Abortion issue hits close to home

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Schlafly and the contras:

By WEINSTEIN It was the year 1945-28 years before the historic U.S. Supreme Court Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion-that I knew I would need an abortion. My daughter was eight months old. My husband and I lived with my mother because we could not af -ford an apartment of our own, and I was three months pregnant.

Through word of mouth, check -ing with family and friends, we finally located an abortionist. He worked in a pharmacy. I was four months pregnant before we could scrape up the $300 for the The abortionist arranged to pick me up in his car and drive me to Staten Island, N.Y., for the operation. Fearing a possible mishap that could lead to criminal prosecution, he refused to allow my husband to go with me. It was winter, but I was more cold from fear than from the miserable weather.

We went to an apartment that was empty-except for a kitchen table-where the abortion was performed. I was sworn to silence throughout the operation. I was told not to scream or even moan. When it was finally over, he drove me to a movie theater, where I met my husband who then took me home.

Hours later I hemorrhaged and was taken to Coney Island Hos -pital, where the job was finished. At the hospital the doctors accepted my unlikely story of a miscarriage. Had they not done so, they would have had to call the police and refuse treatment until I name revealed tionist.

My second illegal abortion took place when my second child was five years old. This time it was performed in a doctor's office. I was told to be ready to get up off the table at any time if there was a knock on the door. Once again, after I got home, I began to hemorrhage. Again I was taken to the emergency ward of Coney Island Hospital, where I was given two transfusions.

My first abortion came about because I knew nothing about birth control. The second, because my birth control failed. With both abortions I was in mortal fear for my life. I did not want to leave my little babies to be raised by someone else. But the fear of having another child with an income already barely sufficient for our small family drove me to risk death.

Millions of women have made that bitter choice, and many have died from botched illegal abor -tions. In 1968 the President's Crime Commission reported that "one million illegal abortions Name Address City Telephone Editor: ALAN BENJAMIN Assistant Editor: MICHAEL SCHREIBER Staff: Amanda Chapman, Paul Colvin, May Ma Gonzalez, Gus Gregory, Mark Harris, David Kirsc Carole Seligman, Kwame M.A. Somburu, Sylvia Business Manager: DON MAHONEY Circulation Manager: RALPH FORSYTH paid at San Francisco, Calif.

Army St., No. 308, San Francisco, CA 94110.

countries.

Signed articles by contributors views of Socialist Action. These were performed annually." The Crime Commission further stated that "350,000 women per year suffer complications and 5000 die.

Illegal abortion is the leading cause of maternal deaths in the United States."

The incidence of abortion deaths was actually higher. Many of the deaths from abortion were hidden by misleading death certifi -cates-to prevent embarrassment for the grieving families.

Is all that misery over? No!

Despite the Jan. 22, 1973, Roe vs.

Wade decision that made abortion legal, right-wing forces are trying to bring back the back-alley death traps.

By Gong, Mi hner, Joe Ry Weinstein. do not necessarily represent the are expressed in editorials.

We have an opportunity in 1986 to reassert our right to control our own destiny. The National Organ -ization for Women has called for "Marches For Women's Lives" in Washington, D.C., on March 9 and in Los Angeles on March 16 These actions can contribute to saving the lives of millions of women who will be maimed or killed if we allow the right-wing big mouths to take away our right to legal abortions.

Get in touch with your local chapter of NOW and join the effort to build these marches. If you don't have a chapter near you, then start one. Mobilize as if your life depended on it...because it does! •