variety ofproducts—herbs, natural make-ups, medications,etc.—and could find only a smallnumber of those recommended.Caveats aside. I heartily recommendthis book. Even if you ignore all the curativeadvice (and it's hard to believe anyone would).Ms. Nissim's counsel on preventative measuresis well worth the price of the book.—B.L.MINOU by Mindv Binqham, illustratedby Itoko Maeno (Advocacy Press. Santa Barbara,CA; $12.95 hardcover)Anyone searching through the myriadof children's books knows the difficulty of findingsomething that will interest a child textuallyand graphically and still contribute to thechild's societal>and emotional development. Tosay that Minou does all this and more is anunderstatement. The price of $12.95 is unbelievablylow for this exquisite work of art—especially when one considers that flimsypaperbacks for children cost five dollars andmore.The publishers informed me thatMinou is for ages four and up. Let me add that"up" extends to adults—every adult who hasseen this book wants a copy.Minou is a Siamese cat who leads apampered existence with an elderly woman inParis. When the woman dies, Minou is literallykicked out on the streets to fend for herself—something she is completely unequipped todo. Needless to say, Minou discovers that lifeis fraught with dangers, including starvation.Desperate, she attempts to find someone tocare for her. only to be thwarted at every turn.Fortunately, just when all hope has beenexhausted, she meets Celeste, a street cat,who teaches Minou how to look out for herselfand survive. In the end. Minou gets a jobat Notre Dame where she catches mice andrats in exchange for food. However, when thepriests offer to have her live with them and tocare for her, and Minou is about to walk in—she changes her mind. She decides instead towork for the priests and earn her milk, but toleave every evening and be on her own. Shehas learned that in this world you can'tdepend on anyone to care for you. You mustbe independent and care for yourself!The book also provides some samplequestions for parents and teachers to askchildren to see if they comprehend the "message"of the book, and supplies a lovely lessonin geography as well: Itoko Maeno's beautifulwater colors depict the various sites of Parisas Minou passes through and they are all identifiedby page numbers toward the end of thebook.Although it is our policy not to givemail order information when a book is availablein bookstores, I have searched through anumber of major chains in New York and havebeen unable to find Minou. Because I am soimpressed by the importance and quality ofthis book, mail order information is: AdvocacyPress. P.O. Box 236. Dept. A, Santa Barbara.CA 93102; the $14.95 cost includes shippingcharges.—B.L.The Political Palate and The SecondSeasonal Political Palate by the BloodrootCollective (Sanguinaria Publishing, Bridgeport.CT: respectively $8.95 and $10.95 paperback)are both fascinating feminist reading as wellas being filled with wonderful vegetariandishes (although the first book is not purelyvegetarian since it contains fish and seafoodrecipes). Neither book, in toto, is for strictvegetarians since many recipes utilize dairyThe Mother's BookHow to Survive theIncest of Your ChildCarolyn M. Byerly1985/64 pages/paper/$5.95ISBN 0-8403-4383-3The Mother's Book discussesDisclosure, What Mothers Need,Reporting Child Sexual Abuse,Parenting Issues, Cultural Issues,Religious Issues, The Problem ofIncest, Further Reading, andDirectory of Services.The author, a formeradministrator of a rape crisisprogram and women's shelter,wrote the book with the help ofmother survivors, therapists,counselors, social workers, andincest survivors.To order, call (319) 589-2882 orwrite:inl Publishing Company2460 Kerpw Boulevard-PO Boi 539'OuDuque.towa 52001PERSONALLY SPEAKINGYOU DOHAVEACHOICE!Choose crueltyfreepersonal careand householdproducts fromcaring companiesthat do not test onanimals. Free,illustrated guide—the mostcomprehensiveavailable.FREE! GUIDE TO HUNDREDSOF CRUELTY-FREE COSMETICSAND PRODUCTSFor your copy of Ptnonal Cart with Principle, write:Dept. 707-9NATIONALANTI-VIVISECTIONSOCIETY53 W. JACKSON BLVD., CHICAGO, IL 60604On the IssuesVol. VIII17

products and/or eggs, but there are enoughother possibilities included to satisfy mostcooks. Certainly the second book will delightthe hearts of those who are trying to find newways to prepare that ubiquitous staple ofvegetarian diets, tofu. The books go into theethics of vegetarianism, the politics of feminism,historical perspectives, working as collectivesand other topics of interest, as well ascontaining the "seasoning" of quotes from thepoems, music and writings of feminists pastand present, which are neatly interspersed asdelightful surprises throughout.Because these books are so valuableboth in providing new and different recipes aswell as being fun to read, it is with regret thatthis reviewer must express one strong criticism:far too much salt and too many sweeteningagents are used (yes. honey and maplesyrup are sweetening agents), as well as toomuch butter. Having spent many years devisinglow-salt, low-cholesterol and low-sugardishes for myself and my family, I am wellaware of the difficulties in preparing palatablefoods when these ingredients are eliminated. Iam also aware that when they are eliminated,alternative flavors must be devised or the foodwill be uneaten by any but the starving. However,in the interests of good health and nutrition,it is important that these alternatives beexplored. It is also important that children notget used to the flavors of salt and oversweet.There is enough sodium and natural sugar inthe foods we normally eat to provide us withall we need nutritionally. As for butter, I havefound that in most cases sesame, soy, or saffloweroil can be substituted with little or noloss of flavor. Remember, we're not talkingcalories; our concern is health.Hopefully, considering the high-qualitydeliciousness of their productions, the BloodrootCollective will publish another bookincorporating these advisements. In themeantime, it's certainly worth the readers'(and eaters') time to enjoy the existingvolumes.—B.LSURPLUS POWERLESSNESS: ThePsychodynamics of Everyday Life and thePsychology of Social Transformation byMichael Lerner (The Institute for Labor andMental Heath, $9.95 paperback)Lerner has encapsulated in his title thetheme of this provocative and highly challengingwork: it is not power or absolute powerthat corrupts—but powerlessness. The traditionalconcept of powerlessness that runsthrough theories of both political and socialpsychology are given a unique definition inLerner's lexicon.As a practicing therapist and socialtheorist, Lerner combines both disciplines toaddress the issues of power, social change, andradical movements. Describing himself as comingfrom a traditional Freudian psychoanalyticbackground with roots in Marcuse. Lernerdiffers from them in the way he views religionand ethics as having the potential to play rolesin the radical transformation of society. Heapproaches his topic from the perspective ofan ethnomethodologist: one who studies thenature of social reality. Lerner asks why somuch of society is in love with passivity?Lerner. himself an activist in the '60s. dealsfirst hand with issues of power and socialchange. Realizing that individuals comingtogether with a degree of power can indeedmake a difference (as in the opposition to theVietnam War) Lerner analyzes why thissociety is engulfed in a general malaise ofpowerlessness and finds the answer in whathe terms the "social unconscious." Lernerbelieves that every perception we have is"shaped by our understanding of the totalityof all things"—all meaning is derived fromrelationship to something else, and nothingstands alone—nothing is perceived directly apriori from reality. The social unconscious refersto those shared meanings that most peopleassume in their every day lives.Uncomfortable with the classical definitionsof pathology, which he believes arerooted in the traditional American belief in theIndividual as having all power and all blame foraction, Lerner in 1977 joined a group of othermental health professionals, union leaders andcommunity activists to form the Institute forLabor and Mental Health.Lerner then formed OccupationalStress Groups—meetings of union and nonunionworkers who were encouraged to comeonce a week and tell stories of stress in theirjobs. The results of these thousands of hoursof meetings and interpretations form theHooray for Making Peace With FoodA Step-By-Step Guide to Freedom from Diet/Weight ConflictWith great insight and compassion, Susan Kano offers a way out ofthe common struggle with diet and weight. She not only helps usmake peace with food, she helps us love ourselves and our bodies.We highly recommend this book.Boston Women's Health Book Collective(Authors of Our Bodies, Ourselves)Making Peace with Food is a terrific resource...We are using it in our groups and classes.Jean Rubel, Ph.D., PresidentAnorexia Nervosa & Related Eating DisordersORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!1-800-345-6145 x F J» o>(CALIF: 1-800-334-8482 x F)with your VISA or M/C• Only $14.95 + $1.50 shipping• 224 pages • Illustrated • Indexed• iW x 11"• Workbook pgsRush _ copy(s) of Making Peacewith Food to:Name:.Addr:_Zip:.I've enclosed $14.95 + $1.50 shipping/bk.Amity Publishing, 39-B Mill Plain Rd. #186Danbury, Connecticut 06813SATISFACTIONGUARANTEEDIf you are not 100%satisfied withMaking Peace with Food,return it within 60 daysfor a fulland prompt refund.Amity Publishing «39-B Mill Plain Rd., 0186 « Danbury, Connecticut 06813ABOUT AUTHOR SUSAN KANO:• received high honors for thesis on eating disorders & awardfor related empirical research (Wesleyan University)• suffered through (and overcame) yo-yo dieting andborderline anorexia nervosa• helping others through workshops since 1984• lectures for schools, hospitals, and other organizations suchas the Massachusetts Department of Public Health18 On the Issues Vol. VIII

asis of this book.Approaching Lerner as a social psychologist.I am particularly impressed with thescope and depth of his analysis. Lerner definesSurplus Powerlessness as individual misguidedassessments of how much one can accomplishin any particular movement.This set of beliefs results in havingindividuals who feel ultimately and absolutelyisolated and alienated from themselves andfrom others—who have only self-blame forthe failings of their lives—individuals with noclass or social consciousness—passive, fearful,disassociated masses.Lerner makes the point that "Americansociety is a class dominated society" andsees that power rests with a small power eliteat the top who have extraordinary amounts ofresources at their disposal and operate in sucha way as to insure that any radical or progressivemovements are either squashed or cooptedby the establishment.Lerner's vision is of a society in whichindividual members can work towards reducingself-blame, facing ourselves and each otherand coming to a central point of compassion.In essence, it is in achieving this radical compassionthat Lerner sees a way to overcomeSurplus Powerlessness: a society in whichhuman beings have evolved, where "HumanEssence" has been actualized. The HumanEssence is what he considers the "core personality",what Marx called "Species Being".The human essence is the tendency tobe fully free and able to create ourselves, toproduce ourselves and our world as new historicalrealities, to create and externalize ourselvesthrough art; to be fully conscious ofourselves spiritually, physically and socially; tofully love ourselves and those around us andto be in full solidarity with others.It is the ability to respond in radicalamazement and humility to the calls of spiritualreality and to create human responses tothose calls.Lerner analyzes how society conditionsus to be competitive-differentiated andaggressive in order to succeed, and how thesevery qualities are the ones that disenable usfrom reaching our human essence and fromconnecting with others. This inherent conflictbetween the demands of the market place forcompetition and the demands of the home forintimacy lead to massive amounts of diseaseand rage which people try to bury with TV.,and drugs, frenetic activities or sex.In the midst of our marital and relationshipfailures we do not perceive casualty inthe system but always in ourselves. It is in thepersonal and not in the political where welook for our demons.Lerner calls for a radical re-definition ofsexual relationships. He calls for a more globalunderstanding of how the economic systemserves as a reinforcer, conditioner, oppressorand creator of us all. Acts of generosity, commitmentand love are the expression of ourHuman Essence. Lemer believes that we canexpress our essence fully in everyday life, butthat with each small betrayal we move furtheraway from our primal urge to connect insolidarity with our fellow human beings. Healso fully understands the reality that thesedenials and betrayals are consistently reinforcedby our social system, so that by behavingaccording to the rules of society we are inactuality moving further and further awayfrom being fully human.Lerner believes that most Americanfamilies live with an extraordinary amount ofpain, and that one of the reasons for the popularityof the New Right is their ability toaddress and deal with this pain.Taking the left and the liberals to taskfor not truly understanding the nature of thismessage. Lerner warns that unless the liberaland progressive movements begin to understand,respect and confront the enormousamount of alienation and pain that Americansfeel, they will truly have lost the soul of thecountry.Lerner's work is provocative and challengingto all those involved in social changeand progressive movements. As a feminist Iwas particularly struck by the intensity andinsight of his arguments concerning thenature of the personal and the political.According to Lerner there is no chance for anygroup or even individual empowerment aslong as people feel problems rest in themselvesand blame themselves for unhappiness.frustration, failure, etc. There is no chance forempowerment as long as we have economicand social systems that create workplaceswhich reinforce alienation, competition andaggression.This concept is particularly importantfor feminists to grapple with. In the early daysof the Movement, there was an understandingthat beyond making changes in our personallives, there was a responsibility to address andchallenge the social structure. Unfortunately,too much of that vision has been lost to afeminism more involved with careerism andblatant individualism than in changing theworld.Lerner has interesting things to sayabout the role of religion in society. He disagreeswith much of the ideology of the leftthat summarily dismisses the insights of traditionalreligions. He makes no excuse for theoppressive and manipulative roles that religionhas played through the centuries—but saysthat this misuse of basic principles can befound in other ideologies such as feminismand capitalism. He sees within religion(although reactionary in some contexts) asolid basis for a critique of contemporarysociety because religion views reality from aradically different perspective—one that seesthe world made up of more than a series ofthings to buy and sell (including people). Itpresents a view of human beings as having asacred obligation for stewardship (taking care)of the planet.Lerner's argument is cogent for feministsto understand. Much of feminist rhetoricviews religion as ultimately negative and dismissesit out of hand as a "tool of the patriarchalestablishment". While Lerner does notdisagree that religion can in effect function inthat capacity at some times in certain politicalclimates, he believes that feminists and allprogressives should use the "window ofopportunity into dissent" that religion createsto further their own progressive agendas.As a therapist Lemer is very familiarwith the potential of therapy for freeing individualsfrom oppressive neurotic tendencies,yet understands that the process of psychotherapyitself reinforces the systems that willlead to more powerlessness. Therapists arerarely trained in social political backgroundand will focus the patients away from socialissues like work. Most therapists believe andpractice the dominant assumptions of the culture.Only a process of unfolding the assumptionsof the social realities of the patient canresult in a healing. Finally, Lemer sees compassionas the vehicle for radical mass societalchange.Anyone can be a revolutionaryanyonecan help participate in the destructionof Surplus Powerlessness. One must first challengeall basic assumptions that you hear suchas "all people are evil". One must talk aboutthe pain in one's life and share it—engage in aradical type of solidarity; work in groupsattempting to engage in conversations of howwe could recreate the world: do not allow forsentences such as "It will never happen", etc.Feminists, health care workers, peaceactivists, radicals, progressives, religious—allof us who are in one way or another trying tocreate a world of compassion and peace willfind Lerner's analysis both brilliant anddemanding. It is not enough to talk aboutchanging the world. We must be continuallyaware and actively participating in this change.A new world order is indeed needed if thisworld is to continue to exist at all.—Merle HoffmanFOOD FOR THE SPIRIT: VEGETAR-IANISM AND THE WORLD RELIGIONS bySteve Rosen (Bala Books, New York. NY; ~$6.95 paperback)"To be a vegetarian is to disagree, todisagree with the course of things today."So begins the forward written by IsaacBashevis Singer in this enlightened andenlightening treatise by Steve Rosen.Indeed, disagreement is a profoundpart of what becoming and being a vegetarianis about. Disagreement with violence, with killing,with slaughter and with the continuedconfinement and torture of animals. Disagreementwith an established religiousorthodoxy that teaches compassion in theesoteric and philosophical while supportingand mythologizing cruelty and suffering inreality.Rosen surveys Christianity, Judaism,Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism, and in eachhe finds a strong scriptural basis for universallove and mercy. All stress eating herbs andvegetables, and some offer strong exhortations(particularly in Buddhism and Hinduism)against meat eating. All religions speak to thevalue of reverence for all God's creations andthe connection between cruelty and oppres-On the IssuesVol. VIII19

