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Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971

1970-07-10 "Ain't I a Woman?" Page 4

Witching the A.M.A.

About six weeks before the AMA was to meet in Chicago, for its annual convention, the Medical Committee for Human Rights (a liberal-to-left organization of medical people and others) began planning a counter-convention, designed to coincide with the AMA convention and to deal with specific ways in which the AMA is bypassing people's real health needs.

The MCHR invited several other Chicago organizations to help them plan the counter-convention -- the Chicago Peace Council (does the biggie rallies), Student Health Organization (younger and more radical than MCHR), Welfare Rights Organization, and others. These groups planned a "three prong attack" on medical institutions, focusing on racism, militarism, and profiteering.

A couple of women from the Chicago Women's Liberation Union heard of the plans and attended the second organizational meeting. "Oh, of course, certainly! The oppression of women, we almost forgot, heh, heh. We now have a four-prong attack...."  Even after this, there were a few attempts to submerge the women's issue in favor of "the major concern" --- racism. We talked about the necessity of treating the issues together, and were able to convince people that the women's issue should be included not as a part of the broader issue of discrimination but as an issue in its own right, however much it may be connected to the others.

During all of our work with the coalition, Women's Liberation people were consistently more together, more energetic, and surer of our politics than any of the other groups. Over and over again, this surprised us and encouraged us.

The estimates for attendance at the counter-convention ranged from 200 to 600, mostly medical people and many students and health workers. We were given a quarter of the time (we weren't in on the actual planning at this stage) and as it turned out it was the best quarter: from one to three on Saturday afternoon. We decided to write a play rather than give speeches, and then to follow with workshops. Our play idea quickly became a bunch of skits, which are easier to write, easier to rehearse, and easier to make clear points with. The writing was done by a group of about seven, with two of us pulling it together for continuity.

We ended up with nine skits strung loosely together and interspersed with three songs (by a small rock band), very sober walk-ons giving grim statistics, and three witches who would come in at the end of each skit something like a Greek chorus and give a curse or warning. These lines were powerfully delivered and were a good contrast to the women characters in the skits who were usually getting fucked over. After the skit where a woman tries to get her doctor to cooperate in natural childbirth, the witches cackle:

When doctors claim to know what's best, 
Make demands----not requests!

After the physical education teacher gives a vague and moralistic sex and hygiene lecture, the witches say:

Get in shape! Learn Karate!
That's the best thing for your body!

And after a parody on the male-dominated hierarchy in the medical world, the witches say:

Women join to crush the system!
Know your enemy and resist him!
Power to the Sisters!

During the planning meeting with the coalition, we never felt quite "in" or fully included. The feeling was sort of like: the women can do their thing from one to three. All the informal leadership positions were held by men. We had no help getting things printed or distributed, and our part in the counter-convention was frequently omitted on posters and in TV talks.

We went ahead and worked it up. When we finally put it on, it was maddening to realize they were surprised that it was really good. Women cheered and men told us how "clever and attractive" it was. Right after it was over, before we went into workshops, one of the big shots from MCHR came back stage and told us in the most patronizing way that we were great and that we "should definitely" bust into the AMA house of Delegates the next day and put it on for them. It was clear that the MCHR people wanted us to be cute and diversionary in order to disrupt the meeting for them (then they could have a press conference and we would probably get busted.).

A few women were confused by what appeared to be approval of our ideas and praise of our talents, but eventually saw that it was just the same old story: even the men who seem to be on our side will first dump on us and then use us to their own advantage when it seems efficient. We have to be very careful (but not paranoid) and consistent (but not rigid).

MCHR had had a lot of correspondence with the AMA before the convention, asking them if we might be allowed to address the House of Delegates, knowing that we would be refused, but making an overture through the proper channels anyway. Of course they refused, saying our material was not "scientific" or "germane", but they said they were setting up a People's Forum which would meet at the same time as the House of Delegates and would probably draw many doctors who would be interested in various points of view from the community.

We were not visible in an official way at this Forum, which may have been a mistake, because there were several abortion and anti-abortion speakers who had things worked out thoroughly. A group of sisters did a witch action (witch doctors performing last rites over the expired Dr. AMA); the rest of us milled through the audience and out in the halls of the Palmer House Hotel handing out leaflets and rapping with people. At one point a particularly arrogant, obese meatball representing the Society for the Protection of the Unborn started giving an anti-abortion talk ("then the doctor pulls out a tiny arm, perhaps still wriggling, torn loose at the elbow") which tried to equate (Dig This!) Women's Liberationists with the Marquis de Sade. From where we were scattered in the audience, we couldn't get him off the stage, so about ten of us finally stalked up to him, surrounded him at the microphone, and just stood there, with our arms folded across our chests, looking and feeling very menacing. Someone started pushing him, and a sister took the mike, and with loud support from most of the audience, gave our position, stressing the idea of voluntary maternity as a basic right.

