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NEWS & LETTERS,
January-February 2003
ROE V. WADE at 30 -- keep it safe and legal
New York--Jan. 22 marked the 30th anniversary of the
legalization of abortion in the U.S. with the Supreme Court decision in ROE V.
WADE. In celebration, and in fear that the Bush Administration's war on women
will destroy women's reproductive rights, 300 people of all ages rallied at
Judson Memorial Church on Jan. 21 for a program titled "Securing Justice
for a New Generation: Choice--the Religious Imperative." The event was
sponsored by Planned Parenthood and Judson Church. That church was the scene of early abortion-rights
activity in the 1960s and '70s. Speakers at the anniversary event included
several former members of the Clergy Consultation Service, a group that had
helped women obtain illegal abortions. They and many younger Protestant and
Jewish clergy are still fighting for women's rights today. Keynote speaker Katha Pollitt emphasized the danger that
Bush appointees to the Supreme Court may reverse ROE. Even if abortion remains
legal, she said, it may be inaccessible to most women due to increasing state
restrictions and lack of public funding, as well as campaigns of intimidation by
the anti-choice Right. Already, some states have only one abortion provider.
She warned of the danger of complacency about Bush's agenda, and pointed out
that the Right no longer talks about an anti-abortion constitutional amendment;
rather, it is succeeding in paring down women's rights bit by bit, and has
widespread support for increased restrictions on abortions. The audience was urged to get involved in the fight for
reproductive rights, but there was no discussion about the current situation
other than that "we" must fight "them." I found this
pep-rally approach disheartening. How could this fundamental right be so
endangered again? Can we develop a movement that can actually secure women's
rights? None of this was addressed. Perhaps the religious and middle-class presenters cannot
fathom the depth of change demanded by the present reality. In any event, they
did not see the need to discuss the problems or the theoretical aspects of
winning women's rights. --Anne Jaclard Chicago--I attended two events celebrating the Jan. 22,
1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision ROE V. WADE which made abortion legal. First
was a noon rally at the Federal Plaza. We held banners, signs and posters for
choice. On the ground were placed papers with statistics and the history of
reproductive rights. The first speaker, Jennifer Koehler, president of the
sponsors, the Chicago Chapter of the National Organization for Women, said,
"There is a crisis for our right to choose." Congresswoman Jan
Schakowsky said, "Bush is a liar. When he campaigned for president he said
the overthrow of ROE V. WADE was not the aim of his campaign. He said he wanted
to present a compassionate conservatism. Where is his compassion?" State Representative Sara Feigenholtz stated, "As
commander- in- chief Bush has made women in the military second-class citizens
by denying their right to abortions even when using their own money. With his
call to war in Iraq he is asking these brave women to not only risk their lives
but to also give up their constitutional right to choose." The last speaker from Refuse & Resist! called for
mass demonstrations on March 10, the anniversary of the murder of abortion
provider Dr. David Gunn. The second event was the Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area
(PPCA) awards celebration. It was moving listening to June Rosner, widow of Dr.
Marvin Rosner, who provided abortion services in 1971, a day after a federal
court struck down the Illinois ban on first trimester abortion prior to ROE. He
believed safe, legal abortions were a health issue. PPCA named its Lifetime
Achievement Award in his honor. The highlight was the Richard J. Phelan Profile in
Courage Award given to its namesake. Phelan recalled how he restored abortions
at Cook County Hospital under threats of death and excommunication.
Anti-Semitism or the denial of health services to the poor must be confronted,
he said. "When I was elected as Cook County Board President in 1990 I was
committed to bringing back the rights George Dunne had decided on his own to
eliminate. There must be a level playing field between the poor and uninsured
and the affluent and insured." --Sue S. |
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