sion to animals leading to. and violenceamong, humans.Unfortunately, the majority of thosepracticing the world's great religions haveseriously overlooked their responsibilitiestowards the world and its creatures. Indeed,we have used the concepts of "dominion over"or "stewardship" to mean carte blancheapproval to confine animals for slaughter, totorture them for science, to blind them in therush for new cosmetics, and to hunt themdown for fashion and profit.I personally have found it ultimatelydisappointing that so many feminists, radicals,and progressives do not uniformly maintain avegetarian diet in their lives. Indeed, all politicalagendas that preach the eradication ofoppression and inequality should expand theirvision beyond their own species, least theyrisk the sin of ultimate hypocrisy.It is particularly ironic for the feministswho are rightly and consistently railingagainst a system of male oppression thattreats them like "pieces of meat" to be supportinga system of continual animal deathand oppression through real "meat" eating.So-called animal welfare people who preach"kindness to animals" over hamburgers shouldalso look deeply into a mirror.Being a vegetarian requires action—itrequires commitment and a radical change ofbehavior.. .it requires the courage to activelydissent and possibly risk others' approbation.It requires inconvenience, it demands disciplineand a high level of awareness. In that sense isit beyond ideology and politics.Christ. Buddha, Mohammed—allspeak of a higher understanding of God's love.A love that transcends species—a love thatrequires compassion and individual acts oftranscendence. In being vegetarian, we whohave chosen that path (I became a vegetarianone year ago) receive the gift of the opportunityto make consistent acts of transcendence.With each meal, particularly in the company ofnon-vegetarians, we are able to teach byexample the concepts of non-violence andcompassion."The Lord is good to all. and compassionatetoward all His works."—Psalm 145:9."Whoever is kind to the lesser creatures iskind to himself."—Prophet Mohammed. "Toavoid causing terror to living beings, let thedisciple refrain from eating meat."—Buddha."Everything is related. Whatever happens nowto animals will eventually happen to man."—Indira Gandhi. "It is my view that the vegetarianmanner of living, by its purely physicaleffect on the human temperament, wouldmost beneficially influence the lot ofmankind."—Albert Einstein.To those in whom a concept of universalcompassion and awareness of the sacrednature of all creation is still somewhat of aradical concept, Rosen's book will certainly beeducational. For others who are already committedto following a path of spiritual growthand have discovered that being a vegetarian isa major step along this road, this book offersreinforcement and inspiration. It certainly isfood for the spirit!—M.H.20MOTHERS ON TRIAL: THE BATTLEFOR CHILDREN AND CUSTODY by PhyllisChesler (The Seal Press, Seattle, WA; $11.95paperback)"This book is not about happy marriagesor happy divorces. This book is aboutthose marriages and divorces that erupt intocustody battles; and about the state's appropriationof a mother's child," warns PhyllisChesler in the preface of her original study of60 custodially challenged North Americanmothers. And right she is. The study revealsthe grim reality such women face whendragged into the courts by angry and unrelentinglyvindictive husbands and the oftenbizarre and destructive rulings which resultfrom a legal system steeped in sex bias.Chester's study challenges practicallyevery assumption one might hold on the subjectof child custody including the myth thatmen are disadvantaged in such disputes. Shemakes it clear that just being a mother hasnever been a "good enough" reason for thecourts to award custody to women. Historically,children have been considered to belongto their fathers and. contrary to popular belief,women have only won the right to child custodyin recent memory. By 1900. only ninestates and the District of Columbia offered theright of custody to mothers and fathersequally. Child support laws began to be institutedin the 1920's but then unevenly, on astate by state basis.The legal term "maternal presumption"has never been interpreted under U.S. orBritish law as maternal right. Thus Cheslernotes that women should be alerted to thefact that current rulings are often based onthe lengthy record of legal precedents whichuphold paternal rights and deem maternalpresumption as secondary to the "child's bestinterests". These "interests", as one mightsuspect, are quite often decided on economicfactors favoring paternal wealth. A recentexample of this precedent holding true is oneaspect of the Baby M case, where Judge HarveyJ. Sorkow cited the Stern family's superioreconomic position as one of the primary factorsinfluencing his decision to award the babyto her father. Mothers on Trial details numerousexamples of irrational, illogical and dangerousjudgments which have issued fromcourt systems relying on patriarchal historicalprecedent.As in her previous study of the mentalhealth establishment, Women and Madness,Chesler uses the direct testimony of her subjectsto express the pain and chaos revealed bythe investigation. The wealth of detail isalmost overwhelming in its complexity andemotional impact. Each mother's story bringsup more questions than it can answer.Chester's strong feminist analysis of the patriarchallegal system coupled with the emotionalreality of the lives torn apart by its rulingsbring the reader face to face with asystem gone bad.Given the powerful accusatory emotionaltone of the mothers' stories and thatthe study includes only examples of unremittinglymanipulative, abusive, alcoholic and psychotichusbands, it is important to establishthe relevance of this small sampling to thepopulation at large. Chester's study is basedon the experiences of 60 custodially challenged,white, middle-class mothers living inall regions of the U.S. and Canada from 1960-81. Interviews with 55 fathers and 50 womenof color involved in similar disputes add moredetail. Seventy percent of the original 60mothers lost their rights to their children;whereas, statistically, as based on informationfrom the National Center for Health Statistics,approximately 10 percent of divorces involvingcustody disputes annually result in paternalawards (62.500 for 1984). Common sensetells us that 62.500 father-led families cantbe all bad. But Chesler has warned that thestudy is not about "happy divorces" and it isby venturing into the charted areas of violenceand conflict that she has revealed the seriousflaws in our state by state systems of custody.For this reason the book is a timely, importantand rare attempt to look behind precedentand law to the underlying issues andprejudices.A chapter on "A Fit Mother andFather/An Unfit Mother and Father" revealscomplete lack of common standards regardingthe fitness of either sex as parent as perceivedeither in the general public or the courts. Onany aspect of character, be it sexuality, ethics,economics or religion, mothers and fathers areheld to separate standards. And as one goesfurther away from the norm—the "goodenough" white middle-class female—one findsdiscrepancies in judgment more severe. Thelesbian mother, the uppity/educated mother,the poor mother, the mother married to theviolent man have all been subject to peculiarprejudices which influence and inhibit the possibilityof a fair hearing in court.Recent pressure by lawyers and juristshave begun to address this inequity. The stateof New Jersey (1983) and New York (1987)have issued detailed reports on endemic sexbias in both legal systems, and reforms havebeen proposed. But these will come slowly. Aswith any revelation of the dark side of humannature where prejudice and intolerance feedsthe stereotyping which protects the stats quo,the demand for change will be resisted.Chester's study is a passionate cry for immediateredress and a cautionary lesson for thosewomen who find themselves under seige inthe legal arena in the meantime.—Nancy LloydTHE GOOD MOTHER by Sue Miller (Dell PublishingCo.. Inc., New York. NY; $4.95paperback)Anna Dunlap. the white middle-classnarrator at the center of Sue Miller's firstnovel, loses custody of her four-year-olddaughter presumably as the result of a sexualindiscretion. But in the subtle rendering of thedetails of this deceptively simple story. Millermakes it clear that elements way beyondAnna's own lack of judgment have set inmotion the events leading to her loss. Ann isan anti-heroine, a woman so ordinary, somodest in her ambitions and accomplish-On the Issues Vol. VIII

merits that, like the girl next door, one canhardly imagine her as the central figure in atragedy. And yet that tragedy, which is not somuch the loss of her child, is the loss of herown independent life.As the only child in a small branch of alarge extended family, Anna has grown up inmiddle-class comfort and has absorbed withoutquestion the attitudes and privileges ofher class. Her assumptions regarding socialand personal freedom have never been put tothe test until the day she decides to leave herhusband and live an independent existence asa single mother.Anna knows, as do we all, that divorceshappen by the hundreds of thousandsevery year in this culture, so she does not considerher own to be a radical act. Her family iscritical, her husband discomforted, her friendscurious, her daughter sometimes angry and abit confused and she, herself, is hard up forcash; nevertheless, life goes on much as usual.Then she takes a further step toward selfrealizationand falls passionately in love. AsAnna comes alive and claims her internalpower in relation to her lover, Leo, her formerhusband, Brian, and her daughter, Molly, arealerted to further potential changes in theseparated family's status quo.It is within the triangle of mother,father, daughter that the power play for stabilityand continuity is fought out. When itmoves from private, mother dominated emotionalpower in the home to public patriarchalpower in the courts via the highly charged, yetfairly innocuous, incident where Molly hasasked to touch and does touch Leo's genitalsafter his shower, the censure of the stateenters. At this point. Anna's doom is sealed. Inthe courtroom scenes in this novel, there isbarely room for sexuality in marriage, let alonesexuality for the single mother, especially ifthe child knows the lover. All the prejudicesand intolerance of independent women outlinedin the more dramatic stories in Motherson Trial are present in this story as well. It isinteresting to note that the fiction writertones down the bias against women presumablybecause she may be accused of "makingit all up". Real life women stand accused ofthat too as they testify to their actualexperiences.The Good Mother is a beautifully written,carefully constructed novel which treatsits subject with great delicacy. It is an importantbook and one that should be read byeveryone.— N.L.Nancy Lloyd is a member of the Board of Directors of theInternational Women's Writing Guild. She has conductedwriting workshops and has written screenplays and shortstories. She holds an MA in fiction writing from NYU. Sheis a welcome addition as a Contributing Editor to On theIssues.IN SEARCH OF PARENTHOODCoping with Infertility andHigh-Tech ConceptionJudith Laskerand Susan BorgMillions of women are caught up in a desperatesearch to have a baby. Lasker and Borg take ahard look at the new technologies -• artificial insemination • test-tube fertilization• ovum transfer • surrogate motherhood- and their emotional and financial costs."Thoughtful and sensitive. Laskerand Borgoffer us the voices of the women and men whohave been there: in infertility clinics, in in vitroprograms, in so-called 'surrogacy' contracts.They share with us the success and failure,joy and grief of our brave new world ofreproduction."- Barbara Katz Roth man, author ofThe Tentative Pregnancy$17.95 cloth At your bookstore now or fromVOTERSA F O RCHOICEFRIENDS OF FAMILY PLANNINGFor copies write or call:BeaconPRESS25 Beacon StreetBoston, MA 021081988 — OUR YEARFOR A PRO-CHOICEPRESIDENT!VOTERS FOR CHOICE has produceda guide outlining the presidentialcandidates' positions onreproductive rightsEXERCISE YOUR"RIGHT TO CHOOSE"VOTERS FOR CHOICE $2.50 - per copy2000 P Street, NW $2.00 - 5 or moreWashington, DC 20036 Postage waived for202/822-6640 CHOICES readersFREE!A Terumo Digital Thermometer with hardshell case ($15.95 value).Just mention this ad with any purchase of $150.00 or more.BRITISHMARKETINGENTERPRISES• divuon of King Health Corp.Ask about our Pregnancy Tests:— an early detection test that takes urine,serum or plasma;- a 0-HCG slide test for only 32*.Laminaria, Curettes, Spinal Needlesand other items.Outside Calif. (800) 358-8220Calif. (415) 567-8211Low Prices / Same Day ShippingOn the IssuesVol. VIII21

Your $25couldbuy thegovernmenta hearingYour$25membershipduestotheNational Organization for Women willprovide women with one strongvoice, speaking out against job bias,against reversals in equal opportunityprograms, against abuses that robwomen of their jobs, rights, and dollarsNOWNational Organization for WomenP.O. Box7813. Washington, DC. 20044COUNT ME IN as a member of NOW.Here's my ( ) $25 membership dues( ) extra contribution totalling $NameAddressCityState/ZipPhone( ) My check payable to NOW is enclosed.( (Chargemy ( ) MasterCard ( JVISACard No. (all digits, please)Valid thruMasterCard Bank No. (4 digits above your name)SignatureHoffman-Issues mm. /i.»« />»«. • ^ ^ • I H ^ Bover abortion has to do with the struggle ofwho would be in control of that definition ofmother. Why is it that freedom and autonomy,a major theme in the feminist definitionof mother (including the right to decideto choose whether or not to be a mother)was so much a part of the rhetoric for theabortion debate, and yet Mary Beth's desireto keep the child of her womb was viewed asaberrant and regressive? Could it be thatfeminists had disowned their previous definitionof mother—disowned or were theyjustunclear?I thought to myself that Whiteheadwas first and foremost a dissident, a radicalchallenge to the system of old definitionsand consumer mentalities. Whitehead wasreally an innocent barkening us back to theworld's first order of survival and primal love.That was why she was being so vehementlyattacked by the feminist and non-feministestablishment. It was not so much that shewanted to sell her baby, after all that is theAmerican way—you have a product, you puta price on it. you sign a contract and thenyou deliver it. Whitehead's problem was notthat she did not follow the process, it wasthat she reneged, she pulled her product outof the marketplace—she did not deliver, shedissented!"Where love rules, there is no will topower and where power predominates, therelove is lacking."—Carl Jung. The ultimateand accepted societal definition of requitedand unconditional love is idealized in theconcept of "Mother, Mother's Love". Love:unconditional, accepting, non-questioning,affirming, supportive, self-denying, sacrificial.This love so much associated with the mythof mother and the maternal that the battleof surrogacy seemed not only to be aboutpower and possession but about the struggleto define and own the concept of mother.Is there a reality of mother beyondwhat we condition it to be? Is there motherin the pure platonic form? Is she wild in thefields somewhere sans Saks or the GardenClub—alone naked in the forests—and if sheis, what is she, who is she? Is she loving,kind, nurturing, or demanding, egotisticaland self-serving? Is she Whitehead? Is sheStern? Is she both?It came to me that Mary BethWhitehead's real sin was not one of inferiorclass or maternal ambiguity. It was the factthat she did not buy into the primal realityof our society—the reality having to do withrituals concerning consumerism—consumerismas a modality of thought and systemsthat regulate control and direct all energiesof the society. Consumerism as in Elizabethand William Stern—their erotic energy anddesire capitulated into the demands of themarketplace.Everything—all things—all realitythrough the manipulation of technologybecome products, goods and services. Thehuman creative forces now strive untemperedby doubt, awe or fear and tremblingtowards defying the established naturalorder of things.The power to create life should allowfor the power to define it. The momentouspolitical, moral and religious struggles overreproductive technology and reproductivefreedom is just this. Whether we as individualwomen or as a feminist class accept andintegrate the ruling male establishment'sdefinition of mother, child and family, orwhether we begin to allow our own toemerge.It is true that a real danger to theestablished order arises when individuals orgroups begin to see and define their realitiesdifferently—to question as the feministmovement has done so resonantly in multipleways the basic assumptions of oursociety. But these assumptions must be consistentlyand passionately challenged,because with the recent ruling on the abilityto patent new forms of animal life, thecommercialization and the drive towards allof reality becoming marketable is almostcomplete.In a comment by Jeffrey J. Miller andAlbert G. Tramposch in the Sunday New YorkTimes of April 26th. addressing the issue ofpatenting life: "The New Policy acknowledgesthe reality that there is no separationbetween life and technology. Life itself iscrafted. We are on the threshold of beingable to invent life. This is not playing god.Rather it is being fully human, as humanity isexpressed in the 20th century.""There is no separation between lifeand technology." The system of contract law.tax accountants, and mutual funds wouldhave us believe this—but women have beencreating life with their bodies since thebeginning. This ultimate power has been athorn in the side of the male power establishmentsince its formulation. So that it isnow possible for them to think in terms ofthe creator—to truly become God—to dispensewith the mundane primal mystery andreality of blood and tissue and issue edictsthat allow men to make animals—to makelaws that allow people to buy and sellchildren.The entire issue of surrogacy isanother arena for this commercialization ofhumanity. It seems as if science has no master.If life itself is crafted by the father andman is the child of the father, made in hisimage, then the ability to create and patentlife, surrogacy, renting wombs becomes asacrament. Women as beings, as products,are imperfect. The gene pool cannot be a lottery.It too is imperfect as defined by theestablishment so that any technologicaladvancement equals improvement.Indeed, with men patenting animallife, it would seem that this envy of women'sability to give and make life has reached acollective, industrial, institutionalized level offrightening proportions. Not satisfied tomerely control the reproduction of animalsand women, the scientific establishmentthrough governmental bureaucrats havemoved into formulating new forms of animallife that will result in them being ultimatelymore serviceable and marketable—to be22On the IssuesVol. VIII

