NEWS& VIEWS

Chemical Sterilization

(HerSay)-The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to researchers who want to test a chemical called quinicrine for use in sterilization procedures. Pellets of the chemical are reported-

UMM. THAT DRUG SEEMS TO HAVE SIDE EFFECTS.

"Bilbur© 20

ly placed in the uterus, where the substance damages the uterine lining and the linings and openings of the fallopian tubes. The uterine lining, according to a

Reagan Seeks Women Targets

The Reagan Administration is looking for an urban error prone profile to reduce errors in connection with eligibility determinations and redeterminations in income maintenance programs.

Translation: All applicants for welfare will be compared to a composite description of cheaters. Anyone whose age, race and living situation is similar will be closely investigated.

The Social Security Administration announced it will issue a renewable grant of up to $130,000 to provide The Profile. The project will focus on urban programs providing aid to families with dependent children (AFDC).

In Boston, before any grant was issued, Governor Edward King ordered a computer check of welfare recipients' bank accounts. Some 547,385 names and social security numbers were run through the

report by The New York Times, shows no long-term Motherhood in China

effects, but the linings of the tubes do remain closed.

Perhaps of even more interest to test subjects or possible future patients is the fact that quinicrine can affect the chromosomes "in a way that is not yet understood," says The Times.

The Executive Director of Family Health International, a Raleigh, North Carolina organization that studies birth contral, admits that "There are still problems [with chemical sterilization] which medical science must address". Also running tests on the substance is the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The tests, to begin in six months, will be conducted on prospective hysterectomy patients.

(HerSay)-Incidents of women committing suicide after giving birth to girls are increasing in the People's Republic of China. Reuters News Service reports that two women in the northeastern city of Shenyang recently killed themselves after their husbands tormented them for giving birth to daughters. A women's federation in Shenyang reports that 20 such deaths have taken place this year in that city alone. The traditional desire to have a son has reportedly increased in China since the government stepped up attempts to limit each couple to one child only.

Sonia Johnson and NOW

By Linda Jane

At its national convention which began on October 8, the National Organization for Women elected former Vice President-Executive Judy Goldsmith as its new President. Goldsmith, backed by retiring President Eleanor Smeal, was one of three major contenders for the position. The other two were Jane Wells-Schooley, NOW Vice President-Action, and Sonia Johnson.

What is particularly noteworthy about the election is not who won, but that Johnson was defeated. Except for Johnson, all five contenders for the office had risen from NOW's ranks, a primary reason cited for Johnson's lack of support. Even the Plain Dealer, however, saw the underlying question as whether NOW would remain with the established leadership or shift to a more activist stance.

, Johnson gained national recognition when she was excommunicated from the Mormon Church in 1979 over her pro-ERA activities and again when she was part of the "Fast for ERA" in Illinois. Kay Frano, President of Cleveland NOW, whose delegates were staunch Johnson supporters, describes Sonia as "a ⚫leader in deed as well as in word. Whenever there is an action, she's the first one in there doing it".

Speaking in Cleveland on September 19, Johnson displayed her militancy in word as well: The littlepublicized event, sponsored by Cleveland NOW and WomenSpace, was part of her stop in Cleveland that included appearances on The Morning Exchange and Channel 5 News with Dorothy Fuldheim. Exhausted from numerous speaking engagements (her principal means. of supporting herself and her four children, along with the sales of her book From Housewife to Heretic), Johnson nevertheless inspired the audience with her almost evangelical style. She described her

Page 6/What She Wants/October-November 1982

conversion to feminism as an "epiphany," complete with prayers to the mother of god. When she speaks of equal rights for women, she speaks of revolution. Not mincing words, Johnson proclaimed, "Patriarchy must go or the world will blow up". It is not that women are superior, she asserts, but that women are the only group in history who haven't been heard.

It is not surprising that NOW is not ready for Johnson's leadership. Currently 200,000 members strong and growing, NOW does not have a reputation for militancy. As Kay Frano admits, it is made up primarily of middle-class white women with far more paper members than active members. Recent coverage in the mainstream press, however, indicates that the organization is becoming a political force to contend with.

In her Cleveland speech, Johnson stated that NOW's white middle-class image should be one of the organization's primary concerns. NOW must insure that women of color be in top leadership positions. At the same time, NOW should address problems relevant to poor and black women. Moreover, she stressed, white women need to educate themselves about women of color. "We need them," she said, "*more than they need us to get us out of our middle-class thinking....Suffrage didn't do all that well either. We are all unconsciously racist. I can smell sexism a mile away, just as black women can probably smell racism."

One of Johnson's most unique qualities is her ability to appeal to a broad spectrum of women-from those who are just beginning. to stretch their feminist wings to the more hard-core political activists. Her defeat as NOW's president will not decrease her activism, but it is unfortunate that the largest organized arm of the women's movement will be deprived of her leadership.

computers of 23 of the state's largest banks. Excess savings were found in the accounts of 613 persons (0.1 percent).

Individuals receiving welfare are allowed savings of $250; food stamp households cannot, have more than $3,000, which is also the maximum limit for couples receiving Medicaid. About two-thirds of the persons caught with savings in Massachusetts (392) had less than $5,000 in the bank. Fifty had over $20,000.

Of the 613 persons, the typical AFDC case was a woman of 33 with 2 children who had been on the welfare roll about 31⁄2 years and had $13,400 in the bank. The typical food stamp recipient caught with savings was 60 years old and had assets of $15,000.

Reagan is looking for a target profile. He can't see that the enemy is not poor women, but the reasons women can't support themselves and their children in this society. These descriptions could fit us all.

-Reprinted from Off Our Backs, Oct. 1982 Info from Federal Register & Washington Post

No Room at the VA

(HerSay)-Women veterans come last in line when it comes to getting medical treatment at Veterans Administration hospitals, according to a newly released report from the government's watchdog agency, the General Accounting Office. That GAO study found that although women have been soldiers for much of this century, women veterans are still not being informed of their right to medical benefits as veterans. Others who seek care from the VA are reportedly being turned away because of lack of gynecological facilities at some VA hospitals. The report also found that in some instances, women patients had to compete with critically ill patients for private rooms, because hospital wards had no showers and toilets for women.

The VA claims it is trying to correct this situation, and will attempt to identify treatment programs that turn away women, and conduct outreach to let women vets know of their rights. However, a 'VA spokesperson said that the Administration will not survey women veterans to find out what they know about VA services, and will not set up procedures to notify the women of changes in the benefits available. VA Public Information Officer John Hickman claims that all veterans have access to this information already, adding, "You can't put a gun to people's heads to make them listen".

No date has been set for the implementation of any of the GAO's recommendations for improving VA services for women vets. The problem, however, is not likely to go way. The GAO estimates that by 1984, a full 12 percent of American soldiers will be female. That's up from a mere 2 percent in the years before 1975.

Birth Project Debuts

(HerSay)-The Birth Project is alive and kicking in northern California. Conceived by artist Judy Chicago, the project was begun in 1980. Chicago enlisted the aid of needleworkers all over the United States to create images of women giving birth after she learned that no major artworks depict this experience. Eighty of these images-featuring quilting, embroidery,, applique, petit-point crocheting, and needlepoint by American women-have now gone on display in Mill Valley, California. National exhibitions are planned for next spring, according to Birth Project Coordinator Susan Lynn,