•v ISSHJEFANCE FOH PHOGREi S VOLUME XIII PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Merle Hoffman MANAGING EDITOR Beverly Lowy ASSOCIATE EDITORS Eleanor J. Bader Phyllis Chesler ASSISTANT EDITOR Karen Aisenberg CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Irene D avail Roberta Kalechofsky Flo Kennedy Nancy Lloyd ART DIRECTORS Michael Dowdy Julia Gran ADVERTISING AND SALES DIRECTOR Carolyn Handel ON THE ISSUES: A feminist, humanist publication dedicated to promoting political action through awareness and One of the "Hysterical Housewives", education; working toward a global FEATURES Louise Geddings, blocks a truck from political consciousness; fostering a spirit of collective responsibility for positive SEXUAL MALPRACTICE: entering a landfill in Sumter County, SC, social change; eradicating racism, Therapists Who Seduce Their an area known for hazardous wastes. sexism, ageism, speciesism; and support- Patients ing the struggle of historically disenfran- by Fred Pelka HYSTERICAL HOUSEWIVES chised groups powerless to protect and Data indicate that six to 10 percent of (AND OTHER COURAGEOUS defend themselves. therapists sexually abuse their pa- WOMEN) by Karen Jan Stults UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS tients. Experts consider this a conser- All unsolicited material will be read by the editors. For vative estimate 7 Grassroots organizers are fighting return, enclose self-addressed, stamped envelope with against toxic wastes in their commu- proper postage. Articles should be not less than 10 and not more than 15 double spaced, typewritten pages on STRANGER IN A nities... and they're winning the women's health, social or political issues by people with STRANGE LAND: battle 22 hands on experience in their fields. Professional papers are accepted. All editing decisions are at the discretion Attending a Right To Life of the editors. Feminist cartoons are also acceptable Conference SPECIAL FEATURE under the same provisions. by Eleanor J. Bader ON THE ISSUES does not accept fiction or poetry. A pro-choice editor / reporter goes be- "NEVER A MAN MINISTER" Advertising is accepted at the discretion of the hind enemy lines to get the story 10 by Willie Mae Kneupper publisher. Acceptance does not necessarily imply A quiz that really tests your endorsement. SUSAN ROSENBERG: feminist I. Q. 24 PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The opinions expressed by America's Most Dangerous contributors to our publication and by those we DEPARTMENTS interview are not necessarily those of the editors. Woman? ON THE ISSUES is traditionally a forum for ideas and concepts and a place where women may have An exclusive interview by Merle Merle Hoffman—Editorial 1 their voices heard without fear of censure or cen- Hoffman; profile by Patricia Golan Win Some'Lose Some 4 sorship. At 34, Susan Rosenberg faces the pos- sibility of spending the rest of her life Choice Books 25 ON THE ISSUES is published as an informational Film/Video 29 and educational service of CHOICES Women's in prison. Her crime: dissent against Medical Center, Inc. 97-77 Queens Boulevard government policies 14 Feedback 35 Forest Hills, NY 11374-3317 ISSN 0895-6014 PHOTO: COURTESY CITIZENS CLEARINGHOUSE MERLE HOFFMAN women and men working together in "Search your heart. Are you ready for coalition, connecting heretofore uncon- war? How much are you willing to ON THE ISSUES nected issues, creates a situation ripe sacrifice to see this massacre ended? "I love your enemies because they with its own particular challenges, The day of distress has dawned." drive you to my arms for comfort" struggles and extraordinary opportu- (Randall A. Terry's Rescue News Brief, — Edna St. Vincent Millay - 1941 nities, quite apart from the external August 1989) I was very young when I read that political threats. The fact that the abortion issue has sonnet — when those words arrested There has already been an explosion the potential of splintering the society me with the power of their insight. of coalition work. The recognition of and, in fact, has been called the "sec- With similar shattering clarity, the political, social or psychological con- ond civil war" and "the Vietnam of the recent Supreme Court's decision al- gruence, the amalgamation of com- '80s", still has not translated into the lowing the states to restrict or regulate radships — all have the ability to importance of women's personal lives, abortion may be viewed as having light up the social, political, historical in the scheme of things in general, and presented both the pro-choice and landscape with a thousand points of in the abortion battle in particular. women's movements with extraordi- power. A power that will comfort us in What issue is more central to the nary opportunities. We are poised at a the heat that it generates while collective than