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etter products, more saleable, more usable,more able to conform to standards and fads.If our gazes would move away fromthe mirror, we would notice that miracleswere being created all around us. In Beltsville.MD., a genetically altered pig makes hisentrance onto the world's stage. Carrying acow's growth hormone, the animal has difficultywalking on his short legs, suffers arthritisand visual impairment and probably willnot live to be two years old. A recent articlein the Drovers Journal, a beef industry publication,speculates that, in theory at least, itwill be possible to so change the geneticmakeup of animals that a kind of "breathingslab of beef" could be produced without theneed for legs, a brain or a nervous system.According to New York Magazine.July 13. 1987. another brave new world isbeing created by a group of transplant surgeonswho are experimenting on "bridgesurgery", that is the use of chimpanzeehearts implanted into human beings as atemporary measure until a human heart canbe provided. One of the surgeons involved inthe program, Keith Reemtsma. is quoted assaying that using chimpanzee hearts toreduce the risk of patients dying while waitingfor human transplants will "signal anextension" of what he calls the "golden ageof surgery". Working on chimpanzee tohuman kidney transplants at Tulane since1963, Reemtsma says "I picked a window inhistory when it was ethically acceptable todo this." Any discussion of the "ethicalacceptability" to utilize a species that is nowendangered and has 99 percent of the samegenetic material that makes up a humanbeing has to be heard in the context of aworld that has just witnessed the birth of its5 billionth citizen (New York Times, July 12.1987)—a world with an alarming level ofworldwide hunger, poverty, war, famine,infant mortality, etc., etc. David Rothman, anexpert in medical ethics, is quoted in theNew York Magazine article as saying that"we gave the moral right to rescue humansby the use of nonhuman hearts". It is especiallysaddening that Rothman does not seethis moral necessity extending to rescue allwho suffer silently in a society that disregardstheir needs and issues as beingirrelevant.The transplanting of monkeys' heartsinto humans of course necessitates the deathi 3of the animals but. according to the NewYork Magazine article, the researchers foughtagainst experiencing any emotional involvementor attachment to the creatures at all."We all got very attached to that animal.There are pictures of Rob Michler holdingher. the monkey got so attached to Robshe'd sit on his lap and groom him. It wastough to know that she was a control andshe was scheduled to die." Of course anynatural attachment or involvement wouldhave to be consistently and seriouslyfought—removed with the surgical precisionof an experimenter's knife.In a way this is similar to the difficultysome surrogate mothers are reportedto experience when they have their childrentaken away from them. There has even beendiscussion of having the babies removedfrom the surrogates immediately after birthwhen their "biological" mothers are stillunder anesthesia, to avoid the problem ofunnecessary sticky emotional attachmentsto the child. Indeed this problem of attachmentor connection seems to be a difficultone for a society that has control andmanipulation as its tools of power. Thisprimal discomfort with biology the way it isexpressed through nature, through women,is a leit motif that runs throughout much ofthe scientific and political power establishmentsof this country. It makes for difficultyin completing adoption and surrogate transactions.It slows up and convolutes theultimate goal—the higher order of thingswhich is the making and the remaking of theworld according to man.In a recent New York Times editorial,Jeremy Rifkin of the Foundation On EconomicTrends said "a handful of non-electedbureaucrats in a government agency, sealedoff "and isolated from the public participation,have taken it upon themselves to reduce allliving things to the new lowly status ofmanufactured processes". Lowly statusindeed. Lowly in absolute moral terms, butcertainly not in terms of cost and profit. Byturning everything that lives and breathesinto potentially marketable items, man hasfinally and ultimately achieved the dominanceof nature that he has long and continuallysought. Perfection, control, manipulation.A view of power that is limited andconfined to external trappings of position,status and props. The world and reality is•seen in segments, disparate parts without anoverriding transcendent purpose. A worldthat is not seen as a whole, but simply asparts to be controlled, changed and manipulated,becomes a world where everythingbecomes product, goods and services. Everythingserves the ultimate material capitalistbottom line.This seeming consistent inability ofpeople to accept life as process creates vacuumsof screams that echo the words "me"and "mine". Now the bureaucrats havereplaced the Supreme Court, the legislators,the will of the people and the dicta of establishedreligions. A few men have determinedthat it is O.K.. it is all right to mix. to match,to cross gene pools, to make and define creatures,to regulate and create new forms ofanimal life.If there is a driving vision to create a"breathing slab of beef", then is it so farfetchedto consider a desire to create a"breathing slab of womb"? or a "breathinggroup of eggs"? The Oocyte Donation Program,the first in the country to set up apool of anonymous donors matched by physicalappearance has donejust that. Estimatingthat there are approximately 100,000women in the United States who are unableto conceive. Dr. Martin M. Quigley, director ofthe program, developed a plan whereby eggswould be removed from a donor (who wouldhave to be between 18 and 35, and if married,have the consent of her husband) fertilizedin a laboratory by the sperm of therecipient's husband, and then placed in theuterus of the recipient in order to attemptto achieve pregnancy.Necessity is the mother of invention.The necessity we are witnessing is the medicaland scientific establishment capitalizingon some people's consuming passion to havechildren, children who now have become theultimate product in the marketplace. If themachine (woman) is defective, science andtechnology—the new God mother will do itfor you. And. of course, the donors and recipientscan be matched according to nationalorigin, height, weight, hair color, eye colorand blood type—all the better to achieve theperfect product—so serendipity here! Nochance for the unexpected—a real improvementon nature, who has been known tocreate errors.The new reproductive technologiesi /,««,• 24anot I daue beenVie -fViink ioe'(f\ fe they putting mbe s«ccwfn| this year 1 x newOn the IssuesVol. VIM23

24cfietuvty, withoutBEAl TV WITHOl'T CRUELT1Experience the luxury of the highestquality, high fashionCOSMETICS A!\D TOILETRIESProduced with absolutekNO \NI\I \l TESTING andUL VEGETARIAN INGREDIENTS.\ «uinplete line of moderately-pricedbeauty products. Imported from Kngland'spioneer in cruelty-free cosmeticsSend 50« to cover postage on a FREECATALOGUE Wholesale inquiries welcome.PAMELA MARSEN451 WEEN ANSE ROADTEANECK, MEW JERSEY07666 (201) 836-7820Animals.Do they matter?The animal rights movement is as,diverse as the animals it seeks to protect,and only one publication, TheANIMALS' AGENDA gives you comprehensivecoverage of its successes,its problems, its people, and itsorganizations.10 issues per yr.— 56 pgs. and growing!!_4MISCXLJ YES, Send me The ANIMALS' AGENDA• 1 yr. $18.00 D 2 yrs. $33.50 D 3 yrs. $45.00D Payment enclosed D Bill meNameStreetCity . State Zip .The ANIMAL'S AGENDA SubcrjptionsPO. Box 6809, Syracuse, NY 13217Hoffman-Issues umi. limn i«wattempt to meet a need. They tell us thatthis need is primal and biological and thatthis need must be filled. That this need forwomen and men to have children of theirbodies and genetic histories is so driving andso profound that it will allow for. indeeddemand, any type of technological creativity.The question of course remains whether thisneed is in fact primal and biological or theresult of social conditioning. Is it that peoplenow assume they have the right to own andcreate anything that they can imagine?The abortion and surrogacy debatesstand out in bas relief against this backgroundtapestry. Women may soon have toworry about their lives being controlled bysome minor bureaucrats in the federalgovernment patent office with the power tomake determinations on the ultimate meaningsof life and living organisms. The factthat the ruling allowing the patenting ofanimal life was not greeted by a massiveoutpouring of feminist rage reveals a politicalshort sightedness about a near and presentdanger that is not adequately perceived. It isclear that feminists must mount a propheticchallenge to this subtle white-coated bravenew world.Our age old patriarchal assumptionsand "givens" require a fresh vision. Feministsmust both individually and collectively entera state of radical dissidence—a dissidencethat not only opposes the status quo, butone that incorporates an innocence of vision.A quality of innocence that is not a defenseor state of ignorance, but one that is a radicalredirection of thought and action. Innocenceof mind, openness to dissent, choosingto see reality and opportunity without theprevious stereotypic conditioned definitionsthat so severely limit our human potential. Aprofound and passionate innocence that callsup the courage to create an evolved consciousnesscongruent with the needs anddemands of our present state of technologyand world systems.A major political tool of Aldous Huxley'sBrave New World was pure genetic classengineering, where women's uteri werebypassed and feti were grown in bottles.Another modern prophet, George Orwell,created a robotized society where doublethinkwas employed. Peace was war, lovewas hate, good was evil and lies were truth.We have now arrived at a point surpassingeven this. God is man, prayer is science,beauty is technology and love is control.It is clear that the time has come forus to enter more than merely a "brave newworld". The world that feminists should takepart in creating must have courage, truth,love beauty and peace as integral parts of itslexicon. We must all broaden and deepen ourdefinitions of "mother", so that we do notremain anesthetized as our world is slowlywrenched away from our arms.ooChester-Motherhood

more radical now than I was before, not less.OTI: More radical because the childhas brought you deeper into the collectivereality, dealing with levels that you wouldn'thave to interact with before?PC: More radical because none of myneeds as a mother are met in this society.And rather than retreat into the patriarchalfamily and hide, or silence myself there, I amout on the wild side of midnight looking forwhat I need and it is nowhere on this earth.OTI: What about the community ofwomen being able to provide that either inan alternative radical form or through theestablished order? Is that possible?PC: It's possible, but it hasn't beenactualized.OTI: But don't you think the solutionsto political problems are ultimately collectiveand not personal?PC: Yes, absolutely. Women are eachliving separately, either alone or with amate—either a female or male—and we'renot sharing resources, we're not becomingmore intimate and more filled with urgenttrust. We have not yet been able to developnew styles of family.Let me also just say that while wehave all kinds of good reasons to fear, mistrust,wish to escape from the power of thepatriarchal mother, that not to have anysense of identity with and/or loyalty to othersof our sex is a big mistake. It also doesn'tmake us out to be too noble.OTI: Divide and conquer though, it sthe old political story.PC: Because then that's the daughtersvs. the mothers. Then daughters, feministssound like, "Listen, she made her bed.now she's lying in it. No one told her to getmarried. No one told her to become a'mother. It's her problem."OTI: The profound power struggle ofmothers and daughters — women againstwomen.PC: Well this is something I've beenthinking about, and writing about; thatwomen hate women. Just imagine if you're atraditional woman, and you're aging, and youknow every day that passes means you'regoing to lose your man, your fertility.OTI: Going to lose everything thattraditionally has made you valuable as awoman.PC: You're going to be a bag lady.And you're never allowed to yell at men ordisplease them. You must serve them andobey them. And square it with yourself as theright thing to do. So where do you put yourself hatred and where do you put your frustrationand aggression? Only, can it beexpressed against other women, and indirectly,and never in a way that you're consciousof or guilty about what you're doing?And who can you see as a clear targetfor your rage? Your replacement. So that, if ayoung woman runs off with your husband,instead of shooting him you want to shoother.OTI: As if somehow he had noresponsibility in the act.PC: But it's a very agonizing kind ofcompetition because indeed what olderwomen or aging women are forced to competewith are women with less experience,less wisdom; who can be the better servantto the particular man. That's a very demeaningcompetition.So, there are women in public placesand business settings who understand thatsince women are only allowed in male preservesin token numbers, if they bring in ayounger woman, chances are that youngerwoman is her replacement. Women haven'tbonded generationally on the job and part ofthe reason is the psychological baggage frommother/ daughter relationships. And part ofit is that we haven't had team sports.OTI: Talk to us about surrogacy.PC: First of all. surrogacy is veryancient. Men have always taken concubines,handmaidens, slaves, servants, second, thirdand fourth wives.- for sexual reasons, for laborreasons, for wanting and needing childrenreasons. So, in my opinion, every time anArab and a Jew fight in the Middle East, it isa continuation of the Sarah. Hagar and AbrahamOld Testament story. That was a storyof surrogate motherhood. Sarah is barren andshe convinces Abraham to impregnate Hagar.She assures him she will bring up Hagar'schild as if it is Abraham's and her own. So. wehave Ishmael, Hagar's child and suddenlySarah is pregnant with Isaac. Sarah now convincesAbraham to get rid of Hagar — thecompetition, the affront — because she's nolonger needed. So there go Hagar and Ishmael,banished into the wilderness to die.That is where the Arab race comes from. AndI believe that the battles between Arab andJew arise from this very early example of surrogatemotherhood. This should serve as anexample to all of us that surrogacy shouldnot happen. That this was a very bad beginningand the endings are equally as bad. So.surrogate motherhood is not high tech. It'snot new, glossy, reproductive technology. Thisis very ancient patriarchy that gives menrights over the bodies and lives of womenand children. And any normal, natural feministshould say NO! We don't want this anymore.Let us put a stop to this use ofwomen's bodies by men for men's reasons.Now, in addition, however, we have Sarah'sbarreness. We have a society that values fertilityand childbearing and so the women whocannot, or who choose not, to have childrenare devalued and they are bitter. They areangry. It is not fair.When I began doing interviews withadoptive mothers who are sterile the firstthing I heard was that they were very angrythat they turned out not to be able to havechildren. But. they are also very guiltybecause they knew it was only their moneythat enabled them to buy a child from astarving mother somewhere else in theworld: and they knew she only gave up thechild because she didn't have the money tofeed her five other children, so she sold hersixth to feed the others. And the women whoare grateful to be able to adopt the childrenand are exercising the highest possible standardof spending on behalf of these children aresomewhere, deep inside, very, very guiltybecause they know they stole another woman'schild. But. they also are very frightened,terrified, that someday these children willturn on them and blame them for doing thisand will leave them and go off in search oftheir "true" or "real" mothers. So, as I listenedto them, I began asking them "How doyou see solving this?" And they couldn't getany further than doing away with reproduction— period. Nobody should reproduce.Everyone should or nobody should.OTI: Or there should be no concept ofparenthood or ownership.PC: No, they didn't say that. Theycouldn't give that up. No, they want to ownand they want to possess. But they did wantthe world to give up its romance with biology.Some had a tragic sense of things, tragiccircumstances — the children then becomestatus symbols for the women and for themen. And those who have no power, want tomake up for it. Women have babies becausethey don't have many options. You don't offerwomen choices like, do you want to be presidentof the world, or—OTI: The leader of a feministgovernment in exile . . .PC: Right, or mother.OTI: And so for many women being a"Mother" is sort of an inherent definition ofself that gives them credibility, validity andraison d'etre. Without that they wouldn't domuch except just be. just exist.PC: But of course, women don't say."Oh, gee, I want to give birth to a teenager."Women say, "I want to have a 'baby'." Babiesare cute, but then they grow into the werewolfteenagers and various other things.Nobody wants to give birth to someone whocosts $25,000 a year just for tuition alone.Nobody says that. I'm saying that. I do wantto say. at the risk of being wrong, or at therisk of offending a lot of women, that I thinkthere is something to mother/child bondingthat is unique to women.OTI: Adrienne Rich calls it "that mostprimitive of pleasures".PC: I don't know what to call it.When I was splitting up with my ex-husbandhe threatened me. He said he would kidnapour son and I would never see them again. Or,he said, he would disappear and neither of uswould ever see him again. Both of thosethreats were terrifying. And even though 1was saying things like, "there's no way I canmanage, the burden is too heavy", I also hadto realize that I was the one who didn'tleave. Something kept me there. It's not as ifI had a great sense of identity bound up withmy son. I have my own identity and it wasfully forged long before his existence. Yet, Icouldn't leave. It had something to do withthe physical bond between us. I wouldn't callit an instinct. But whatever it is, I am nowthe kind of person who is a mother person. Iwas not before.OTI: What exactly do you mean by a"mother person"?On the IssuesVol. VIII25

