"THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH"

Get real. If you expect truth on any pro or con
religious\political issue, then you'll fail the reality
test. If the issue is women's reproductive rights, the
spin on both sides can make you dizzy. This probably
is why many women are conflicted on the D&X medical
procedure about to be voted on by a mostly male con-
gress who demonstrated during the hearings that they
did not *HEAR* the women who testified.

We frankly do not know the whole truth either but we do
have some facts, both historical and medical, to
present for you to consider. The media use, and change
of the name of this procedure from `D&X' to `partial
birth', incites controversy but does NOT elucidate. It
suggest that all D&X procedures are done on full term
feti -- this is an incorrect presumption.

`Dilation and extraction' has been around for some
time. Initially, it's purpose was to *SAVE THE LIFE
AND FUTURE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THE WOMAN*. It was a
technique borrowed from veterinarians who used it when
conditions existed that endangered the health or life
of a valued animal. *A female sheep, cow or horse, for
example, has WORTH.*

Women, over the ages, have not been valued. Both reli-
gion and politics, until only a few short years ago,
OPENLY directed doctors that, when they could not save
both woman and fetus, they must sacrifice the woman and
save the fetus. The roots of this practice can be
traced throughout the centuries. Church dogma stated
explicitly that only men (who were made in the image of
man's god) could be priests. Women were excluded
because ***they were the sacrifice.*** What made them
the sacrifice? The monthly flow of blood (which also
made them `unclean vessels' and, of course, such crea-
tures could not serve man's god as priests.

It was logical to save the fetus as it might be a male;
it was logical to sacrifice the woman to save a possi-
ble male and if the birth produced a female child, well
then, it was a replacement for the sacrificed woman.

Now that medical science has advanced to the point
where such choices are usually no longer necessary, one
does not hear of this religious edict in that sense.
It still exists, though, in the form of political/reli-
gious, anti-woman-reproductive-rights cults and the
terrorist groups they spawn.

***We've written this early on in this series but it
bears repeating as so many new subscribers have come on
this list. We support everyone's right to the religion
of their choice and respect their beliefs. We emphati-
cally DO NOT think that those beliefs should be forced
on everyone through the political process. So we write
religious/political to indicate this.***

What about this D&X procedure? For honest explanations
of why and how it is done, ask the doctors in your
local women's clinic or those referred to you by
Planned Parenthood. You will not hear this information
given by the media as health professionals are mostly
prevented from speaking freely and openly. When one
does speak out, she/he will find that they, their
patients and staff are harassed and threatened.

However you come to feel about this procedure, weigh in
the fact that it's done in animals to save the female
because they are considered valuable. Ask yourself
that if you found yourself (or a loved one) in a posi-
tion where your doctor advised you to undergo this
procedure for your health, welfare or life, if you ever
hoped to have a child in the future, would you want to
have this choice? Would you deny this choice to anoth-
er woman?

It is also no secrete that making the D&X procedure
illegal is only a first step to eliminating all birth
control except for the rhythm method. Only the first
step toward bringing women's reproduction back under
the control of political/religious factions.

Choir-boy Reed has resigned from the unChristian coali-
tion to give full time "...to getting anti-abortion
candidates elected in `98". Just in time to cover his
rear end, since a Senate committee is looking at the
improper campaign finance practices of the RNC's unholy
allience with the unChristian coalition.

You can sit on the sidelines or join in the battle by
letting your State And Federal Representatives know
that you will be watching their votes and that you
realize, as do they, how strong a force Gendergappers
are in the political process. Remind them of that
boast of a strong man of yore: "Give me a lever long
enough and a place to stand and I can move the world."
Tell them to look at the gendergap created by self-
defining women in `96, AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE
THE LEVER (vote) AND THAT WE STAND ON THE VERY FIRM
TRUISM THAT WOMEN'S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS.
#