whether or not to bring moment in time and history that is ripe scorching the ideology and agenda of another life into it? If abortion were with possibilities and the potential to the opposition. ultimately a "women's issue alone", by truly enact positive and lasting social change. On the surface, without reflection, it would appear that we have suffered a catastrophic defeat. But one can only truly lose what one has. Although supposedly guaranteed by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, legal abortion has been under constant attack since 1973 with a consistent chipping away at the most vulnerable target areas — parental consent and Medicaid fund- ing (teenagers and minority women). The pro-choice movement, lulled into a false sense of security by the Supreme Court and restricted by class self-inter- est and diffused political agendas, made the grave error of minimizing the oppo- sition; so much so that when Medicaid funding was cut off in 1977, adversely affecting poor and minority women, few people protested to Washington. It would seem that upon closer examina- tion, the concept and practice of women's equality, liberation and full participation in society was built on shifting sand. We have to realize that we are not safe, and there are no safe harbors, not in the Supreme Court, not in the states, not in the legislatures and not in the Constitution. Our safety must lie within ourselves and the movements Item: August 3, 1989 — six weeks prior to the New York Mayoral Primary. The that we build. Women are now going to New York Pro-Choice Coalition fields a 10-point questionnaire to all Mayoral have to win their rights to full and hopefuls concerning different aspects of the pro-choice position. A press unrestricted sexual and reproductive conference is held on the steps of City Hall where the results are announced. A freedom in potent social and political "Choice Chart" is unveiled and two-foot-long photos of the candidates are placed battle. We must struggle for the hearts along a 10-point scale to visualize their standing on the issues. The results and minds of the American people while provoke a great deal of controversy with the four Democratic contenders trying not succumbing to personal or sectar- to "out Pro-Choice each other"; the two Republicans trail at the bottom of the ian conflicts that siphon the power chart and the Right to Life Candidate is symbolized by a hanger on the from our vision and struggle. ground.This "women's issue" now takes on enormous importance to the seven Far from being a complete disaster, men who would be the city's Mayor. The results inspired Republican-hopeful or an omen that portends the destruc- Rudolph Giuliani to change his position on abortion for the seventh time in less tion of the women's movement, the than six months — and Newsday touts the fact that there is a "Gender Gap" recent Missouri decision may create a placing Rudolph Giuliani on the wrong side of the abortion issue and, as a result, groundswell of activism, anger and losing ground with women voters.One year ago it would have been unthinkable politically strategic creativity that to be discussing abortion in a Mayoral election. One year ago we thought we could well fuel a whole new order. were safe. This summer the Supreme Court gave us our wake-up call. The crushing, immediate necessity of ON THE ISSUES VOL XIII1989 PHOTO: COURTESY CARTER BURTON definition mere fluff, not nearly as possible that all this attention, all this "Hey man, are you going to raise my important as the Pentagon, or Stealth struggle, all this resistance will enable three other kids too?" "Go home and Bomber, why all this fuss in the first women to feel stronger and more cen- pray in your own church." Not one place? If it is not politic to speak of tered in their decisions, rather than patient changed her mind or turned women's rights, women's demands, weaker and riddled with guilt, as the away. women's needs, women's "issues", be- opponents of choice would like us to We may only guess what seeds of cause they appear too strident, too believe that they do. dissent were planted that day in those radical, too unfeminine, too selfish — Item: this past summer, I was called people. let us not forget that this is the reality to assist an abortion clinic in the middle Obviously, much more needs to be of the issue. Minimizing abortion to be done. The early work of the New York merely a "women's issue" gives the lie Pro-Choice Coalition, the Bay Area to the passions and profound responses Coalition Against Operation Rescue that it generates. In the struggle to and an Atlanta, GA coalition that stood As more and more young women are up to months of assault by OR in the brought into the abortion rights win the "hearts and summer of 1988, should be formalized struggle, as more and more people get and reinforced.