Chesler-Motherhood

nists for fathers' rights are also pro-abortionrights. So I say, okay we control our bodies tohave abortions if we are pregnant, right?Now, let's say we decide to have a child. Thechild grows. It's still in our bodies. It's still us.It's still our decision. At what point don't wecontrol? Is it one minute after we give birth?Is it one hour? Is it 24 hours? Is it 60 days,so that we can change our minds about keepingit or decide to share by putting downpaternity on the birth certificate? Because ifthey're not careful, they're going to lose usthe right to abortion as they're attemptingto create the perfect feminist father. I thinkthe right to abortion is under siege in manyways.This is the only thing that gets slightattention and serious acknowledgment fromthe feminists — father's rights. What theyalso say is "Don't think you that the sperm,and he who contributes the sperm has equalrights?" and 1 say "Stop!" I say, sperm donationis not identical to egg donation, plusnine months of pregnancy, childbirth and thenlactation. And then the socializations thatwomen have into motherhood and men haveinto fatherhood are two different kinds ofsocializations.Now that's even quite apart from thedevaluation of motherhood economically andthe lack of child care and lack of health care,and so, no. sperm donation is not the sameas egg donation!Feminists especially have to be verycareful about understanding the difference. Ifwe don't, then we will again sign away therights to our bodies in the name of somethingwe now call feminism.Now there's another interesting anglethat one of Mary Beth's lawyers is pursuing,which is if they're claiming that this contractis a contract for surrogacy and not for product,and that as Sorkow claims, nobody wasexploited, then let's figure out how muchmoney per hour Mary Beth got. It comes toabout $1.57 an hour!OTI: That's below minimum wagelPC: And even when you get paid minimumwage, you have to get paid every week.And that did not happen. Just because Sorkowsays she wasn't exploited, doesn't meanshe wasn't. Indeed it's far less than $1.57 anhour, because that does not count thenumber of months spent being inseminated,or the time she took in taking her temperatureevery morning. And to hear feminists tellme "that's cool, let her sell."I have run into any number of womenand a lot of male lawyers who are outragedover the decision, over the trial, and over thecontract. So I want to know why the feministlawyers are not outraged too. It's not justthe class connections that the feminist lawyerswho are not outraged have. They thinkthey're men. They're complimented whenthey're told, "You thinkjust like a man."If they're putting their loyalties andtheir identifications with the men, they're notgoing to get too far. And they will not helpwomen get too far either.By the way, to each of the issues thatthis case raises feminists say "Oh the issue isso profound, so complex." What they're talkingabout really is how to find a solution. Inother words, will you get rid of reproductiveprostitution by banning it? Or, will theysimply drive it underground and set thewomen up to take the punishment for committingillegal crimes? Not only will they losetheir babies, not only will they not get paidmoney, but they will also be put in jail. Do wereally want this? As feminists, no we don'twant that. If regulation is the solution, thenwe will have breeding farms that are like thebrothels in Nevada that are totally legal. Dowe want that? That's Nazi Germany. No, wedon't want that either. So then how do weget rid of the need for or the profitability ofsurrogate motherhood? Well, we will have toget rid of all the economic systems that arepatriarchal. Because as long as women can betricked or coerced into doing anything likethat — selling a part of their bodies — aslong as they don't have better economicalternatives, there will be pimp profiteerswho build an industry selling babies off thebacks of women.Phyllis Chesler. Ph.D., radical feminist and psychotherapist,is author of Women and Madness. Mothers on Tnal andmany other publications and articles on women's issues.She is well-known as a lecturer on women's legal rightsand emotional health and is a longtime hands-on activistand organizer for feminist causes.doBERKELEY MEDEVICES, INC.907 CAMELIA STREETBERKELEY, CA 94710Berkeley Medevices, Inc. 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We offer acarefully chosen selection of books, qualityvibrators and many other sexual-awarenessaccessories for women in all lifestyles. Our tastefuland informative calalog has been endorsedby many leading professionals in the field ofhuman sexuality who find our materials helpfulin their clinical practice. To obtain your catalog,send $1.00 to Eve's Garden, or visit our elegantmidtown boutique, Tues.-Sat. from 12:30 to 6:30pm. It will be my pleasure to serve you.Dell Williams, GardenkeeperEVE'S GARDEN INTERNATIONAL, LTD. 119 W 57th St.. #1406 (on the 14th floor), NY 10019(212) 757-3651On the IssuesVol. VIII27

Multiple Choice.CdhmMtclk.ilWomen's Hr.ilih Care [nforniJlioiiQuestions Most Often Asked About Female SterilizationQMy family is just the right size now, soI've been thinking about permanentcontraception. Are there differentmethods? Do I have a choice?AYes, there are several ways to surgicallyachieve permanent contraception: Thefallopian tubes that carry the eggs to theuterus can be surgically cut and sutured. Theycan be cauterized — or burned. Or, a Falope-Ring® Band — a tiny silicone rubber band can begently placed around a looped section offallopian tube to constrict the blood supply.Discuss the various techniques with yourgynecologist and then select the method that yemfeel most comfortable with.QIs it safe?cabob medical2021 Cabot Boulevard West, Langhorne, PA 19047Animals aresuffering...and you arepaying for itAAll surgery carries some risk. But mostof these surgical contraceptionprocedures require only a very smallincision and can often be done on an outpatientbasis.Millions of women throughout the worldhave chosen the Falope-Ring Band because ofits proven history of safety and reliability.What if I change mymind in a fewQyears? Can the procedure be reversed?lt may depend on the technique thatyou and your doctor choose. With someA methods the fallopian tubes aredamaged beyond repair. However, the Falope-Ring Band appears to cause minimal traumato the fallopian tubes. Recent medical researchindicates that this may be an important factorin the subsequent reversal of the procedureand the successful restoration of fertility.60 million defenseless animals are killed every year. Most are not givenanesthesia or pain relievers. Many will be "recycled" through a seriesof experiments before death finally releases them. And many die inexcruciating paiaThis shameful waste costs taxpayers five billion tax dollars annually.Besides being costly, animal tests are crude and unreliable. Productstested "safe" on animals have caused birth defects, illness and even deathto human beings.Animal tests must be replaced by more sophisticated technologies.MS. Mr.Wit Mr«.AddressCity.THE AMERICAN ANTI VIVISECTION SOCIETYEstablished I8B3204 Noble P|«» 801 Old Yo>k RoadJenkmiown. PA 19046_Zlp_Enroll me as: Life Member S5O, Annual 910 - check enclosedJoin ustoday!Jewish & Femalemore about female limitation from her than Idid from them. If sexual empowerment isimportant, so is intellectual empowerment.I have known Jewish women fromOrthodox homes who were lawyers andaccountants before the Women's Movementbegan. Nor can one speak of "Orthodox Judaism"as if that is a fixed category. Orthodoxyitself represents a spectrum of beliefs and customs.The position of women in the Hasidiccommunity was more benevolent to womenthan in much of the middle-class contemporaryconservative Judaism. Hasidic women havebeen religious leaders, donning the garmentsof prayer associated with Jewish men, theshawl and the leather tifillin. The highest religioustitle of "tzaddick". meaning a holy orrighteous person, has been bestowed onHasidic women as "Tzaddikah." who have performedin their communities as rabbis.There were Jewish women printersand typesetters in the 16th century and earlierthan that, Jewish women who performedon the Roman stages. There were womensuch as Dona Gracia, in the 16th century, whowere important as patrons of the arts and forrescuing Jews from countries where the Inquisitionhad taken root, forming what would bethe modern counterpart of an "undergroundrailroad". There were famous Jewish womeneducators and religious leaders, who wroteprayer books for women, instructed them inJewish law, and led them in the synagogueservice.One of the important sources for whatthe life of a well-to-do Jewish woman in 17thcentury Northern Europe was like is a memoirwritten by Gluckel of Hamelin. Betrothed at12. and married at 14. the mother of 13 children,she was her husband's partner in hisjewelry business, accompanying him to all thetrade fairs in Northern Europe. Educated sothat she could read and write and was familiarwith non-Jewish literature, her book is anexcellent record of a particular Jewish woman'slife, expressing the underlying unity ofJewish life, until recently, in her passionateconcern for her family.But these women, outstanding asthey were and collective proof that there wereno laws prohibiting them from engaging inactivities outside the home, did not constitutethe norm, anymore than the presence ofQueen Elizabeth I changed the status ofwomen in the 16th century.The home remained the central arenafor Jewish women—and Jewish men—havinga symbolic importance rooted in Jewishcommunity life. The Jewish home throughoutthe Middle Ages had the force of a religiousinstitution. The central holiday of the Sabbathwas celebrated in the home and its centralritual, the lighting of the Sabbath candles, was(and still is) performed by women. The centralsong welcoming the Sabbath is addressed tothe "Sabbath Queen". In the Middle Ages, thepiety of these values was emphasized by thefrequent use of a woman's apron as a coverfor the Torah or the ark or the bimah (thepulpit stand) and the highest accolade given28 On the Issues Vol. VIM

