WSW EDITORIAL
The November 7 election results do not suggest any recognizable trend locally or nationally. So we have compiled a partial list of victories, defeats and
comments.
Although women politicians are winning on local and state levels, most women do not have the opportunity, resources and/or money necessary for successful national Congressional and gubernatorial campaigns. It is also important to note that a victory for a woman politician is not necessarily a feminist
one.'
In Ohio:
Incumbent Virginia Aveni was upset in her bid for
re-election to the Ohio Legislature in District 17. Mary O. Boyle was elected State Representative from District 22.
Cuyahoga County's human services levy, Issue 3, won by a wide margin.
Boston Heights voters turned down, by a vote of 108 for and 169 against, a charter amendment that would have regulated abortion. Since Boston Heights does not have any abortion facilities, this amendment was intended as a preventive measure. We congratulate the 169 voters who had the foresight to practice some prevention of their own.
In the U.S. as a whole:
... two women will serve as governors.
--
only one woman holds a Senate seat in the 96th Congress, and Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kansas) is admittedly a woman politician without a feminist perspective.
CONTENTS
Features
National
Divorce....
7
Gay Rights Victories.
(l'ourth in a series of 5 articles reprinted from Getting Out: A Divorce Manual)
Home Birth Update.
Letter from the Grand Jury Project..
10
Interview with Toni Podojil...
2
NARAL: PAC Election Report..
4
Interview with Jeanne Sonville..
6
(second of a three-part conversation)
Women and Work..
8-9
Bits & Pieces...
[1
News
Boos, Bravos, and Tidbits.
13
Local
Cleveland Women's Groups.
12
0
3
Find It Fastest.......
back cover
2
3
What's Happening.
CARAL: Ongoing Committees for "Choice".
Reproductive Freedom Weekend.
Silkwood Vigil. . . . . . .
U. of Akron Man Indicted for Rape.
15
women now hold a record 10 percent of state legislative seats.
--
ten women will serve as Secretary of State. six women will serve as Lieutenant Governors. .. six women will serve as State Treasurers.
· NARAL-PAC reports that 71 percent of the 49 pro-choice candidates they supported were elected (see article, page 3).
Proposition 6 was defeated in California by gay activists and supporters (see article, page 5).
--
Seattle voters defeated an anti-gay initiative by a 2-1 margin (see article, page 5).
Although abortion and a woman's right to choose was not openly a major issue in the November 7 elections, the compulsive pregnancy people were busy in Ohio and across the nation.
Governor James A. Rhodes won another term with the support of the Ohio Right to Life Political Action Committee. A Rhodes brochure was a blatant example of his use of the compulsory pregnancy issue for his own ends. While visiting the West Side Market the week before the election, one of our WSW friends was handed a slick, 3-fold printed pamphlet with a cute picture of two babies and the accompanying phrase, "These little guys want you to vote in the November 7 election". 'It went on to exhort the reader to "Vote for the unborn in the November 7 election," and "Help defend those who cannot defend themselves". It also claimed that "If James Rhodes wins, then the unborn children will win".
And in New York, the "Right to Life" Party polled enough votes to qualify for the fourth position on New York State ballots in the future. Although Jane Tobin, their gubernatorial candidate, was soundly defeated, the "Right to Life" Party may now be a force in the politics of a traditionally liberal and electorally important state.
•
Cover photo courtesy of Martha Tabor/LNS
What She Wants
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WHAT SHE WANTS IS:
A MONTHLY NEWS JOURNAL PRODUCED FOR ALL WOMEN. We always like input from our readers in the form of articles, personal experiences, poetry, art, accouncements, and letters. We welcome women who are willing to help us in specific areas of the paper (writing, lay-out, advertising, distribution, publicity, etc.) and/or who are interested in our collective.
WHAT SHE WANTS ADVOCATES:
...equal and civil rights
...the right to earnings based on our 'need, merit, and interest ....access to job training, salaries, and promotions we choose
...the right to organize in unions and coalitions to advance our 'cause ...the right to decent health care and health information
...the right to safe, effective birth control and to safe, legal abortions
...the right to accept or reject motherhood
...the right to choose and express sexual preference without harassment
044
access to quality education and freedom from prejudice in learning materials
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I
CARAL GROUPS MEET FOR ABORTION ACTION
The Cleveland Abortion Rights Action League (CARAL) held a meeting on November 5 to reorganize support for efforts to maintain women's right to choose a safe abortion. This local chapter of
the
National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) has been loosely organized since the 1979 Supreme Court ruling that at that time seemed to assure women the right to control their own bodies. Escalating attacks by anti-abortion and anti-choice factions have clarified the need for continued activism to retain these rights.
The CARAL gathering used speeches and a NARAL slide production to encourage participants to see the pro-choice movement as an on-going concern. Two action-oriented groups were forined to keep the issue before the public in a pro-choice fashion.
One group, in conjunction with the Reproductive Freedom Coalition, the Medical Committee for Human Rights, and others, is planning a large community gathering to commemorate the January 22 Supreme Court decision and demonstrate public Other opposition to attacks on abortion rights. pro-choice activities will also be held (see article, page 5).
The second CARAL group, the Canvassing Committee, is making immediate plans to canvas a Cleveland Heights neighborhood to evaluate and promote pro-choice support.
For more information, or to participate on these committees, please contact Education for Freedom of Choice in Ohio (EFCO), 439 The Arcade, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, 579-0028.
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December, 1978/What She Wants/Page 1