!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! ! ! ! Catt's Claws ... A Feminist Newsletter #50 ... June 6, 1995 ! ! ! !.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! Ten free cellular phones, programmed to dial only one number -- 911 -- and which automatically gives police information on both the woman dialing and the man who has been threatening her, are being distributed in Des Moines, Iowa. All ten of the women have been threatened or been victims of violent men. However, the women can only keep the phone for up to three weeks or until the man threatening her has been arrested or is considered no longer a threat. The police department says they get up to five new cases of stalking and threats a day. Might be an idea in your city .... ....................... * ........................ From: IN%"sharon@indy.remss.com" "Sharon Tremble": The entire issue of AIDS testing of moms and babies is controversial and has somehow, IMHO, led to inaccurate reporting and lots of confusion. My understanding..... Up until about two weeks ago, every baby born in 45 states was tested for HIV. The results were withheld from the mother and the doctor -- the tests were being used to track AIDS prevalence among young women by the CDC and NIH. 3/4 of the babies born with HIV antibodies are in fact NOT infected with the HIV virus -- they are merely showing a reaction to the mother's infection. But 1/4 of the babies testing positive will develop AIDS. This testing became an issue in New York, where a courageous feminist legislator introduced a bill to require that the test results be provided to the mother. This would allow the mother to have the baby re-tested in a month, to determine whether the baby was really HIV positive, and give the baby the necessary care if he/she was really HIV+. Uproar!!! NOW and ACLU, among others, objected to giving this info to the mother, saying that mothers would be so frightened and stigmatized that they would drop out of sight and NO care would be given to the baby (a really high opinion NOW has of women, eh?). But many things I've read and heard completely misrepresent this battle. The battle is *not* whether or not babies should be tested -- they are being tested -- the battle is whether the mother should be given the test results. And now the controversy is essentially moot. NIH announced they were suspending the HIV testing of newborns. No more secret HIV testing. They are recommending that each pregnant woman be tested for HIV, but it is not a requirement (How could it be?) ....................... * ........................ Pregnant women are continuing to be treated like retarded children in Pennsylvania and other states (Mississippi comes to mind) whose legislators require 24-hour-wait and notification before abortion - as if women suddenly or on the spur of the moment decide on abortion - (I guess they think women act like men regarding family matters). And this also reminds me of the noted bumper sticker: "If You Can't Trust Me With Choice, How Can You Trust Me With A Baby?" Under the Pennsylvania law, a physician must provide a woman face-to-face or by phone (taped instructions are not allowed) instructions that contains the following, at least 24 hours before an abortion: --The name of the physician who will perform the abortion. --The possibility of unforeseen, detrimental physical and psychological effects. --The risks associated with abortion. --The probable age of the fetus. --The risks associated with carrying the child to term. --The availability of medical assistance benefits for prenatal care, childbirth and neonatal care. --The liability of the father for child support. --The availability of printed materials on groups that assist pregnant women. CC-->>But what they are not required to do is tell the women who are talked into bearing the baby to term how much money that baby will be sold for ... yes, SOLD when that baby is handed over to one of the anti-abortion groups. "Rumors" persist that the fee to the adopting parents runs $35,000 up - higher than $100,000 for a blue-eyed, blond boy ... and no questions asked of the adoptive parents' qualifications to raise a child. It is rumored that such sales are what actually finance Operation Rescue. When are we going to see statistics of the percentage of abuse of children adopted through the auspices of Operation Rescue, etc? <--cc. ....................... * ........................ _Time to Stop Pretending_ By Stephanie Rodriguez, Paul Eriksson, publishers (1994) tells a mother's story of domestic violence, homelessness, poverty, and escape. I'm told by those who have read it that it's moving and powerful. It's also available in (dos only) Disk-Book version. ....................... * ........................ From: IN%"MORRISON.L@calc.vet.uga.edu" "Lois Morrison" "Saw this on a discussion list. It's been forwarded a couple of times: The Rev. Jerry Falwell, the televangelist who led the Moral Majority in the 1980s, is asking every member of Congress to sign a "Moral Contract with America " pledging support for welfare reform, the ending of abortion, "God-centered education," and increased ties to the state of Israel. It is a call that many contract-weary Republicans would just as soon not receive. In a letter sent last month to every House member and senator, Falwell announced his intentions to run his contract in national newspapers, LISTING THE NAMES OF MEMBERS WHO HAVE SIGNED. He also sent copies of the document to supporters across the country, asking them to sign it and telling them of his plan to garner congressional signatures. "We will find out once and for all who is for us -- and for a strong America -- and who is against us," he said. The contract contains seven "principles." These range from "The Traditional Family," vouching that a family is made up of one man and one woman and not "gay, lesbian or any other strange combination," to "The Work Ethic," which calls for welfare reform. -- From Congressional Quarterly's Congressional Monitor. Copyright 1995, Congressional Quarterly Inc. cc-->> Big Bird didn't think it could happen in the U. S. of A either. How much stranger can a marriage combination be than to be a woman married to a religious bigots who hates women and think they should be subservient and die bearing the man's babies? <--cc. "If there is time to expose through discussion the falsehood and the fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence." -- Supreme Court Judge Louis Brandeis, 1927 ....................... * ........................ Oh, NO! Slowly there has been the introduction into Women's groups and discussions the principle that women should not criticize women, no matter what they say, because the guys criticize enough for both ... Sounds great on the surface, BUT and it's a BIG BUT, who will benefit? Women like Schlafly, Sommers, Paglia, Whitman ... We must continue to speak out against hypocrisy and those who attack the human rights of women. A lot of people have said the following in other words, but I like the simple way Ella Wheeler Wilcox said it: "To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards out of men." Remember, when we refuse to answer the lies, the lies become fact. That's what happened with Hitler and the Nazis taking over Germany. Many of the anti-woman women are PAID by men to act as Judas goats. (Sommers is backed by the religious right and ultra conservative groups and Paglia is just a plain opportunist who couldn't make a living any other way.) ....................... * ........................ From Tori of the Choice Mail net: One female Ohio State legislator opposed to the bill that would ban late abortions told her own story of having faced a pregnancy in which the fetus was a "viable vegetable." She had a miscarriage, however, and was spared being forced to bear the pregnancy to term. She then requested to be excused from the House vote, on the grounds that she (1) is not a doctor and, therefore, does not know enough about the procedure or medical considerations, and (2) she is post-menopausal and, therefore, cannot bear children. The House accepted her request and excused her from the vote. Next, a male representative also opposed to the bill requested to be excused from the vote on the grounds that he is (1) not a doctor and, therefore, does not know enough about the procedure or medical considerations, and (2) he is male and therefore cannot bear children. The House denied his request and refused to excuse him from the full vote. ....................... * ........................ When Rebecca Elizabeth Marier tossed her white cap into the air at the West Point graduation last week, she did it as the first woman at the top of the class in the U.S. Military Academy's 193-year history. To make it to the top, Marier led the 987 other graduates in the rankings in academic, military, and physical programs. Marier, 21, of New Orleans had insisted on going to West Point and will now enter Harvard Medical School, only the second West Point graduate to do so. Women have been attending West Point since 1976. CC-->> Now we know why men opposed women attending West Point. Given a level playing field, women are just as good - sometimes better and sometimes worse than men. Isn't it a pity so many men are so afraid of that fact? <--cc ....................... * ........................ To find the League of Women Voters newsletter, contact Barbara Wardenburg, , one of the three editors. ....................... * ........................ Be a true feminist and pass this information along to those who are new and facing the daunting candy box of InterNet: NEWBIE NEWZ - Internet training list for New Users comes from the listowner of: For general information about the list send an e-mail: TO: (No Message necessary) Subscribe to NewbieNewz by sending an e-mail command: To: Message: subscribe NewbieNewz CC-->> Goddess, do I wish they had this service when I first connected with InterNet and had a nervous breakdown. <--cc ....................... * ........................ California State University, San Marcos, is planning a large community event August 19 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of federal guarantee of women's right to vote. It is sponsored by the women's studies department. There will be lectures, skits, videos, etc., and women's groups such as the League of Women Voters, Girl Scouts, North County Latina Association, etc. are invited to propose an activity for the day. ....................... * ........................ Women's rights are young and tender and we must protect them from the plagues of holy hypocrisy and newts. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >>> Send your ideas, comments, and news to irenestuber@delphi.com for inclusion in the Catt's Claws feminist newsletter which will be emailed three times a week: Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. This is NOT an interactive discussion net but an exchange of information and is NOT sponsored by any organization. We are accepting *limited* donations (only what can be spared) to help offset the online costs of posting Catt's Claws. Irene Stuber. PO Box 6185, Hot Springs, AR 71902.<<<<