to a Jewish woman to this day, "A Woman ofValor", is taken from a psalm celebrating heras a housekeeper.The undermining of home and familyand the downgrading of housekeeping as "valorous"work, left the modern Jewish woman,particularly the modem Jewish emancipatedwoman, without religious honor in a secularworld dominated by men.Secular forces, outside the influence ofJudaism, shaped her appetites and disappointments,but Jewish traditions themselves,under the strain of five centuries of ghetto life,had become narrow and confining for all Jews,and more so for the Jewish woman. There areno laws prohibiting Jewish women frombecoming educated or from functioning professionallyin any capacity (except those whichwould infringe upon "sexual modesty") butneither is there an obligation for Jewishwomen to become educated, in contrast toJewish men who are obligated to know Torahand Talmud. Classical Judaism, like Islam, doesnot know the distinction between church andstate, which is a western concept. Therefore adecree, or law. has a religious, judicial andsocial function in Judaism that it does nothave in Christianity. In Judaism, one has todistinguish between "de jure" and "de facto"between what is forbidden, and what isencouraged, what is regarded as a privilege,and what is regarded as a commandment. Nordoes knowledge of specific prohibitions revealhow people actually lived. Rabbis throughoutthe Middle Ages condemned public singing bywomen, and dancing by men and womentogether, yet it is well known that sing anddance they did, and with gusto. Child marriageis condemned in the Talmud, yet it was routinelypracticed throughout the Middle Ages.Polygamy is condoned in the Bible, but wasdenounced in the Middle Ages, and continuedto be practiced by Spanish Jews.The threads of traditions are myriadand tangled, but there is a discernible shape inhow Jewish women were educated throughoutthe later Middle Ages which hadmomentous impact on them in the modernworld. It was Max Brod, the biographer ofFranz Kafka, who pointed out the folly of neglectingthe Jewish education of Jewish womenwho. when the ghetto walls began to crumblein the-early part of the 19th century, werespilled out into the dazzling secular world ofEuropean art and culture, "Jewishly naked".The toll for this neglect was great. Many Jewishwomen converted to Christianity: many,like Rosa Luxembourg, who played importantroles in European history, were indifferent totheir Jewish backgrounds; and many, like thephilosopher Simone Weil, were hostile to it.The "separate but equal" structure which themehitza was supposed to signify had notworked, anymore than it had worked forBlacks. There had been brilliant women whohad led the female section of synagogues, butthe trend towards neglect and towards"downgrading" that which is permitted ratherthan commanded, eventually led to irreparabledisparities.Curious structures grew up on thebasis of the difference between "permission"and "commandment". In the later part of theMiddle Ages it became customary for manyJewish women to be the business head of thefamily while their husbands devoted their livesto study. This division of labor need not havebeen pernicious and some of it bore rich fruit.Instruction in Hebrew was perfunctory forJewish women; they were encouraged to learnthe vernacular, partly because it was necessaryfor them as business women, and partlybecause it was not required of them to learnHebrew. They were also encouraged to readsecular literature. These differences between"required" and "permitted" gave rise to culturaldifferences: Talmudic Judaism or RabbinicJudaism and Yiddishkeit. Thus there were sufficientforces within Judaism itself which, bythe beginning of the 20th century, had cutmany Jewish women off from the "livingwaters" of Judaism. But Jewish women havelearned and are learning that most of thesedifferences in religious privileges can bealtered. Tradition may bear the impress ofiron law, but it is not law, and knowledgebetween "dejure" and "de facto" can be crucial.Jewish women have learned that theirbest weapon in the struggle for equality is aJewish education.Judaism is formally a patriarchy, havingbeen established by a man—but not formen. The priesthood was composed of men,but there were women prophetesses andwomen who performed religious ministrationsduring the tribal wanderings in the Sinai. AsPhyllis Tnble has discerned in her article "Eveand Adam: Genesis 2-3 Reread". (WomanspintRising. A Feminist Reader in Religion, 1979)quoting John A. Baily on "the remarkableimportance and position of the woman inGenesis 2-3" as "all the more extraordinarywhen one realizes that this is the only accountof creation of woman as such in ancient NearEastern Literature." It is not until the 19thcentury, with the advent of Christian Science,the Seventh Day Adventists and Theosophy.that religions established by women havetaken root. One reason for this is surely biological:the invention of birth control measureshas not been assessed for its impact on theWomen's Movement, a suggestive point thatone cannot study the history of Jewishwomen apart from the general social historyof women, particlarly in this century whenmost Jewish women, and when many ofthose Jewish women who have been prominentin the Women's Movement, have beenmore influenced by secular forces than by Jewishones. It is difficult to understand how suchJewish women, largely secularized, located thesources of their discontent in Judaism.Clearly I have a quarrel with how thehistory of the Jewish woman in this centuryhas been told. My quarrel reached its peakwith a letter written by Anne Roiphe in theNew York Times:"As 1 approach the Jewish traditions, Ifind old angers rising. Rebellion againstthe antifeminism of the Jewish patriarchydies hard. It is difficult to be(though I know some are) both a feministand a Jewish traditionalist. Iprefer the stranger's ways."This position does not speak for AnneRoiphe today; but the letter still expresses ageneral attitude, one that is so easily dissipatedby historical truth that its persistencearouses the suspicion of other forces at work.Almost all of our major world religions werefounded by men: Abraham and Moses,Mohammed, Jesus Christ, Paul, Confucious,Buddha. Zen. There are no recorded femalereligious founders before the 19th century.This may be an unpleasant fact for feministsto deal with, but a fact it is, not of Jewish historyalone, but of world history. Furthermore,where there are or were polytheistic religionswith powerful goddesses, such as PallasAthene or the goddess Kali of Hinduism, theposition of women was not. and is not, betterfor the presence of goddesses. The notoriousacts of wife burning in India today is sufficientproof of that. The inter-relation betweensocial forces and religious doctrine is complexand elusive, and history gives no grounds forbelieving that if you have a goddess in heavenyou have the vote on earth or are guaranteeda career!The rapidity with which the doctrineof Jewish patriarchy as original sin was spreadcaused Judith Plaskow to write:"There is a new myth developing inChristian feminist circles. It is a mythwhich tells us that the ancient Hebrewsinvented patriarchy: that before themthe goddess reigned in matriarchalglory, and that after them Jesus triedto restore egalitarianism but was foiledby the persistence of Jewish attitudeswithin the Christian tradition. It is amyth which, in other words, perpetuatestraditional Christianity's negativepicture of Judaism..." Cross Currents.Fall. 1978.Added to this was the spectacle ofantisemitism at the First and Second InternationalWomen's Conferences, guided by PLOdominated Arab women. I read, with disgust,in an issue of Hadassah Magazine at the timeof how two Jewish delegates "crouched intheir seats" at the Second Conference, hopingthey would not be subject again "to the kindof thing" that happened in Mexico City.There was too much pain in such liberation.Anne might prefer "the stranger'sway". I prefered my shackles.In the last few years, however, thetide of Jewish Feminism has turned towardsfriendlier seas, and my Jewish sails are optimisticallyfilled with a strong wind. Almostevery day there is an article in a Jewish publicationabout Jewish women arguing knowledgeablyabout the Jewish laws concerningdivorce, religious attire, gay rights. Knowledgeis power. One cannot argue for rights unlessone knows what the source of wrongs are. Inthe Jewish Feminist movement there hasbeen too much confusion about this. Thethreads of Jewish and secular influences areOn the IssuesVol. VIII29

AustraliaHMBBBBBBHIHthis method of relieving themselves of thetedium of husbands or other relatives, or similarlysurreptitiously transgressing, fill criminologicaltextbooks which resort to myth andillogic in dealing with women as (alleged)criminals. The picture of woman as a killer oflittle children, takes a strong place in criminologicaltreatises (whether in Australia or elsewhere)which should know better: so easily isit suggested that maternal instinct and bottomlessmother love can be turned into theiropposites. The "witch hunt" mentality appearsto have been a factor in the conviction andcontinuing pursuit of Perry and Chamberlain.In Women and Crime, published in1981, Hancock and Edwards Hiller deal withthe way in which juvenile women are morelikely to be institutionalized in Australia forengaging in sexual activities with male confreres,simply being out late at night, or runningaway from home, than are juvenile men.The Women's Movement has paid particularattention to the reasons for young womenbeing placed in this position. The debateabout sexual exploitation of children and girlsin their own homes, by their biological or defacto fathers, or by other family relatives, hasintensified through the 1970s and into the1980s. Activist women outside and within thebureaucracy have lobbied for funds to establishsingle women's shelters or refuges, so thatyoung women abused in this way do not haveto remain at home or run away in circumstanceswhich will almost invariably bring them tothe attention of the authorities who willreturn them to the abusive household, orinstitutionalize them "for their own protection".Yet it remains the case that despite theevidence of large numbers of children andyoung women suffering sexual exploitation athome, few men are tried for the offence ofincest, or for other sexual offences relating tothis exploitation. The view remains prevalentin the courts and amongst police that youngwomen "lead on" the exploiters or aggressors,or that this form of criminal activity "doesn'treally hurt" the victims of it. It is not difficultto find statements from courts, where a manis tried and convicted of such an offence, tothe effect that he should be released on abond because the prevailing view now is that"families should be kept together", or theactivity was not seriously damaging to thevictim.Renewed activism amongst women inthe early 1970s led to the establishment ofshelters or refuges for women victims (or survivors)of criminal assault at home. Yetwomen and children continue to be turnedaway from these refuges due to lack ofaccommodations, and the large numbers seekingshelter. More recently, however, theWomen's Movement is changing its tack onthis issue, commencing to fight for women toremain in, and retain ownership (or leasehold)of their own homes, removing the man fromthe three bedroomed house so that she canlive there peacefully, without his abuse. Howeverdifficult it has been to gain funding forwomen's refuges and to keep them operatingfor the benefit of bashed, beaten and abusedwomen (and their children), the Women'sMovement recognises the greater difficulty inasserting women's right to the homeground.This is, however, the battle shaping up for theremainder of the 1980s.Women's activism has also succeededin highlighting the discriminatory operation ofthe law where a woman severely beaten byher husband, turns upon him and kills him. InNew South Wales the Georgia Hill case in1978—where a woman was convicted ofmurder of her de facto husband whom sheshot after he returned drunk from the pub,had severely bashed her on numerous occasionsbefore, and had told her he would killher. this time, when he returned—resulted inan outcry from a Wollongong women's group.The group succeeded in gaining the right forGeorgia Hill to appeal out of time, and it waseventually held that provocation on the partof the de facto husband had been wronglyignored in the finding, with the result that shewas convicted of manslaughter with a shortterm of imprisonment. In South Australia twoyears later a woman was convicted of murderwhere the jury was told it had to ignore provocation,when the killing was by axing todeath her husband, after he had bashed her foryears and immediately before his death toldher he had been sexually abusing their daughtersfor years, also. Again, it was only women'sactivism that resulted in an appealbeing upheld and a retrial ordered. Thewoman was acquitted on retrial.Changes in Public and Private SpheresWomen's organizations lobbied in thelate 19th and early 20th century for equalpay for women, and for changes to marriageand divorce laws to gain equal economicrights for women, and equal freedoms in themarital relationship. Women were active politicallyto gain the vote for women in SouthAustralia in 1893. With federation in 1901.all women in Australia gained the right tovote in federal elections. All other stateseventually extended suffrage to women, withVictoria in 1908 being the last state to grantwomen the right to vote. In the same period,it was women's activism that led to womengaining the right to enter university andstudy for various professions and trades, andlater to gain entry to those trades and professionswhere laws had been interpreted tokeep women out. or where laws deliberatelydiscriminated against women. Women alsolobbied for changes to laws so that womenhad equal rights to custody of children of amarriage, and gained rights to own propertythey brought into marriage, or wages theyearned during marriage. (Prior to thesechanges a woman lost any right to propertyshe might have owned—on betrothal, herhusband gained a right, when married, torenounce any gifts or other property transactionshis wife had carried out during the betrothalperiod; a wife had no right to ownershipof her wages or salary—they belonged toher husband.)More recently, women have continuedthe fight for equal rights for women in theprivate and public spheres. Councils of Actionfor Equal Pay were established at variousintervals in the various states. "Equal pay"has been "gained" for women through pronouncementsof various industrial tribunals orthrough legislation starting in 1904. aspointed out by Gaudron in In Pursuit of Justice.In 1972 and 1974 equal pay decisions ofthe~Australian Conciliation and ArbitrationCommission "achieved" equal pay for womenyet again, in terms of an authorative statementbeing made that women should be paidequally for equal work. The problem in Australiahas been similar to that in the UnitedStates. Canada. Britain and New Zealand, inthat ways have been found by employers ofevading equal pay demands. Thus, womencontinue to be concentrated in a smallnumber of occupations, whilst men inhabit alarge range of occupations. As long as womenremain in occupations not equally inhabitedby men, employers are able to distinguishmonetarily between "women's work" and"men's work". It remains the case thatwomen in Australia are. on average, paid 65cents to every male wage dollar. (This iswithout taking into account all those womenwho work for no remuneration, in the home.)Women are also exploited in "outwork":where women take in sewing at home for"middlemen" at astonishingly low rates. As aresult, the Councils of Action for Equal Payhave been revived, and activist women arenow fighting for "comparable worth"—theidea that rates of pay should be founded in aprinciple of equal pay for work of equal value.Various states have introduced SexDiscrimination, Anti Discrimination, or EqualOpportunity legislation. The federal governmentpassed a Sex Discrimination Act in1984 on International Women's Day. Underthis legislation, tribunals are established tohear complaints about discrimination inemployment, education accomodation andthe provision of goods and services. A realproblem has been, however, that before acomplainant can bring her case before a tribunal,she must go through a "conciliation"process. The thrust behind the legislation isthat these cases should be conciliated if possible,yet discrimination is not a matter thatgenerally can be conciliated fairly where twoparties are inherently unequal. Where awoman is discriminated against by heremployer or by an educational institution, forexample, it is nonsense to talk of "conciliation."In New South Wales, the greatest successin having the Equal Opportunity Tribunalacknowledge discrimination against womenhas been achieved, because there has been agreater political awareness on the part of thecounselor of equal opportunity (within theAnti Discrimination Board) and less of a tendencyto believe that matters of discriminationcan be successfully solved by "conciliation".In 1986 the Australian Iron and Steelcase resulted in a group of women from Wollongongwho had been discriminated against30On the IssuesVol. VIII

y a steel company which refused them jobsinitially on grounds of sex, and then, whenrequired to employ them, dismissed themfirst when a reduction in the paid workforcewas required, gaining a large award of damagesfor sex discrimination.Sexual harassment has been a concernof the Women's Movement in Australia sincethe time of the First Fleet (Australia's initialsettlement in 1788). Sex discrimination andequal opportunity legislation now recognisessexual harassment as an issue of sex-baseddiscrimination. Such harassment and abuse ofwomen in private relationships has also beena concern to Australian Feminists, resulting inlegislation outlawing rape in marriage. Althoughit is clear that the legal propositionthat rape in marriage is not a crime can besubjected to sound and severe criticism inpurely legal terms, the problem of interpretationhas been overcome by legislation statingthat a married woman is in no different positionthan an unmarried woman where she isa victim of rape—that is, if her husbandrapes her, he can be prosecuted for the crimeas he would be were he a stranger, or anacquaintance.Most states have made changes tosexual offence laws in the area of evidencefollowingattempts by women to have it recognisedthat what a woman wears, orwhether she has engaged in consensual activityin the past, has no bearing on whether ornot she was raped in a particular instance.With regard to divorce, the FamilyLaw Act 1975 which was lobbied for by variouswomen's groups, resulted in one groundof divorce being established—"Irretrievablebreakdown of marriage"; recognition thatparties are equally responsible for the wellbeingand support of their children afterdivorce; and recognition of indirect financialand non-financial contribution to the accumulationof property in marriage. Under theformer Matrimonial Causes Act 1959. norecognition was given to the traditionalefforts of women in doing housework, husbandcare and child care, or in building upassets in a marriage relationship. Althoughnews media concentrated upon the idea thatwomen were "getting away with" hugeamounts of alimony, this was untrue in thegeneral scheme of things. The Family Law Actgave recognition to the work women traditionallydid in marriage. "Non-financial contribution"covers child care, husband care andhousework and home improvements. "Indirectfinancial contribution" includes caseswhere a party works outside the home andthat salary goes to purchasing householdgoods, food, and clothing.Yet women still remain disadvantagedin marriage and divorce, becausewomen's efforts in the paid workforce and inthe traditional sphere of the home are notgiven equal recognition with men's. In a 1984High Court decision, Mallett v. Mallett, thejudgments make clear that work in the worldof business is considered of far greater valuethan work of the home, and that men are the"Suppliersto the Trade"T-SHIRTS FOR ANIMALLOVERS & ACTIVISTSOur baby animals appear life like and arein FULL color. The shirt comes in adultsizes, S, M, L, and X.L. T-Shirts are 50%poly 50% cotton and come in white, vanilla,and pink. New items and designs arenow available. Send for a FREE brochureor order now. $8.00 per shirt includes shippingand handling.If ordering now please sena check ormoney order to:Exotic-TeesP.O. Box 1092Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18703-1092(717) 825-4944228 Sherwood Ave.Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735(516)420-1700FANNINGEXECUTIVEPLACEMENTSERVICETHEHEALTHCARESPECIALISTS(718) 793-3330108-18 Queens Blvd.Forest Hills, NY 11375On the IssuesVol. VIIIlulllillltrtlUH l>flti

