Just out., November 21, 2003, Page 17, Image 17

november 21. 2003 • j u s t
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require women to undergo counseling and wait
24 hours before having an abortion.
Fields says the proposed law raises concerns
on several fronts. Because only a tew Oregon
counties even have abortion providers—most
are in Portland and Eugene—women from rural
areas will have to add an extra day to their trav­
el. This will be especially difficult tor ptxir
women who will have to find accommodations
and take time off from work.
But mostly Fields finds the measure insulting.
“It’s a really demeaning piece of legislation
because it’s basically passing a law that demands
women think,” she says. “Women think really
well about this decision on their own."
Fields struggles sometimes trying to get the
sexual minorities communi­
ty to understand that repro­
ductive rights are a queer
issue. “It’s hard trying to
communicate to folks who
are so safe in their gay lives,"
she says. “It’s hard to make
them understand that this
threat is very real.”
She and her partner,
Grant High School drama
teacher and Claire of the
Moon star Trisha Tixld, have
gone to great lengths to
ensure that Fields’ mother
will not disrupt their lives. Fields recently cut
ties with her because she felt like her mother
was not respecting her family.
“With the baby coming, I had to deal with
some real concerns— if something happened,
her trying to take the child, or her trying to
take the child, period,” Fields says. She adds,
“A lesbian trying to have a relationship with
a woman that’s a member of the Christian
Coalition is like a black person trying to have
a relationship with a parent who’s in the
KKK.”
Fields feels her upbringing gave her some
insights to the Christian right wing that others
don’t have. “It makes me understand in a way
that other people don’t understand how the
other side is working, how hard they are work­
ing," she says.
Because of her mom’s anti-gay stance, Fields
plans to have Tixld adopt the child as soon as
possible after the birth. The baby is due at the
end of this month.
“1 have this woman in my life and I have no
idea what she’s capable of in this situation,"
Fields says of her mother. “It would be nice if the
adoption was about joy, as opposed to tear.”
Sadie Fields has authored hundreds of pages
of anti-gay and anti-choice writings on the
Georgia Christian Coalition’s Web site. About
the U.S. Supreme Court mling overturning
stxlomy laws, she wrote, “Not only have they
condoned an immoral act, they have also sent a
strong signal of encouragement to men and
women to remain in a lifestyle that is dangerous
and deadly.”
She continues: "Who is to say what the next
generation (or at the rate we are declining—this
generation) will ‘breathe’ into the Constitution?
Will it he to overturn state
laws against pedophilia,
prostitution, bestiality and
every other form of adult
sexual activityT’
Fields is fighting not just
to keep her mother from
interfering with her life but
also for the rights of women
across Oregon, which is one
of the few states with no
restrictions on abortion.
She and NARAL want to
keep it that way.
One recent victory was
the passage of an emergency contraceptive law.
It gives emergency room patients access to the
morning-after pill if they’ve been the victim of
rape or incest.
“This is a big victory for us,” Fields says.
“Since Catholic hospitals have been merging
with secular hospitals, there’s been a big lapse in
the access that women have to repnxluctive
health care in the hospital setting.”
Fields knows better than to bask in the
glory of victory for long. She is gearing up tor
the 2004 election and the “Informed Choice"
ballot measure. She is busy polling candidates
on their stances regarding sexuality education,
contraception access and abortion rights. She
is organizing volunteers from around the state
and educating the public about the threats to
women’s rights.
Better than anyone, she knows who she is
battling against. JH
"A lesbian trying to have a
relationship with a woman
that's a member of the
Christian Coalition is like a
black person trying to have
a relationship with a
parent who's in the KKK"
— Tess Fields
K a t h y B elc .E is
a Portland free-lance writer.
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