We didn't know which of us would speak; we all were furious, we all wanted to speak, and yet none of us wanted to; we know now that we all need to work on speaking, on being clear, on being militant. We realized this further when we tried to talk with openly hostile people in the halls. People--many women--were shouting at us: "Who supports YOU? Where did YOU go the last time you needed a doctor? My husband works 16 hours a day to help people and all you're doing is walking around causing trouble and trying to destroy everything we've worked for...etc." These confrontations were unpleasant and very exhausting, an we left feeling the need for more practice (via role playing?) dealing with basic political and life-style challenges.
t.s. for Chicago Women's Liberation Union

   On July 1, an amendment to the Iowa civil rights law took effect, banning discrimination against women in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Among other things, this means that it is illegal to keep any sister out of any job for which she is qualified in preference to a man; that it is illegal to refuse to rent a place to any woman or group of women, just because the owner doesn’t want women living there.
   Alvin Hayes, the director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, says that the state will enforce the new law. Time will tell if that is so. Meanwhile, address any complaints about discrimination to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, State Capitol Bldg., Des Moines. Complaints must be filed within 90 days of the violation.

MORE BAND-AIDS
New York's liberalized abortion law (no residency requirement, both patient and doctor agreeing to it, and the abortion must be performed before the 24th week of pregnancy) went into effect on July 1. The Village Voice (6/25) reports that there still is confusion about 1) how long the wait will be, and thus 2) how many women will have to pay, not the $100-$150 for a city abortion, but $500 and up to a private abortion hospital because the city facilities are overcrowded.

Abortions may be performed in clinics, according to the Daily Iowan (7/1), but the City's Board of Health says that clinics must be affiliated with hospitals no more than 10 minutes away, and that non-affiliated clinics must have certain elaborate facilities.

Planned Parenthood of New York City has announced it will handle referrals, including those from out-of-state. Their number is 777-4504. Abortion Counseling information & Referral Services (NYC) 212-873-665o ran an ad in the Village Voice offering to give "information about safe, legal hospital and clinic abortions".

4    Vol. 1 No. 2 Ain't I

Saving...