Pilpel-Law ..HI/, inlist of organizations is distributed to whichcontributions can be made by Federalemployees who number in the millions. Twoor three years ago. the Office of Managementand Budget, very much under the influence ofPresident Reagan, issued a rule that henceforththere was not going to be on that listany organization that did anything but providegoods and services, etc., and that advocacyorganizations were not to be included.The case challenging that rule went up to theUnited States Supreme Court which upheldthe rule. However, Justice O'Connor, whowrote the opinion, said of course, we areassuming that the real reason why they aretaking organizations off the list is becausethey prefer to give direct aid to people ratherthan to advocacy of aid to people. If, however,what they are doing is a screen for somethingelse, if the promulgator of the rule is "viewpointneutral", our decision might bedifferent.Therefore, instead of just reversing,the Court sent the case back to the lowercourt to find out whether there really was a"viewpoint neutral" or whether the real reasonbehind the rule was a desire to make itimpossible for family planning and abortionorganizations to get contributions from Federalemployees. The case is still in lowercourt. The fact of the matter is that the rulewas not a "viewpoint neutral". It was a politicallymotivated attempt to deprive federalemployees of their Constitutional rights offreedom of choice.I find this a positive developmentsince it makes clear that Justice O'Connor isreally a fair-minded judge.As far as Chief Justice William Rhenquistis concerned, I have been in the U.S.Supreme Court when cases were arguedbefore him and he behaved so badly that Ihope it was because at that time he had aback problem and was under the influence ofpain-killing drugs or was in pain. 1 do notthink that he has displayed the judicialtemperament that one would hope a ChiefJustice would have. I should also add thatpeople I know who know him, have liked himas a person. The new Justice. Antonin Scalia,is also conservative but he's a lawyer's lawyerand the general feeling of the Bar is that hewill not allow his conservatism to stand inthe way of what he believes is the meaning ofa law. [Note: This interview was prior to thenomination of Judge Robert H. Bork]ON: CONTRACEPTION AND THE LAWMy first case was a birth control case.It involved the importation of contraceptivesby one of the people who was then veryactive and important in the birth controlfield: Dr. Hannah Stone. At that time theFederal law prohibited "the importation ofany article whatever for the prevention ofconception." Until the case involving HannahStone, it had been assumed that the lawmeant what it said. Dr. Stone neverthelessordered some pessaries (also known as diaphragms)from Japan. She wanted to testthem to see whether they were effective as acontraceptive. One of the pessaries that wasthe exhibit in the case disappeared during thetrial but the rest remained and the name ofthe case was "United States v. the Package ofJapanese Pessaries". We were successful ingetting two decisions, both in the DistrictCourt and the Circuit Court (both FederalCourts) stating that a statute had to be readin the light of rationality and its purpose.Both courts said it was irrational to take theview that this statute was intended toexclude articles from this country which couldbe used by doctors for the care and protectionof their patients. So, despite the exactwording of the statute, they would give it areasonable construction and Dr. Stone waspermitted to import the pessaries. This wasabout 1937 and was the beginning of a longroad toward freedom of choice as to contraceptivesthat ended in 1965 with the case ofGriswold against Connecticut. In Connecticut,the prohibition was of the use of contraceptives.About half the other states had someban on contraceptives but none of thembanned the use of contraceptives likeConnecticut.The Griswold case required our actuallyopening a clinic in New Haven, staffing itand bringing in the needed equipment so thatit could be raided and closed by the policelater in the week. The decision of the UnitedStates Supreme Court that the consistentstatute was unconstitutional marked the endof serious problems with reference to thelegality of birth control.ON: PORNOGRAPHY AND CENSORSHIPIn the first place, pornography is aword that has no legal definition, which I findmost puzzling since Mr. Meese's commissionis called the Commission on Obscenity andPornography.The only speech and press that canConstitutionally be banned as obscene hasbeen the subject of many court decisions. Basicallythe rule is that in order to be adjugedobscene, three factors should exist: (1) Itshould appeal to prurient interest; (2) Itmust go beyond the acceptable bounds ofcommunity standards; and (3) It must haveno literary, artistic, political, or scientificvalue. All three aspects of this test are difficultto apply. Recently, the United StatesSupreme Court which had previously saidthat the "community" referred to in thesecond part of the test is the local community.The third part of the test addressed tothe value of the material calls for a nationalstandard.Except with reference to school andschool libraries, until recently there has notbeen a national wave of suppression which wefeared there would be. Also cases involvingchild pornography are subject to the sametest, but it has to be applied to children. TheUnited States Supreme Court found Constitutionala child pornography law of the Stateof New York, thus there is a tighter rein on"child pornography", which means both childrenbeing involved in an obscene presentationand also children to whom such material isdistributed.Just a word about the so-called IndianapolisOrdinance (a controversial antipornographyordinance co-authored by AndreaDworkin and Catharine MacKinnon). It hasbeen declared unconstitutional. Otherwise agreat disservice would have been done to thefreedom of the press of all of us. The verypeople who were in favor of,the IndianapolisOrdinance would have been one of its firsttargets.You cannot possibly, in my opinion,prohibit something because it is repulsive toyou or puts in a degrading light one group oranother. That's the same argument that wasmade in favor of suppressing the Merchant ofVenice because Shylock as depicted would aidthe cause of anti-semitism. It's the sameargument that's been made about suppressingmaterial which shows the Italians orFrench or anyone else in a hostile light. Ofparticular interest, with reference to the Indianapoliscase, is that it was tried in the lowestFederal Court before a young womanjudge. It was her first case. She was appointedby President Reagan, yet she wrote amost impressive opinion dealing with freedomof the press and she decided that theIndianapolis Ordinance was unconstitutionalunder our federal free press guarantees. Thecase was appealed to the appropriate FederalCourt of Appeals, which also wrote a superbopinion agreeing with the District Court. TheSupreme Court upheld the lower courts'decisions.So. we have two wonderful lowercourt decisions approved by the United StatesSupreme Court in essence. I think we mayhave accomplished something because I thinkthese ringing declarations of freedom fromsuppression are going to be very helpful inother cases fought to censor matter whichsome find objectionable.ON: INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND THECONSTITUTIONThe U.S. Constitution's protection ofindividual rights is, of course, not confined toabortion and contraception. A basic tenet ofour Constitution is that there are certain fundamentalrights which belong to the people.Under the Ninth and Tenth Amendments,courts have said that privacy is reserved tothe states and to the people. That statement"to the people" indicates that neither theFederal nor the state government can takeaway the fundamental rights reserved "to thepeople". This country was not founded andhas not existed on the basis that the good ofthe majority overrules the individual rights ofpersons. There is no right on the part of stateor Federal or local government to deprivepeople of their fundamental Constitutionalrights in the absence of a compelling necessity.By "compelling necessity", the courtsreally do mean a compelling necessity. Thewords were originally in connection withfreedom of speech and of the press. In discussingwhether there were exceptions fromthe Constitution guarantees of freedom ofspeech and the press. Justice Oliver Wendell32On the IssuesVol. VIII

Holmes said yes — there are some exceptionssuch as a prohibition against anyone falselyshouting "fire" in a crowded theatre. Thecourts have not, on the whole, expanded thedefinition of "compelling necessity". It meansthat speech and the press cannot be censored,especially in advance, unless it wouldcause difficulties of major proportions thatcould not be controlled.ON: DIVORCEAs far as women clients are concerned,I would say, and many people havesaid, that under the New York equitable distributiondivorce law, women for a while didnot fare very well despite the fact that thelaw was expected to benefit them. The NewYork legislature has just recently passed twoamendments to the law which may help. Oneis that courts should take into consideration,in addition to the other factors the lawrequires them to consider, the style in which,and the level at which, the parties livedbefore the divorce. This should avoidwomen's getting only subsistence maintenancefrom husbands who could do more. Ifyou lived on Park Avenue and spent $5,000 aweek, that is now relevant. Also, the NewYork judges have become very defensive.They know that women have suffered fromtheir earlier rulings and the tide is beginningto turn.ON: THE FUTURE OF LEGAL ABORTIONAs to whether Roe v. Wade willstand: my answer is that, as a matter of fact,there is no way, in my opinion, the clock canbe turned back. Abortion has become a legitimatehealth service which is available, andhas been available, since 1973. It's become apart of our health system to a considerableextent. Even if the United States SupremeCourt overruled Roe v. Wade, abortion facilitieswould remain available one way oranother. In that connection. I would like topoint out that some of the Supreme Courtsof various states have handed down decisionswhich are more protective of personal libertiesthan the U.S. Supreme Court. They reliedon their own State Constitutions.I think the danger to the exercise ofabortion rights is not that Roe v. Wade willbe overturned, but that it will be picked awayat as it was in the cases upholding the denialof Medicaid.ON: SURROGATE MOTHERHOODI feel sorry for Mary Beth Whiteheadand have been of two minds about the wholequestion of surrogate mothers. On the onehand, a contract is a contract. But are somecontracts which are not enforceable for reasonsof public policy. It doesn't do to say it'sa contract and we'll enforce it just like a contractto buy a commodity. It's not. It hasother implications and I'm not still ready tocome to final resolution of the problem formyself. As close as I can come is that I wouldnot like to outlaw surrogate mothers altogetherand hope a fair and effective licensingprocedure can be worked out.ON: WOMEN'S RESPONSIBILITY TO WOMENMost of the women I know who areRacism mm. /»>m/«!.,••Lesley Crosson, WCBS-TV EditorialDirector"Overt acts of racism are on theupswing, not because there are more racistpeople around, but because for a number ofreasons, people who have always been racistfeel it is okay now to act out their racism. Wehear a lot about signals that we are gettingfrom the White House and Justice Departmentand it is sort of emboldening. I talk toa lot of people who don't even read newspapersor listen to news on television, but theyhear what these bigots say and feel thefrustrations."For years we talked about civilrights and empowering people and now as westart to see a few visible results, it infuriatessome people. For a Black person to havesomething, it must be taken from the non-Black person—like there is not enough equalityto go around."I hear many people say 'What do youBlack people have to complain about? Lookat all that money Oprah Winfrey and BillCosby make and the salaries they pay toBlack men in sports.' Now it sounds like theythink because Oprah stands to make $30 millionthis year, she should start her own welfaresystem and start handing out money topoor people. People who say this don't talkabout the thousands of Black people whohave no jobs."It is distressing. I don't know whereit is going from here."Black Manager in a New York City Bank"Racism is on the upsurge becausetoday the lives of people of every color andrace are intertwined. Used to be that Blackpeople stayed to themselves and white peoplestayed to themselves. Ten years ago Blackpeople were fighting for an education andonce we got that, we moved into jobs whichwhite people had held before. Now we havesome Black lawyers, doctors and some of ourpeople have been elected to high politicaloffice. That makes some white peoplenervous.in fields which involve communications feel aspecial responsibility as women. As far as thelaw is concerned, the best statement, in myopinion, was given by the woman who wasthen the Minister of Women's Affairs inFrance. Someone asked her "Why do youneed an office anymore for Women's Affairs?Women can now get into every field." Heranswer was that her office was not made forthe superior women. The superior womanusually gets where she wants to go. But aslong as the average woman is at a disadvantagecompared to the average man, we needan Office of Women's Affairs. I agree.Harriet Pilpel. attorney, is General Counsel: Planned ParenthoodFederation of America; Chair: Advisory BoardDevelopment Law & Policy Program. School of PublicHealth, Columbia Univ.; First Vice-Chair: National AdvisoryCounsel ACLU. She is. and always has been, a Rights ActivistShe is author of many books, articles and publications.T"I think prejudice is a human trait.Have you seen kids playing together? If onehas a lollipop and the other doesn't, the onewith the candy doesn't want to share it. If hehas two lollipops, he might give up half ofone, but even with two he won't give away awhole lollipop. That's how it is with people inpower. They have the power and they don'twant to share it with anyone else. Especiallyanyone with a different colored skin."Black Student at Oshkosh Campus, Universityof Wisconsin"I don't know how things were 10years ago. I was only 10 myself then, but Ican tell you that racism on this campus at Uof W is common practice by students and certainfaculty too. Since I've been studying hereI've been yelled at by white male students,had my windows broken and 'nigger' paintedon the door of my house. A professor told methe other day 'You can't expect to get a 'B' inthis classjust because your forbearers wereslaves.' I hadn't even asked him about mygrades."I am the 13th of 14 kids in our familyand I am the first one to go to college. Iwill graduate in June 1987. I don't know whypeople want to scare and insult me. I'm justdoing what everyone says we should all do.I'm getting a college degree so I can get agood job and make enough money to payback the money I borrowed to go to college."Readers must not be left with thenotion the boycotts, lunch counter sit-ins.freedom rides and marches which capturedthe nation's attention in the 1950s and1960s have not paid off. Large cities such asAtlanta, Gary, Los Angeles and Chicago arenow headed by Black Mayors, and ToneyAnaya, a Hispanic, is governor of New Mexico.Mississippi, a long-time hold out againstgranting political and civil rights to Blackpeople, now has several hundred elected Blackofficials. Black is the color which dominatesthe academic and professional jockocracy allacross our nation.Even the Ringling Bros, and Barnum& Bailey Circus has now succumbed and hiredits first non-white featured performers. PamelaHernandez and Denise Aubrey grew uptogether in Los Angeles and joined the circuson a lark seven years ago. Their first job wasto parade around the ring wearing ridiculousheaddresses. Now they perform aerial gymnastics30 feet in the air without a net andget more applause than King Tusk and Gebel-Williams combined.These glamorous women, who havebroken the 115-year color-barrier at the GreatestShow on Earth, are living proof (as wehave been saying for years) that the struggledoes pay off.Flo Kennedy, attorney and author/editor Irene Davall havebeen longtime activists in the civil rights and women'smovements, and were instrumental in founding the FeministParty. They are Contributing Editors to On The Issues.On the IssuesVol. VIII33

