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Page 6/What She Wants/January, 1981

REVIEWS But Is It Handy?

By Sandra Scully

I would like to comment on the Cleveland Women's Handbook (sponsored by Cleveland Women's Counsel, the Rape Crisis Center, Women Together and WomenSpace). A critical review is in order since it is probable that potential buyers and users of the handbook will assume that because it was prepared by reputable women's advocacy organizations, it can be used with more confidence than similar publications by other agencies.

Collecting and assembling comprehensive, up-todate resource information is a painstaking task and I appreciate the effort of those responsible. However, the handbook, in many important ways, is just another list, and as such, fails to justify the confidence a publication by and for women might inspire. Much of the information about agencies is incomplete and superficial. It seems to be culled from literature published by the agencies themselves, rather than from the experience of consumers of the services and knowledgeable community service workers. An individual who actually uses the book with the expectation that she will be guided to the most accessible and appropriate resource may be sorely disappointed.

As well as omitting evaluative information, the handbook fails to provide practical guidelines that can help people avoid or overcome red tape and other obstacles to service. For instance, the information about welfare (applying for ADC or General Relief) could have been selected more thoughtfully. Advance notice of the sequence of interviews and on which floor they are conducted is only slightly helpful and will inevitably be discovered when one applies. The space devoted to this could have been put to better use in advising people on facts such as: 1. It could be three to six weeks before they will receive their first check. 2. Some emergency assistance may be available if the applicant can't wait up to six weeks for a check. 3. A single woman who is pregnant can receive benefits throughout pregnancy; she must have a statement signed by an M.D. verifying the pregnancy and projected due date. 4. If a woman cannot or will not give specific information about the father of her baby (if he is not present in the household) she may be denied benefits. 5. A childless individual or couple applying for General Relief may be able to maximize their benefits if they are aware of

certain rules and regulations governing their housing situation. 6. The Welfare Department is obligated to assist applicants in obtaining birth certificates or other proof of citizenship and age if they are unable to do so. 7. It is best to go early (doors open at 8:00 a.m.); one may be there all day and should bring something to eat and pass the time.

If the writers of the handbook were not interested in providing this type of detailed information, they might have included resources where people can turn for help in dealing with problems they may encounter. Some places are: 1. Welfare Rights Organization-241-5926; 2. The Advocacy Program at the Free Clinic-721-4010; 3. West Side Mental Health Center-631-9100.

It also troubles me that the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority is listed as a housing resource available to poor people, as it is a truly viable option. At least readers should be cautioned that unless they are totally desperate, or are already living in substandard dwellings and in unsafe neighborhoods, CMHA is a last resort-its only advantage is the low rent. In truth, decent low-cost housing is almost non-existent for low-income people with families; this fact should at least be acknowledged in a publication of this kind. (There are several fairly good housing facilities available for elderly or disabled people that should have been listed.)

There are also other deficiencies in the explanatory material included in the handbook. For example, the section on Family Rape is superficial and poorly researched. Sexual abuse of children is as likely to occur by babysitters, grandparents, siblings, or family friends as it is by husbands or boyfriends (as emphasized in the book). Also, there are guidelines for recognizing such abuse, especially in very young and pre-verbal children, that could easily have been included.

Generally, the book seems to be geared to the middle class woman who is unlikely to seek welfare, public housing, free legal services, or low cost medical care. Since the handbook is not adequately prepared for low income people, and they probably can't afford the $5 handbook anyway, the question arises-Who is the book prepared for?

If my remarks seem unduly negative, I think it (continued on page 9)

"Conversations in A Clinic"

By Mary Walsh

Conversations in a Clinic, a pamphlet published in 1980, was written by Helen Forelle, a South Dakota pro-choice activist. Forelle says in her preface, "1 had been living in a comfortable world believing that I had gained the right to control my own body when I became aware that there was a well-organized, wellfinanced movement which was fighting very hard to put me back on the level of a dairy cow and into the dark ages.... ....For over a year I looked for some means to express my thoughts that would be more meaningful than a letter to the editor. It finally occurred to me that very few people could know why women have abortions. I decided to use my pen to let some women speak."

The women speak in monologues as they await abortions at a clinic. Each one gives her answer to the question, "Why do you want an abortion?" Some of them have gone through painful soul-searching, such as Ethel, 50 years old with grown children who is looking forward to her husband's retirement and their travel plans, and Jane, who has already had one deformed and one retarded child. Others are victims of circumstances. Sandra was forced to have sex with"

her boss to keep her job; Marla was the victim of rape. Others, such as Tina, who had sex because it was "cool", and Milly, a retarded girl who didn't realize what was happening to her, are mere children themselves, clearly unprepared for motherhood.

Each woman is different, but their common problem is an unwanted pregnancy. Their reasons for wanting an abortion differ-some of the women lead lives which preclude children; some are fearful of various consequences, and others feel only disgust for the alien being inside them-but in each case, abortion is the only reasonable answer.

No woman should be forced to be a mother, and no mother should have more children than she feels she can adequately care for. Conversations in a Clinic runs the gamut of reasons why women seek abortions, and its intimate first-person style, avoiding rhetoric and stridency, makes it convincing and powerful.

. The book is available from Conversation, P.O. Box 326, Harrisburg, So. Dak. 57032. A single copy is $1.45, 2 to 10 copies $1.25 per copy, 11 to 20 copies $1.15 per copy, and over 20 copies $1.05 per copy. Call (605) 335-8640 if you are interested in larger

"volime discounts.