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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1978)
Women’s Symposium Feminist lawyers needed, says forum ‘The legal system won’t change until more women get in there’ By DINA MILES Of the Emerald If art is the momingstar of the revolution for women, as feminist author Rita Mae Brown said Mon day night, then, as Mary Ann Bearden of the Women’s Law Forum said Thursday morning, “Law is the afterglow.” The legal system is stow and imperfect, she said, but, "in some isolated instances, it does lead the way.” Bearden, along with Michelle Ryan and Jeanne Atkins of the forum, discussed the system and the ways women can use it to their advantage, in an informal question-and-answer session as part of this week’s Women’s Sym posium. The audience was small —about 12 women in all—but the issues they raised did not focus on traffic violations. One audience member told of her recent legal frustrations suf fered while getting a divorce. She said she got no help from Legal Aid, a local service for persons who need legal assistance but who cannot afford lawyers. She finally had to hire a private attor ney who, she said, didn’t offer much worthwhile assistance any way. Bearden said that a major prob lem with the process of obtaining legal help is that it is controlled by men. “The legal system is set up by men, exclusively — in everything from divorce, criminal law, rape and prostitution — and Legal Aid can only help the rich and the very, very poor,” she said. She added that the many women who barely earn the minimum wage aren’t ERA (Continued from Page 6) rather than the 50% usually charged to a partial owner. As far as family and homelife go, supporters of the ERA explain that, although it may frighten us as mothers, child support would be carefully considered and granted to the parent better suited to meet the needs of the child. “Men have babies too,” pointed out Linda Wilson. In opposition, Helen Lake claimed that the ERA would lead to "Intervention of the Federal Government in our homes.” Eva Adkins pointed out that “Hitler’s Germany was run under equal rights,” which meant "equal responsibility.” Adkins, who was raised in Nazi Germany, further explained that “women were drafted just as men were.” Betsy Merck rebutted with "Congress already has the power to draft women.” Merck also said no country in the world has ever actually achieved equal rights. In response to the draft ques tion, an audience member ques tioned whether we should allow half the population to be slaugh tered, or all of it. Adkins said, “The way it (the ERA) is written up I cannot accept it...it is a mess.” She further added, “I am a feminist...but I enjoy my rights. I want more rights, not less.” Adkins stressed educating the voter, and com mented that most people don’t take the time to find out who or what they are voting for. able to get help from that service. “One of the things this commun ity needs is a lot of good feminist lawyers,” Bearden said. “It’s how you deal with your clients that will make the difference.” Another woman in the audi ence, formerly a doctor’s wife, told of her dismay in the way her lawyer handled her divorce case. She said he charged her $4,000 for the settlement, which she be lieved was unfair because the proceedings were not compli cated enough to warrant such a fee. “I just felt very victimized,” she said. “He just saw a dollar sign. My attorney also propositioned me the night before we went to court.” Atkins said a good way for women to find the right lawyer for their needs is to call some feminist organizations in the area and ask for referrals. It’s also a good idea, she said, to take a friend when seeing the attorney because the friend can provide moral support, and help a woman deal with any angry or upset feelings. But many women still harbor the misconception that having an at torney will automatically solve the problem, she said. “We have to stop thinking attor neys will take care of you,” Adkins noted. Other women asked about re taining property rights, and Ryan said the best ways to insure that a woman can keep her own real property is to keep accurate re cords of all transactions and to make certain the property has her name on its title. The group told the audience that many of the problems women face when dealing with male at torneys stem from lawyers' insen sitivity to the woman’s situation — financially or emotionally — and because some lawyers practice with an aim to make a lot of money as well as status. “I think the legal system needs to be changed,” Atkins said, “and it won’t change until women get in there.” Many women lawyers choose to work in government agencies, she explained, because it is so dif ficult for them to get started in pri vate practice. Problems such such as high overhead costs, and discrimination among law firms with an all-male staff, discourage women in this area, she claimed. A Typewriter Wormed In Hell The constituency of ASUO president Gary Fieldhand petitioned the court Monday to have him taken off his respirator so he can be declared officially dead. “You have no idea how trying it is having something like this around,” explained one student. “It’s grotesque. As far as we’re concerned he died eight months ago.” Students say all the arrange ments have been made for Fieldhand’s funeral. They say Fieldhand will be buried in the peach-colored formal he made for his high school senior prom. Oliver Jan will deliver his eulogy. The following sermon was broadcast Wednesday night over a local station. It appears exactly as broadcast, with only minor changes. “Hello friends. I’ve come to talk to you about my lord and yours. The Southern Baptist Church of Lynchburg, Virginia has a dream. We want to build a college. We want to turn out champions for Christ. In this sick nation, with its emphysema of misery, god coula use some help. Donate $500 now and help us build this dream. Send your money today and we will in scribe a brick with your name and stick it in the building. It will read as follows: “(Your name) helped erect this edifice for Christ. You will be immortalized in brick. Be sure and spell your name cor rectly. We will be inscribing it in the brick with a laser. Laser inscrip tions are hard to correct, and we wouldn’t want to send you into posterity misspelled. We will send you a felt-bottomed copy of your brick, for your own enjoyment. Help churn out some champions for Christ, send for your brick now. $500 may seem like a lot to pay for a felt bottomed brick from Lynchburg, but these Christians should nevertheless be com mended for their originality. Until now no one has known what to do with an inscribed brick. Bricks do not make good centerpieces. Bricks do not go well on coffee tables. Felt-bottomed bricks do not even make good walls. But never before has anyone tried to achieve immortality with an in scribed brick. If this thing catches on, every Christian in the nation may soon be carrying a per sonalized brick, -pvs could be big. SALE 20% OFF PLUS SPECIALS All in-stock items except scnles BOOKS 25% WSTC iiomerij swomsi! SCIENCE STORE 686-5099 In the 110 Museum of Natural History OP« Tues.-Sat. Double Tee and Albatros Productions Present Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist j Bob Welch With Special Guests: Les Dudek Mike Finnigen, Tim Krueger Sunday, April 23 8:00 L.C.C. Gym Tickets: Advance $6.00 Day of Show $7.00 Available At: Everybody’s - Eugene & Corvallis, Sun Shop, Budget Tapes & Records, Sheldon Plaza & the L.C.C. Gym Box Office -Listen to 1600 Kash for details (from Oregon - for Oregon) y^SrVICTORVTQg "cone - BREEDEN PROPERTY fi . ^NEFrn10 j¥ «W T T *5^* nrrr r::t f *▼ *r | , MAGIC ACTS -Cf JUGGLING ACTS <S OTHER TREATS T [( vV»': |:' \undatj April 16^ ° 8pm to midnight® Eugene Hotel (KIMG COLE ROOM)! .-TICKETS 45 @ DOOR.- • • - v V'^' We have \ 15,000 IN ATTORNEY FEES. SO FAR WETTe WINNHN6. TMERE WILL BE MORE STRUGGLES— SO PLEASE COME AND JOIN US-PLEASE HELP* P^ESfcKITTEX? BY' PEOPl* Tt> P**«ePJv'e <*>ORiCOCTUBAi_ LAkJOS, |*JO. {> attANp IULU5IOKJS EmT
