The president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, Ellie Smeal spoke to an audience of about 70 at Amherst College last night to promote the March for Choice on April 25, 2004.
Planned Parenthood, NOW, NARAL and the Feminist Majority are organizing this march on Washington to demonstrate support for birth control and legal abortion. Smeal emphasized that young people have to realize the government can take away the right to legal abortion. She encouraged young people to register to vote.
“We must show the government we are organized and registered to vote. If more young people voted, the government would debate the need for prescription drugs, not family planning,” said Smeal. She localized the decline of family planning programs through budget cuts in Western Massachusetts. The state legislature has cut women’s health services by 65 percent, and since July, four family planning clinics have closed in Mass.
Although she spoke of the effects on Western Mass. she emphasized how much worse the situation is abroad. Smeal told the audience to have a global perspective when thinking about feminism.
“We talk about our problems as if we are in a vacuum, and what we decide here can impact other poor countries. It is much easier to see the negative implications of our policies abroad,” Smeal said. She described the totalitarian regime of the Taliban in Afghanistan and said that in recent months, the Taliban has burned 30 girl’s schools.
“I think terrorist groups are particularly awful to women because the feminist movement has become a symbol of the west,” said Smeal. She then described women who are also exploited in Mexico.
“These women work at predominately American companies for 40 cents an hour. Recently, between 800-1,000 of these women were killed on their way home from work. Smeal expressed her outrage that the U.S. government refused to build roads for these women. However, the companies are American and the results of the labor are for Americans.
“I believe the exploitation of these foreign women are directly linked to our reproduction policies. The policies of the West are keeping the cheap labor pools going,” said Smeal. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that people who vote to exploit women also vote to withhold birth control. I think it is primarily an economic issue.”
“Smeal blames the conservative right for the elimination of family planning programs and domestic violence programs. She emphasized the lack of concern the Republicans have for these family planning issues. This is the reason the March for Choice will occur.
“I believe as long as the right organizes in this country to eliminate social programs we are killing women abroad,” said Smeal. “I want whoever wins the election in November to know women and men won’t take this anymore.”
This campaign is nothing new to Smeal, who led the drive to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which was the largest grassroots campaign in the women’s movement. She has also worked for passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Civil Rights Restoration Act and Violence Against Women Act.
Smeal was a former president of NOW and has led the Feminist Majority Foundation since 1996 and say these issues will end when women stand up and say they won’t take it anymore
“We have to stand up and say this is our future,” said Smeal. “So get on the buses, come to Washington, and help build this movement from the ground up.”
On the Net: www.MarchForChoice.org, or e-mail [email protected].