Witching the A.M.A. About six weeks before the AMA was to meet in Chicago, for its annual convention, the Medical Committee for Human Rights (a liberal-to-left organization of medical people and others) began planning a counter-convention, designed to coincide with the AMA convention and to deal with specific ways in which the AMA is bypassing people's real health needs. The MCHR invited several other Chicago organizations to help them plan the counter-convention -- the Chicago Peace Council (does the biggie rallies), Student Health Organization (younger and more radical than MCHR), Welfare Rights Organization, and others. These groups planned a "three prong attack" on medical institutions, focusing on racism, militarism, and profiteering. A couple of women from the Chicago Women's Liberation Union heard of the plans and attended the second organizational meeting. "Oh, of course, certainly! The oppression of women, we almost forgot, heh, heh. We now have a four-prong attack...." Even after this, there were a few attempts to submerge the women's issue in favor of "the major concern" --- racism. We talked about the necessity of treating the issues together, and were able to convince people that the women's issue should be included not as a part of the broader issue of discrimination but as an issue in its own right, however much it may be connected to the others. During all of our work with the coalition, Women's Liberation people were consistently more together, more energetic, and surer of our politics than any of the other groups. Over and over again, this surprised us and encouraged us. The estimates for attendance at the counter-convention ranged from 200 to 600, mostly medical people and many students and health workers. We were given a quarter of the time (we weren't in on the actual planning at this stage) and as it turned out it was the best quarter: from one to three on Saturday afternoon. We decided to write a play rather than give speeches, and then to follow with workshops. Our play idea quickly became a bunch of skits, which are easier to write, easier to rehearse, and easier to make clear points with. The writing was done by a group of about seven, with two of us pulling it together for continuity. We ended up with nine skits strung loosely together and interspersed with three songs (by a small rock band), very sober walk-ons giving grim statistics, and three witches who would come in at the end of each skit something like a Greek chorus and give a curse or warning. These lines were powerfully delivered and were a good contrast to the women characters in the skits who were usually getting fucked over. After the skit where a woman tries to get her doctor to cooperate in natural childbirth, the witches cackle: When doctors claim to know what's best, Make demands----not requests! After the physical education teacher gives a vague and moralistic sex and hygiene lecture, the witches say: Get in shape! Learn Karate! That's the best thing for your body! And after a parody on the male-dominated hierarchy in the medical world, the witches say: Women join to crush the system! Know your enemy and resist him! Power to the Sisters! During the planning meeting with the coalition, we never felt quite "in" or fully included. The feeling was sort of like: the women can do their thing from one to three. All the informal leadership positions were held by men. We had no help getting things printed or distributed, and our part in the counter-convention was frequently omitted on posters and in TV talks. We went ahead and worked it up. When we finally put it on, it was maddening to realize they were surprised that it was really good. Women cheered and men told us how "clever and attractive" it was. Right after it was over, before we went into workshops, one of the big shots from MCHR came back stage and told us in the most patronizing way that we were great and that we "should definitely" bust into the AMA house of Delegates the next day and put it on for them. It was clear that the MCHR people wanted us to be cute and diversionary in order to disrupt the meeting for them (then they could have a press conference and we would probably get busted.). A few women were confused by what appeared to be approval of our ideas and praise of our talents, but eventually saw that it was just the same old story: even the men who seem to be on our side will first dump on us and then use us to their own advantage when it seems efficient. We have to be very careful (but not paranoid) and consistent (but not rigid). MCHR had had a lot of correspondence with the AMA before the convention, asking them if we might be allowed to address the House of Delegates, knowing that we would be refused, but making an overture through the proper channels anyway. Of course they refused, saying our material was not "scientific" or "germane", but they said they were setting up a People's Forum which would meet at the same time as the House of Delegates and would probably draw many doctors who would be interested in various points of view from the community. We were not visible in an official way at this Forum, which may have been a mistake, because there were several abortion and anti-abortion speakers who had things worked out thoroughly. A group of sisters did a witch action (witch doctors performing last rites over the expired Dr. AMA); the rest of us milled through the audience and out in the halls of the Palmer House Hotel handing out leaflets and rapping with people. At one point a particularly arrogant, obese meatball representing the Society for the Protection of the Unborn started giving an anti-abortion talk ("then the doctor pulls out a tiny arm, perhaps still wriggling, torn loose at the elbow") which tried to equate (Dig This!) Women's Liberationists with the Marquis de Sade. From where we were scattered in the audience, we couldn't get him off the stage, so about ten of us finally stalked up to him, surrounded him at the microphone, and just stood there, with our arms folded across our chests, looking and feeling very menacing. Someone started pushing him, and a sister took the mike, and with loud support from most of the audience, gave our position, stressing the idea of voluntary maternity as a basic right. We didn't know which of us would speak; we all were furious, we all wanted to speak, and yet none of us wanted to; we know now that we all need to work on speaking, on being clear, on being militant. We realized this further when we tried to talk with openly hostile people in the halls. People--many women--were shouting at us: "Who supports YOU? Where did YOU go the last time you needed a doctor? My husband works 16 hours a day to help people and all you're doing is walking around causing trouble and trying to destroy everything we've worked for...etc." These confrontations were unpleasant and very exhausting, an we left feeling the need for more practice (via role playing?) dealing with basic political and life-style challenges. t.s. for Chicago Women's Liberation Union On July 1, an amendment to the Iowa civil rights law took effect, banning discrimination against women in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Among other things, this means that it is illegal to keep any sister out of any job for which she is qualified in preference to a man; that it is illegal to refuse to rent a place to any woman or group of women, just because the owner doesn’t want women living there. Alvin Hayes, the director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, says that the state will enforce the new law. Time will tell if that is so. Meanwhile, address any complaints about discrimination to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, State Capitol Bldg., Des Moines. Complaints must be filed within 90 days of the violation. MORE BAND-AIDS New York's liberalized abortion law (no residency requirement, both patient and doctor agreeing to it, and the abortion must be performed before the 24th week of pregnancy) went into effect on July 1. The Village Voice (6/25) reports that there still is confusion about 1) how long the wait will be, and thus 2) how many women will have to pay, not the $100-$150 for a city abortion, but $500 and up to a private abortion hospital because the city facilities are overcrowded. Abortions may be performed in clinics, according to the Daily Iowan (7/1), but the City's Board of Health says that clinics must be affiliated with hospitals no more than 10 minutes away, and that non-affiliated clinics must have certain elaborate facilities. Planned Parenthood of New York City has announced it will handle referrals, including those from out-of-state. Their number is 777-4504. Abortion Counseling information & Referral Services (NYC) 212-873-665o ran an ad in the Village Voice offering to give "information about safe, legal hospital and clinic abortions". 4 Vol. 1 No. 2 Ain't I