Witchcraft „.,., ••••••••iHHthe use of supernatural powers with maliciousintent."Helms' amendment was meant tocut off tax and postal privileges for any groupthat came into disfavor and could be fit intothe vague definitions of his amendment. Boththe A.C.L.U. and the I.R.S. opposed thisamendment, with the A.C.L.U. speakingagainst the amendment's ability to allow thegovernment to define legitimate religions.Witches are among the 34,000 tax-exemptreligious groups recognized by the InternalRevenue Service.After a barrage of protests, byWitches and non-witches, the House-Senateconferees quietly dropped the amendment,on a technicality.Historically, witch-hunters have concentratedtheir attacks not only on unconventionalreligions, but on women who havebeen independent, powerful, and publiclyvisible.One such witch-hunt occurredrecently in California. This was a well-fundedright-wing campaign against the Chief Justiceof the California Supreme Court. She was afeminist, well-educated, articulate, supportiveof the rights of women and oppressedmembers of society, and both powerful andvisible.Australia•/ ^MBBBB^l^BMones who make money in business, withoutassistance from women as wives. Furthermore,there is no recognition given towomen's efforts in marriage during the marriage(as opposed to at its end, by divorce).Thus the Women's Electoral Lobby and morerecently the Feminist Legal Action Grouphave lobbied for changes to the Marriage Act1960 and the Family Law Act so that equalrights to marital assets are recognised notonly at divorce, but right from the beginning.This advance has yet to be achieved, but thedebate proceeds vigorously.Feminist ActivismBefore the 1960s many women'sgroups and organisations existed in Australiawhich lobbied for women's rights, some froma conservative perspective, others from a traditionalthough reformist perspective, andsome from a more radical perspective. Theseincluded the National Council of Women.Councils of Action for Equal Pay, the Union ofAustralian Women, the United Associations ofWomen, the Women's Voting League andmany others. In the late 1960s Women's Liberationformed, and in 1972 the Women'sElectoral Lobby came into being. Later,groups such as the Red Ferns and the FeministLegal Action Group established themselveswith varying degrees of success. Conservativegroups such as the Women LawyersAssociations managed to update themselvesby becoming more aware of contemporaryproblems confronting women and more progressiveways of dealing with these issues.The Women's Movement is notmonolithic. There have been vigorous debatesbetween various groups, and amongst the34Rose Elizabeth Bird was under attackfor years. Finally, during the campaign of1985-86, a combination of patriarchal politiciansand naive anti-crime ("victims' rights")groups, using TV ads and garnering conservativeand sexist anti-Bird editorial support inmajor newspapers, defeated her. OnNovember 4. 1986, Rose Bird, the first andonly woman on the California Supreme Court,became the first Chief Justice to fail toretain her office. Two other Justices, accusedof being "Bird clones." also were defeated;both men are "liberals"; one was the firstHispanic Justice on the court, and the otherJustice is Jewish.The attacks on Rose Bird were farmore intense than any attacks on "liberal"males. She was attacked for: her glamorouslooks, her hairstyle, her vegetarian diet, herfeminist views, her administrative abilities,her writing abilities, and even her mother'sstyle of raising her.These are recent incidents of witchhuntingthat are encouraged by fear of powerfulwomen and by ignorance of real Witchcraftand Witches.My definition of "Witch" is a priestessor priest of Wiccecraeft, skilled in healing andpsychic work and occult magic; a person ableto bend or reshape universal energies; or angroups themselves. One major debate hasarisen over the question of equal rights tomarital assets—probably because it is, ultimately,easier to deal with discrimination andmale selfishness in the public world of parliamentsand paid employment, than with thosefactors operating in our own private lives orthose of our sisters. Various groups have alsoset up in opposition to feminist ideals andideology—including the oddly named WomenWho Want to be Women (what feministdoesn't?!) and the Women's Action Alliance.(Women Who Want to be Women—the "fourWs" or "Wee Wees" as they are sometimesknown—have since translated themselvesinto the Endeavor group—shades of theEagle Forum.)Women in Australia sometimes despairat the chauvinism which is rampant inthe antipodes. Travelling overseas, one isalways met with such sympathy—Australianmen appear to have a poor image in the overseasWomen's Movement. Yet that chauvinismhas not prevented Australian womenfrom being in the forefront at times. NewZealand, Australia's neighbour, is the onlycountry which preceded Australia in accedingto women's demands for the vote. Some menhave also managed to overcome to somedegree their sexist conditioning and desire forshort-term advantage, by voting in Australianparliaments for sex discrimination and equalopportunity legislation, changes to rape lawsand divorce laws, the results of which have tosome degree improved the lot of women. TheAustralian Labor Party, a political party whichin the past was regarded as a bastion of maledomination, has also adopted affirmativeaction policies in regard to executive positionsindependent, uppity, powerful, or daringwoman.I define a "feminist" as a female ormale who is female-centered or femaleoriented;or a person who is not prejudicedagainst others because of their gender or sexualpreferences; or anyone who, in a maledominatedor patriarchal society, workstowards the political, economic, spiritual,sexual, and social equality of women. Forother definitions of these terms, see A FeministDictionary, by Cheris Kramarae and PaulaA. Treichler.Modern Witchcraft includes a varietyof denominations ("traditions"). The mostfeminist of these is the Dianic tradition,named for the Roman goddess Diana, woodlandgoddess of freedom, huntress, andpatroness of Witches. One branch of DianicWitchcraft includes women and men as practitioners,and honors the God (of Nature,Love, etc.) as well as the Great Goddess.Another branch is lesbian and separatist, refusingto acknowledge males either as practitionersor in the form of Deity (which may beconsidered reverse sexism).Some Witchcraft denominations oftenhave female leaders, and to an extent, honorthe Goddess. But others practice anti-womensexism, and few Witchcraft practitioners ofwithin the political structure, and morewomen than ever before in the history ofAustralia now sit in Australian state and federalparliaments, upper and lower houses,mainly as a result of women's activism withinthe Labor Party (ALP). The conservativeparties—the National Party and the LiberalParty—are less attuned—there are nowomen holding shadow Ministries in conservativeparties, as a general rule.A major debate continues amongstthose who have adopted the separatistapproach to women's rights, and those whohave gone into the bureaucracy—commonlyknown as "femocrats", and those who arenot separatist but have misgivings about theincorporation of so many women into maledominated and programmed structures. Formyself, I believe that the women's movementis far too respectable in Australia at themoment, and it is high time we regainedsome of the old enthusiasm and iconoclasm.the energy and the humour which spurred uson in the 1960s and 1970s. There is no goingback—but "respectability" never advancedthe women's cause in the past, and it certainlywon't in the future.Jocelynne A. Scutt. feminist lawyer and author, practices asa barrister in Melbourne. Australia. A longtime activist inthe Australian Women's Movement. Dr. Scutt wrote theReport on the Interpretation Act 1982. which resulted inthe government adopting the policy of wnting all legislationin non-sexist language and amending past legislationto conform to this policy. She has written and/or editednine books on feminist issues.ccOn the IssuesVol. VIII

any denomination are overtly involved in feministissues (though a portion are in peace orecology groups).Witchcraft too often tends to speakin male terms, to assume a greater importancefor male deities and male spokespeople,and to assume anti-feminist or anti-gay rightsstances.During the past two decades, Americanfeminists have changed much of the outwardlook of witchcraft. There are morefemale leaders visible, and there is a greatdeal more emphasis on Goddess culture. But,despite the long human heritage of Goddessworship around the world, and despite thereality that European witch-hunts that lastedfor centuries were primarily directed againstwomen, contemporary Witchcraft includesand accepts sexists, people who have conductedinternal witch-hunts, and other kindsof bigots.Feminists involved in Witchcraft havemade a difference, however. The foundationof Witchcraft is rooted in female power andfemale concerns. Much can be learned fromFeminist Witchcraft that one can find usefulas a feminist.Because Dianic Witchcraft emphasizesthe perception of universal creativity andenergy as feminine, as the Goddess, womenare thereby empowered as vital and importantbeings in the universe. So, it becomesnatural to assume that: women are creativein all ways; woman are leaders; women have adeciding voice in all that matters to them;women are responsible for their actions;women are able to communicate directlywith Deity (or universal energy or Nature);and women have sexual freedom, reproductiverights, and the right to define their bodilylives.When women and men believe this,women's societal rights are seen as necessary,not impossible or a nuisance. If women areseen as central in the universe, then women'ssocio-political issues also become central.Individual feminists can find strengthin the knowledge that today, among manykinds of Witches, especially Dianics, womenare assumed to be capable leaders, not inferiors.The feminist movement can find supportfor women's rights and women's leadershipamong Witches who accept as normalfemale leadership in groups composed ofwomen or of women and men.The feminist movement can also gainadherents for women's reproductive rightsamong Witches, and utilize Witchcraft"theology" (theology of the Goddess) in supportof abortion and childbirthing rights.Many of the women persecuted, tortured,and murdered on charges of "witchcraft" inEuropean witch-hunts were midwives andhealing physicans or scientists.Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English,in researching women's health issues,found:".. .The women's health movementof today has ancient roots in the medievalcovens, and its opponents have as theirancestors those who ruthlessly forced theOn the IssuesVol. VIIIelimination of witches.. .First, witches areaccused of every conceivable sexual crimeagainst men. Quite simply, they are "accused"of female sexuality. Second, they are accusedof having magical powers affecting health—ofharming, but also of healing. They were oftencharged specifically with possessing medicaland obstetrical skills The wise woman, orwitch, had a host of remedies which had beentested in years of use. Many of the herbalremedies developed by witches still have theirplace in modern pharmacology. They hadpain-killers, digestive aids, and anti-inflammatoryagents. They used ergot.. .Belladonna.. .Digitalis.. .the witch was an empiricist:She relied on her senses rather than on faithor doctrine, she believed in trial and error,cause and effect... In short, her magic wasthe science of her time."Margot Edwards and Mary Waldorf,researching American childbirth reform, alsofound connections between witch-hunts andthe profession of midwifery: "... Midwivespracticed at the risk of their lives from thelate 15th century until well into the 17th.when thousands of women were accused ofwitchcraft and burned at the stake.. .As (themidwife) went among her neighbors, dispensingherbs that could reduce a fever or stop ahemorrhage, she represented a dangerouslyindependent and inquiring spirit, one likely toincite resistance to authority. Midwives alsohad ready access to material long believedmagical—umbilical cords, amniotic sacs, andplacentas.. .She might.. .performabortions..Our 19th century foremothers alsowere aware of the connection between witchhuntsand women seeking rights for women.In 1983, feminist theorist and suffrageleader Matilda Joslyn Gage wrote of theChristian witch-hunts in Europe, which lastedabout 400 years and may have taken thelives of as many as nine million women:"Whatever the pretext made for witchcraftpersecution, we have abundant proof that theso-called 'witch' was among the most profoundlyscientific persons of the age. Thechurch having forbidden its offices and allexternal methods of knowledge to woman,was profoundly stirred with indignation ather, having through her own wisdom penetratedinto some of the most deeply subtlesecrets of nature.. .A vast amount of evidenceexists, to show that the word witchformerly signified a woman of superiorknowledge.. .The German word Heke. thatis. witch, primarly signified priestess, a wiseor superior woman who in a sylvan templeworshipped those gods and goddesses thattogether governed earth and heaven... Inreality the original meaning of "witch" was awise woman.. .The witch was in reality theprofoundest thinker, the most advancedscientist of those ages "Today, Feminist Witchcraft offers avariety of personal techniques of awarenessand change, utilized by healers andpriestesses.Each human being has intuition, aninner voice, a way of deciding quickly what isright or wrong for oneself, and what to doabout it. Western culture denies the intuitivejudgment, and favors a rational, logical, statistical,or factual approach. Both intuitionand logic are necessary for a well-balanced life.Feminist Witchcraft encourages the developmentof intuition as an effective part ofhuman life. My intuition has helped me stayout of potentially dangerous situations, hasled me to teach myself to meditate and tolearn something about Yoga and T'ai Chi.Feminist Witchcraft also offers positiveways to view and change body images.Witches believe in self-blessings. Each of us isseen as being part of divine energy, of theGoddess and the God. And every part andprocess of the human body is consideredsacred. So. one way to pray to the Goddess/God is to bless one's self and the basic partsof one's body.Such beliefs and practices horrifiedmedieval and Renaissance Christian leaders,who believed that the human body, especiallythe female human body, was filthy, notsacred—so witches' self-blessings were notpublicly shown or discussed. Today, a numberof books about modern Witches containexamples of self-blessing rituals. FeministWitchcraft particularly encourages women tosee and touch the self as sacred and divine.This practice, performed in a thoughtful andresponsible manner (the self is part of Nature,not beyond accountability or responsibility),can raise low self-esteem, create a feeling ofbonding with others, and raise awareness ofthe special reality of being in a human body.As I have learned to trust myself andappreciate my body more, I have come torespect the functions of my body. In blessingmy body, I learned that my flesh is reallyalive, composed of living cells that do respondto my needs.I learned to bless the coming andgoing of my monthly period of blood. And Ihonored the Goddess in myself. "She whobleeds, yet does not die."Witchcraft often centers aroundmoon phases and seasonal (agricultural)cycles. Feminist Witchcraft also focuses onthe cyclical patterns of our lives, the moon,the sun, other stars, and the universe.As I became more aware of my personalpatterns, I grew more tolerant of myneed for solitude, for writing, and for periodsof fervent feminist political activity and meetings.I learned to balance more evenly the processesof giving and accepting love. And Ilearned to do things I had always thoughtwere impossible for me to perceive the artistin me. Cultural creativity—work educated tothe Muses and Pan—is encouraged in FeministWitchcraft.Witches are very interested in herbalknowledge and in learning to heal—to healoneself, others, even the Earth. And manyWitches are in various kinds of healing professionsor vocations.Witches generally believe in reincarnation,in a cycle of life after life filled withottttnutdonpitgr35

