performed yearly in this state, and Oregon State Health Division statistics that one of every five Oregon teenagers is likely to have V.D. by g radua tion—as indications that Planned Parenthood is wasting tax money and not doing its job. But deeper than this, it implies the real reason many pro-lifers oppose Planned Parenthood: they regard it as a symbol of sexual freedom, the core of decadence, of which abortion is just an offshoot. Illegitimacy, abortion, V.D. and sex education in the schools are all symptoms of the sin of sexual freedom. By lumping them together, and condemning all, pro-lifers use an extremely powerful tactic: they tap the vast store of sexual guilt which lies beneath our society’s veneer of sexual liberalism. This is the idea Willis puts forth in a recent Voice article: “ Patriarchal culture, with its deeply antisexual ideology, has existed for some 5,000 years; the radical idea that people have a right to sexual freedom and happiness has been a significant social force for maybe a century; in this country, the changes we think of as the “ sexual revolution” have all taken place within the past two decades. . . . It is hardly surprising that even among sophisticated liberals, people’s emotions do not necessarily coincide with their enlightened ideas. And sophisticated liberals who nonetheless believe on some level that the desire for sex without consequences (i.e., children) is self-indulgent, and that the ability to control one’s passion is a test of character, are likely to be apologetic about their support for abortion rights.” Willis has identified one of the pro- choice movement’s biggest problems, that a lot of people who intellectually abhor everything the anti-abortionists stand for are emotionally intimidated by their argument. Whether a fetus is a person with the same rights as those born is a moral question which has been argued by theologians for centuries, and no consensus has ever been reached. Yet, by condemning abortion as murder, pro-lifers are taking one possible interpretation— their own—and refusing to allow others the freedom of their own conscientious decision, while claiming to uphold the highest standards of respect for human life. Another tactic used by pro-life groups is the harassment of young women as they are entering abortion clinics. Right to Life no longer does what they term “ street counseling,” claims Harrington, since once they “ raised the consciousness of people in the state, other groups came in and look over.” In fact. Right to Life supports and condones these activities. The March issue of Life Light has an article urging people to join Lovejoy pickets. The most visible of the “ other” groups is Shield of Roses, a handful of Catholics which faith- fully pickets Lovejoy Surgical Hospital and Specialty Clinic every Saturday morning. Usually the demonstration is fairly low key—some hold signs like, “ Do not turn a lively womb quickly into an empty tomb,” some pass out anti-abortion literature, and the majority stand with their rosaries, praying for the women within. They have been known to grab women— and Lovejoy staff—but this is not common. They do not seem particularly malevolent, and talking to them in a different setting one could see them merely as concerned citizens who have been given a bad image by the press. “ They call us psychological terrorists,” complained one Shield of Roses member. They may be concerned citizens, but their concern has been twisted and deformed by religious fervor. It is unlikely they clearly perceive what they are doing, both to the “ respectability” of the pro-life movement and especially to the women they are so earnestly trying to save. Here are some statements made by various members of the group. About the pro-choice demonstrators who stand on the porch at Lovejoy to offer support to the women going in: “ It’s an abortion club—in order to belong, you have to kill your own baby first.” “ We’re pro-choice, too—a woman makes the choice to get into bed in the first place. After that, she has to take the consequences. Fornication before marriage is a sin.” They are worried about the “ abortion mentality,” which could lead to mothers using a “ death pill” and deciding which children to kill. “ If you can make a law to kill someone, you can make it to kill anyone,” said one member. Another thought that the trouble lies with our educational system. “ Chastity, human decency, self-control are omitted from their education. Children are not taught that the sexual function has a purpose, which is to generate new life. They are learning the pleasure without the function. The satanist book is required reading in some schools, and they teach courses in witchcraft in colleges.” Equally as heated as their rhetoric is their attempt to “ educate” the women women who walk into Lovejoy to the realities of abortion. “ They don’t grab women by the arm and tell them they’re murdering their babies so much anymore,” says Tim Schuck, d ire c to r of Lovejoy Surgical Hospital, “ but they still say to women, ‘Can we talk to you; you still have time to change your mind.’ For a woman who has already made a difficult decision to have an abortion, that’s just as abusive.” When asked if Shield of Roses considered their activities harassment, one member said, “ If they feel harassed, then their conscience must be bothering them. They wouldn’t get shook up if they didn’t know they were doing something wrong.” The pickets’ literature is also a study in thunderous dissociation. One piece suggested the legalization of rape as an answer to those who thought abortion should be allowed in cases of rape. Another used the metaphor of an ambushed soldier as an allegory for abortion: “ He was torn asunder from his bunker, and placed piecemeal in a receptacle for disposal. It was his mother who betrayed him. She led the present-day Gestapo right to the opening of his hiding place. “ Who would ever think it could happen in America? The explosion of a bomb, the roar of a gun, or even the whimper of a baby’s cry never reaches my ears during this war. Instead, 1 hear the slicing of the knife as it cuts through flesh, the gurgling of the suction machine and the murmur of the technicians doing their bloody job. This is World War II, the abortion war.” After two such pages, the pamphlet purports to describe the movie, The Road to Decadence, directed by our Supreme Court, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, S1ECUS, Rockefeller, Fr. Drinan, Sen. Packwood, Bill Baird, Sarah W eddington , Steinem , Abzug, Friedan, Kirkendahl, Calderone, Klass, Schuck, etc. . . . Beware of the cunning ones who always like to cry wolf. It can very well be a smoke screen to hide their real intentions. They use our freedoms to take away our freedom. Isn’t that the cunning of Lucifer?” There is another pro-life group which actually performs services to the community. Birthright was organized in 1971 as an alternative to abortion for those women who choose to carry their pregnancies to term. It is a non-profit, volunteer- staffed and donation-supported counseling and support agency which is particularly helpful for unwed mothers. Located in a slightly modified house on NE Halsey, Birthright has comfortably large reception and counseling rooms, racks of baby clothes and supplies upstairs, and baby furniture in the basement. These things are loaned free to women who need them, along with free pregnancy tests, medical care, and counseling. According to Pat Hicks, assistant director of volunteers, the biggest 'problem most of these women have is financial. “ We have many resources to refer these women to: adoption counseling, agencies for school, jobs and financial help in any way we can. We also have a support group. But most important, we just try to let these women know that here they will have a friend who will help and not judge them.” Birthright is completely nonpolitical and non-sectarian, although they sometimes receive special donations from various churches. Abortion is not suggested as an alternative for pregnant women who use their services. “We are a pro-life agency, so we would not counsel for abortions,” Hicks explains. Birthright exists as a resource for women who choose not to have abortions. Many pregnancy counseling services such as Planned Parenthood, Lovejoy, and the Women’s Health Clinic refer women who are sure they don’t want abortions. But for women who are unsure, Birthright could not claim to be an objective counseling service. A look at their literature reveals their anti-abortion bias. There are some pamphlets on the dangers of abortion and others chronicling the various stages of fetal development (they use “ children of the womb” and other such euphemisms). There are personal histories of women who have undergone abortions and suffered physical and psychological problems ever after. One pamphlet describes the different abortion procedures in graphic detail. “ Suction Curretage. A powerful vacuum tube with a sharp-edged tip is inserted into the womb and the baby inside is sucked out in shreds.” Interestingly, this, the most common by far of abortion procedures, is given little coverage. Instead, the literature concentrates on the saline infusion methods and hysterotomy, both of which are rarely used, last-minute measures taken in the final stages of pregnancy. Throughout the pamphlet are tidbits of information designed to provoke emotional response to the horror of abortion. For a confused, uncertain woman faced with an unwanted pregnancy, such a brochure could be unnerving and debilitating, certainly not a proper state of mind for a woman to make a rational decision in her best interests. If this isn’t enough, there are photographs of babies in garbage sacks and bloody masses of tissue with discernible arms and legs. The pro-life movement appears to be composed of a wide range of activities and purposes, but every group shares a basic tenet and a common goal: abortion is murder, and all abortion—except that performed to save a mother’s life—should be outlawed. The most outspoken of the anti-abortionists also share a style, zealous and sensational, that gives them a high degree of visibility. Pro- choice forces, concerned about a volatile, nationally coordinated campaign for what is really a minority position, are organizing to make their views a factor in the elective and legislative process. For example, the Oregon National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) has put together Impact ’80, one of whose activities is a political skills workshop to show people how they can contribute to the campaigns of pro-choice candidates. In this way, they hope to show that their views are politically viable, not to be drowned out by the fanaticism of an anti-abortion minority. THE Greek Olives Sandwiches ^Mediterranean an unusual place featuring Greek Wines Souvaki Imported Beers Half-pound Hamburgers Pool Foosball Backgammon Open for Lunch at 11:00 am Happy Hour 4 pm to 7 pm 1650 W . Burnside 222-1507 8
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