Pro-abortionists rally; promise more protests
By KEVIN HARDEN
Of the Emerald
Waving placards bearing
slogans such as .“Sacred Heart
Sucks," “Our bodies, our choice"
and “Keep Abortions out of
butcher shops', nearly 200
women and men sang, chanted,
cheered and listened to pro
abortion speeches on the Eugene
downtown mall Thursday.
The afternoon rally was held to
protest the congressional support
for the Hvde Amendment and the
recent Supreme Court decision,
both of which support the cut-off of
federal funds used for abortion.
The rally, sponsored by 10 city
women’s and citizen s groups was
designated to begin a systematic
protest for the repeal of a recently
passed federal law denying the
use of Medicaid funds for abor
tions.
The Hyde Amendment, which
proposed the end of federal funds
for abortions, was critized for in
sensitivity to the needs of poor
and minority women who use
Medicaid to pay for abortions.
The sponsors, The New Ameri
can Movement, the Eugene
Feminist Theory Collective, the
Red Autumn Sisters, Women's
Press, the University's Center for
the Sociological Study of Women,
Lane County American Civil Liber
ties Union, the Eugene chapter of
National Organization of Women
(NOW), the Oregon Women’s
Political Caucus, the Eugene
Carter’s recent statement on the
Supreme Court anti-abortion rul
ing to that of 18th century Marie
Antoinette's reply to French
Photo by Doug Lamb
200 women and men marched through downtown Eugene Thursday protesting the congressional support
of the Hyde Amendment denying Medicaid funds for abortions.
MONARCH MAKES IT EASY!
Monarch
NotesH
Critical commentary
and analysis of
over 1,000 classic
and modern
works from
A (Albee) to
Z (Zola)
Every student should
be familiar with these
comprehensive study
guides.
h Monarch **°'e
tac*'
" d
■ c^a facte
answer
Monarch Notes are
published by MONARCH
PRESS, a Simon &
Schuster Division of Gulf &
Western Corporation
Check out the titles you need at:
Your Campus Book & Record Shop
“Consistently the largest stock of quality paperback
books in the Northwest at The Id”
Human Rights Commission, and
the Union of Marxist Social Scien
tists, held a brief press conference
before the rally, telling a handful of
reporters that several demands
for continued abortion services
will be placed before state and city
authorities.
Among the list of demands is
the establishment of an out
patient abortion clinic in the
Eugene area. Another called for
the cooperation of volunteer doc
tors and nurses at Eugene s Sac
red Heart Hospital in performing
abortions. At present, the hospital
has a policy of not giving abor
tions.
Margie Hendriksen, represen
tative of the Oregon Women s
Political Caucus, compared Pres.
GENTLEWOMAN
presents
new ideas
for your summer wardrobe
Where
dothes
are more
than a look,
they’re a
feeling.
1639 E. 19th Ave.
19th & Agate
343-9555
MWF 10-8, T-Th-Sat 10-6,
Sun 1-5
worker s request for food "Presi
dent Carter s statement that if
poor women want abortions, let
them pay for them from their own
money is just like Marie
Antoinette s statement of let them
eat cake, she said
Representatives from Planned
Parenthood, a national voluntary
family planning agency with 189
affiliates in 43 states, explained
that their organization was begin
ning a $3 million fund-raising
campaign to test the Supreme
Court decision, mounting a
nationwide information campaign
on the importance of abortions
and supporting emergency finan
cial assistance for the poor in
places where no other means of
assistance are available
“No one should be denied
abortion services because of
race, economic class or any other
reason, one Parenthood rep
resentative said
The rally began in the courtyard
of the Eugene Federal Building
with almost 150 pro-abortionists
singing and gathering for the
downtown march.
Five anti-abortionists stood at
the rear of the crowd waving
placards saying “Abortion is dis
crimination against unborn chil
dren,” “Do we really want to kill
our children?" and "No tax money
for Abortion."
Dr. John Bisbee, leader of the
small group, explained that he
^
wasn't part of the Right-To-Life
campaign but was acting on his
own initiative. "I think abortion is a
detestible thing — I hate it. I don't
hate the people who are for it, but I
think they re wrong,” he said. The
four other members of the anti
abortion group were from
Bisbee s family.
"I’d put my career on the line for
this (anti-abortion) cause," Bisbee
said. "I cancelled a very important
meeting to be here today, be
cause I believe in it so strongly.'’
Moving to the downtown mall
10th Avenue and Olive Street lo
cation, the different groups gave
speeches on the purpose of the
rally and called for the political
demise of Sen. Mark Hatfield,
R-Ore., who voted in favor of the
controversial amendment.
One heckler applauded when
the speaker announced that Car
ter was in favor of denying
Medicaid payments for abortions.
Several speakers took the plat
form and proclaimed the rally a
beginning for more protests on the
abortion issue “We must stand
firm and repeal all laws that deny
us the right to our biological free
dom," Mary Simon, representa
tive of NOW, said
Another, explaining the impor
tance of the rally on the July 14
anniversary of the French
revolution s Bastille Day, said that
more protests will be needed to
oppose anti-abortion movements
“We will be storming the bastille
of enforced motherhood We have
right on our side and we have
numbers on our side, she said
Several petitions were signed,
including one which will be sent to
Carter with the signatures of
Eugene women who have under
gone illegal abortions
Another speaker read a
statement from Rep Jim Weaver,
D-Ore , which explained his stand
against the Hyde Amendment "I
believe every child brought into
the world should have the right to
be loved and wanted The abor
tion decision should be left to the
woman, through consultation with
her doctor and her clergyman, and
not left to the federal govern
ment,' Weaver wrote
Two testimonials from women
who had illegal abortions were
read with a poem written by a
woman who, as a single parent,
would be denied an abortion
under the Supreme Court ruling
One woman wept openly when
the poem was read
Ending the rally, an open letter
to Congress was read which de
nounced congressional “sexism
and "economic class elitism and
warned that its members would be
voted out of office if further anti
abortion legislation was passed
GIFTED
PSYCHIC READER & ADVISER
/ have devoted my life to the studies and the development of
the sensitivities necessary to provide effective personal
advice on love, marriage, health, business, and career
direction. No problem is insoluble.
Mary
1855 Oak Apt. 2
Eugene, Oregon 97405
485-6773
V