Witchcraft ,,,,,I.I,,,,,, /lllvlearning. As I learned to see my life as one ofa number of lifetimes, I also learned not to beafraid of death. I now see Death as brother tothe Goddess of Life and Love (as in the mythof Ishtar and the Lord of Death), or Death asthe sister-self of the Goddess-on-Earth (as inthe Egyptian view of Nephthys below and Isisabove, or the Greek views of Persephoneunderground and Demeteraboveground).The knowledge of healing methodscan include not only ways to make life easierand healthier, but also ways to ease the passingof life into death. Sometimes death is apeaceful passage from one stage of existenceto another. In 1979, my 30-year-old brotherdied of cancer. I priestessed him—counselinghim, sending him energy, advising him, sharingwith him the psychic experiences thatoften occur to the dying person. I aided mybrother to face death as a journey, neitherfrightening nor extraordinary. I discoveredthat many Americans don't know how to dealwith dying and death. Though many nursesare aware of the needs of a dying person andtry hard to help, most of the doctors I contactedwere unwilling or unable to deal personallywith dying patients. The process ofdying is made much more painful for manypeople in hospitals in this country.When I perceive Death as brother tothe Goddess, I feel He is kind to Her daughters,and understanding and helpful to all whoneed to pass on to her levels of being. When Ipersonify Death as sister to the Goddess, Ifeel She welcomes Her children and renewsus, readies us for rebirth, and helps us learn inharmony and peace. We are always movingfrom living towards dying and beyond, astrees and flowers in Nature move throughstages of existence and seeming (but onlytemporary) nonexistence.Feminist Witchcraft offers the feministmovement other helpful theological orphilosophical perceptions of life: the processyou use is as important as, or even moreimportant than, your goal; balance is importantin the ways we live; the energy you sendout will return to you at least threefold(whether the energy is in thought or deed);learn to perceive the cycles of events (forexample, the Equal Rights Amendment willnot die, but efforts to place it into law gothrough cycles that wane and then waxforth); and human beings need the mysteryand security of identifying with MotherNature or Mother Earth.Although modern Witchcraft reflectssome of the basic societal ills of our time, andalthough many Witches today do not practiceall they preach, there is much that FeministWitchcraft offers to feminists and the feministmovement. If you are drawn to it, becareful and don't check your principles or yourfeminism at the gate. For those not soinclined, there is still much to be learned fromWitchcraft about ourselves and our place inNature.Ann Forfreedom, Feminist Witch and Priestess is publisherof The Wise Woman, co-editor and publisher of Book of theGoddess; lecturer on feminist issues, women's history andFeminist Witchcraft.36Thompson /... • ^^•••^•^^^Hcommitment. We figured we were married inour eyes and in the eyes of God and we werevery much brought up to believe in the institutionof marriage. Had we been allowed to,we would have been married and then thiswouldn't be happening to us. My strugglewith "Can you be a Christian and be gay?"has been a long struggle.OTI: What do you believe now?KT: I believe that the two are notexclusive of each other. I believe there isnothing in the Bible that condemns a committed,loving relationship.OTI: Had you come out as a gay personbefore this?KT: No. I came out nationally before Icame out to myself. I'd lived with Sharon foryears and only admitted that I happened tofall in love with a human being because ofcertain qualities or characteristics. I had neveradmitted to myself that I was gay. So, I hadto work through all that after the accident. Ineeded to come out to get support fromgroups like the Minnesota Civil LibertiesUnion, and rights advocates.OTI: How has the publicity surroundingthis case and your "coming out" affectedyou professionally?KT: I'm an Assistant Professor in thePhysical Education Department at St. CloudState University. Now, I'll also be doing someteaching within the Human RelationsDepartment. The students and my peer groupwho have responded have been extremelysupportive and so far I still have a full timejob there and I have not felt any stress.OTI: Sharon's father is saying youhave a very negative effect on her.KT: In every institution that Sharon'sbeen in. it's been documented by doctors,nurses, physical therapists, and occupationaltherapists that Sharon does things when I'min the room that she does at no other time.Her whole level of alertness is different whenI'm around. A neurologist said that 1 functionas an effective therapist, that there's a specialchemistry there that he would do nothing asa doctor to break. The only negative evidencethey have says that Sharon appears morewithdrawn, more depressed after I leave. Idon't deny that Sharon probably was upset.Sharon has typed out and indicated to manydifferent people that she's afraid I'll nevercome back. But then should I be kept awayfrom Sharon or should I be given more timewith her?OTI: How long has it been sinceyou've been allowed to see her?KT: Not since August 19, 1985.OTI: What's her condition now?KT: I don't know. This is the UnitedStates and I'm not allowed to get any informationon how she's doing. I cannot communicatewith her in any way. I'll be arrested if Istep on the premises.OTI: Who has told you that?KT: The institution. Leisure Hills willnot let me in because the guardian, Sharon'sfather, says I'm not allowed to visit her.OTI: Even people on death row areallowed visitors.KT: Well, the MCLU said in one oftheir briefs to the United btates supremeCourt that certainly the rights of the disabledshould be as vigorously represented in oursystem as those of a criminal, and criminalsseem to have more rights than SharonKowalski.OTI: This is an extraordinary amountof litigation. Where does the money comefrom for all of this?KT: My legal fees have been over$95,000. I've paid about $12,000 out of myown pocket in the last two years. I've beenpretty much stripped of any actual assetsthat I have. The rest of the money has beencoming in through fundraising that's beendone locally and nationally.OTI: Who've been the most supportivenational groups?KT: It's been a very humanizing,humbling experience for me. The gay rightsgroups were the first to offer me support.The very groups I didn't want to be labeledpart of and that I was as homophobic aboutas the straight population. And that's reallysad. I believed that Sharon and I were "normal",we weren't like "them", whatever"them" is. Now, I've had the opportunity tomeet many "thems" and found out thatthey're very much like us. It's been a real eyeopeningexperience.OTI: You were not a feminist beforeall this started? You were totally apolitical?KT: That's right. I'm not proud to saythat. Feminists scared me to death. I thoughtthey were kind of radical. I bought into thesystem's stereotype of what "feminist" is andhow it would be used against us and didn'twant to be one.OTI: Do you see Sharon's case in anyway as a women's rights case.KT: I do now. The thing worse thanbeing a woman, of course, is being a lesbian,or being disabled. Sharon is all of the above,so she has three strikes against her and Ihope it doesn't mean she's out.OTI: Do you think if this was a heterosexualrelationship with two unmarried peopleliving together the same thing couldhappen?KT: First, if Sharon and I could havebeen legally married, we would have been. Itwas not our choice to not be married. However.I think probably it would be moresocially acceptable for an unmarried heterosexualcouple to continue to have some sortof relationship. But. I do feel that, dependingon circumstances, yes. they could be separatedtoo. Because, again, they are alsounprotected. I think we can do some thingsto help that.OTI: Have any of the national feministgroups supported you?KT: Not really. I don't want it sensationalizedand I don't want it made strictlyinto a gay rights issue, but I'm not embarrassedor afraid to admit it is a gay rightsissue.As I understand more about issuesand causes I see that this issue is far biggerthan Sharon and I. And if through our case wecan somehow prevent other people from havingto experience this, then maybe somethingOn the IssuesVol. VII!

good will have happened. But it's reallytough, and I don't want Sharon sacrificed. Iwill give time for the rest of my life to differentissues now. Someday I need to speak outon nursing home reform. Right now my mainconcern is to get Sharon the help she needs.OTI: You think Sharon's rights to recoverare being violated?KT: I believe so. And her right to thehighest quality of life. What's a higher qualitylife, being in a nursing home or at home?And guardianship law says we should keepthese patients in as normal a situation aspossible.By the way, one thing you can do toprotect your loved one in a nursing home isto visit them frequently. Sharon got morebaths than anyone else because they knew Iwas going to be there. She was washed whenshe was incontinent. Other people werejustwhipped into clean clothes. It's a nightmareto walk down a hallway and find peoplestrapped to wheelchairs tied to the wall.You'll walk by them and they'll say "Somebodyplease take me to the bathroom." Youcome back two hours later and they are sittingthere in their own stool and urine andthey reek. The really sad thing is to find outthat they're ambulatory patients but thereisn't enough staffing to keep track of themand they get lost if they move about. It's easierto keep them tied in the chairs.And then you see the person who'sonly cleaned up once a week when someoneis coming to visit. I've learned a lot. Understaffingis the main problem. Some nursinghomes, the private ones, are just trying toCatholic loI /"'*."•cumstances. Catholic social justice tradition,for example, accepts as justified killing, capitalpunishment, self defense, and so-called "justwars".In the case of nuclear war, the RomanCatholic bishops are uncharacteristically humblein reserving to the conscience of legislatorsoptions regarding its regulation and use.They note in their 1983 pastoral on war andpeace "distinct moral options coexist as legitimateexpressions of Christian choice onnuclear war!" This freedom they grant in asituation we know would result in the deathof "post-born, innocent persons."While there is doubt about the fetusas person, there is surely no doubt about thewoman as person. We women are fullmembers of our Judeo-Christian communitiesand secular society. The richness of our personhoodandjustice will only be evident inthe church when our patriarchal leadershiprecognizes us as moral agents and trusts usas much as they trust Jesse Helms aboutwhen and whether it is moral to bring newlife into the world. Perhaps they could startby trusting us to make good decisions aboutcontraception. Up to now. the RomanCatholic Church forbids all use of artificialcontraception.Just as the Roman Catholic bishopsdistrust women, they also seem to distrusttheir fellow bishops in Protestant churchesand the rabbis in Jewish synagogues, for theRoman Catholic bishops continue to seek leg-On the Issues Vol. VIIImake money. It's a nightmare and I don'twant Sharon there. And Sharon can be takencare of more cheaply at home. Also, St. Cloudhas been voted one of the top 25 cities in thenation for their handicapped services. So,Sharon is moved to Hibbing—not even onthe list—for the convenience of the parents.OTI: This goes far beyond you andSharon. You are implying that here, in thiscountry, there exists something similar toNazi Germany where a person can be institutionallycommitted and the key is justthrown away.KT: I wouldn't be at all suprised withthe AIDS issue they talk about isolating gays.It was done in the United States before withthe Japanese, and history repeats itself. Butpeople like me have to get the blinders rippedoff to realize what's really happening.I've received letters from all over thecountry. It's really frightening to know somany people have been in this type of situation.I see them on different levels. On onelevel I feel their pain and wonder how manyothers are going through this or have experiencedit. On a different level though. I startto get a little bit angry and to feel. "Whydidn't they fight it?" because if they had,maybe Sharon and I wouldn't have to begoing through this now.There are always choices. I have thechoice to do nothing. But I've got to go onbecause if Sharon and I don't fight this, thenhow many others will have to experience itbecause we didn't? It's got to stopsomewhere.islation that violates the teachings on abortionof their interfaith colleagues.The Roman Catholic bishops tell uswhat they seek as law is the law of God notjust the law of the Roman Catholic Church.Once again they slap their interfaith colleaguesacross the face with their special pipelineto God.Our Roman Catholic bishops mustrecognize that it is not their function toimpose their own private moral code on apluralistic society. Indeed the documents ofVatican II prohibit them from doing so. TheDeclaration on Religious Freedom adopted atVatican II instructed Catholics not to seeklegislation that would prevent people of otherfaiths from fully and freely practicing theirreligion. Even the church in the early centurieswas able to distinguish between sectarianand political good. St. Augustine and St.Thomas Aquinas both found prostitutionmorally repugnant, but felt that it should belegalized for the greater good of the society.St. Thomas Aquinas wryly but wisely suggestedthat a good legislator (perhaps even agood bishop) should imitate God. who couldeliminate certain evils but does not do so forthe sake of the greater good. The greatergood is the good of a free society where conscienceis not unduly constrained on complexmatters where good persons disagree.Thus a Catholic who judges all abortionsto be immoral may in good consciencesupport the decision of Roe v. Wade, sinceFrankfort ..•«/. ham /.««>• /«'last and always a writer, the assembled groupwas treated to selections read from her ownworks. A description of her childhood in Brooklynillustrated vividly her rapier wit. Notingthat her family always had two grand pianosbut no car, she said "I like to think we werethe only family in Flatbush who were nouveaupoor and downwardly mobile." About droppingout of medical school she wrote "Icouldn't stand the sight of money."For two decades that tiny. 50-year-oldwoman had been the trail blazer of thewomen's health movement. In our lonelinesswe can hope a friend was prophetic whendeclaring "she is in the cosmic flow, she'swithin us and always will be."Those wishing to make a contributionto Ellen's memory can send donations toMoney for Women/Barbara Deming MemorialFund, Inc., P.O. Box 40-1043, Brooklyn,11240-1043.• * *ON THE ISSUES Editors and Staff join IreneDavall in grieving the incalculable loss of EllenFrankfort whose contributions to women'shealth rights will never be forgotten.Jewish & Female ..»«. ham /*.!•,•too intertwined for the Jewish Feminist inthis century.One frequently hears, as a corroborationof the inferior status of women in Judaism,reference to the creation of Eve fromAdam's rib. Phyllis Trible's interpretation isotherwise:"Like man. woman owes her life solelyto God. For both of them, the origin oflife is a divine mystery.. .To callwoman 'Adam's rib' is to misread thetext, which states carefully and clearlythat the extracted bone required divinelabor to become female, a datumscarcely designed to bolster the maleego.. .The rib means solidarity andequality. Adam recognizes this meaningin a poem: 'This at last is the bone ofmy bones/and flesh of my flesh.'"In Jewish tradition, interpretation andcommentary on the text is paramount. It isthe river that runs through Jewish history.Roberta Kalechofsky. a feminist, animal rights, civilrights and peace activist and vegetanan helpedfound and was an editor of Branching Out. Canada'sfirst feminist magazine. She has published 16books; written many books and articles; is an educatorand lecturer. Roberta founded Micah Publicationsin 1975. We are pleased to welcome her as aContributing Editor of On the Issues.that ruling is enabling rather than coercive. Itforces no one to have an abortion, while itrespects the moral freedom of those whojudge some or all abortions to be moral toexercise that freedom.Frances Kissling. President of Catholics for a Free Choice, isa lifelong feminist and Catholic who has been active in thewomen's health movement since 1970. She is co-author(with the late Ellen Frankfort) of Rosie; The Investigationof a Wrongful Death, and author of many articles onCatholicism, feminism and choice.37

Cancerthe disease is on the increase, there probablyis no "epidemic". There is certainly, however,an increase in the epidemic of fear associatedwith the potential fatality of the disease, plusthe possible loss of a breast. Instead of fearing,women must demand mass screening.They must insist on such procedures throughpublic health authorities as well as throughtheir own physicians. And if mass screening isthe means to save lives, women's groupsmust be in the forefront to demand it astheir right.The educational feature of massscreening varies in different communitieswith different ethnic groups and culturalbackgrounds. Awareness of the programneeds to be promoted. The centers for suchscreening must be available and easilyaccessible.There are two potential benefits fromwidespread mass screening: the possibility ofdetecting an occult deadly cancer in a curablestage, and the tremendous psychologicalvalue in the reassurance that no disease ispresent.Theoretically, mass screening forbreast cancer should involve the presumablywell woman—without abnormal breast signsor symptoms, which creates a dilemma. Theusual breast symptoms of a lump or lumps,pain—diffused or localized—or nipple discharge,which would classify a woman as"symptomatic", are present to some degreein all women. The distinction between"symptomatic" and "asymptomatic" is quiteblurred. Is the woman with premenstrualswelling or pain of varying degree "asymptomatic"?Is the woman with a free nipple discharge"symptomatic" and the one with adischarge on mild nipple squeeze "asymptomatic"?Perhaps it would be more reasonableto consider all women not under a physician'scare for a breast problem as presumably well,charge a low fee if possible and attract allwomen at all economic levels. Possibly in thatway we could get aj[ women motivated toaccept or even demand mass screening forbreast cancer and save more lives in theprocess.Philip Strax. M.D.. Medical Director of the Guttman BreastDiagnostic Institute in NYC is Clinical Professor. Oncology,Miami University School of Medicine; Associate Clinical Professor.Community and Preventative Medicine. N.Y. MedicalCollege, lecturer, Environmental Medicine. N.Y.U School ofMedicine. He is a member of the Breast Cancer Task Forceof the National Cancer Institute and consultant on theBreast Cancer Task Force of the American Cancer Society.GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OFMAMMOGRAPHY BY THEAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY:CONCURRED BY THE AMERICANCOLLEGE OF RADIOLOGY AND THEAMERICAN ACADEMY OFFAMILY PHYSICIANS.1. Regardless of her age, all womenwith signs and symptoms ofbreast disease should havemammography as well as physicianexamination as often andwhenever needed.2. All women, whether symptomaticor not. should have a base-linemammogram between the agesof 35 and 40.3. All women between 40 and 50should have a physical examinationannually, and mammographyevery one, or at most, every twoyears.4. All women over 50 should haveboth a physical examination andmammography every year.Stationery, cards, poetry, posters designed^especially lor women. 75 page catalogue,S3.50 U.S. currency. $3.50 refundable withfirst order. MAIL ORDER. Free updates.Retail/Wholesale welcome. Free productdelivery to businesses in S.F. Bay Area.Selection continually grows!Selection includes World Peace & Sealifedesigns!PSYCHOTHERAPYFOR WOMEN ONLYRelationship & Eating ProblemsSandy Chernick CSW718-459-4049Op M/zi/ui i I'trtr/, < Ciitfe /O,iOffices in Greenwich Village & Forest Hills, Queens Idesign by Cynthea Porter• NON-VIOLENT TOYS • UNIQUE STATIONERY

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