Vancouver Status of Women 2029 W. 4th Avenue v ^ Vancouver, B.C. V6J1N5 1*9 MARCH 8 UNITED BANK WORKERS HUMAN RIGHTS BEWLEY WOMGN IN RURAL CHINA ABORTION WOMEN'S STUDIES FEMINISM as IDGOLOGY For Cover Picture Details, see p.22, col 1. V5- SPECIAt CM.U-CTIOWS K> SUBSCRIBE TO KINESIS! Published by Vancouver Status of Women 2029 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. 7 KIN€SI5 50 c FEBRUARY 78 Vol 7 no 3 .^Vvvt-U.., *, ^2 2 1978 Vancouver Status of Women Subscriber Only Member/Subscriber_ AMOUNT ENCLOSED: Subs are $8/year Individual (or what you can afford), $15/year Institutions. VSW membership is by donation. Please remember that VSW operates on inadequate funding — we need member support! Some members of the "Iron Girls Team" of Tachai Commune, China. MARCH 8 : INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY THIS MAY BE YOUR 2nd TO LAST ISSUE OF "KINESIS" //* funding Time & We're Worried An Urgent Request to our Readers re: V.S.W. Funding Our core funding from Provincial Secretary expires on March 31, 1978. We have just completed and sent another grant application for 1978-79. As you know, our grant from Provincial Secretary has not increased in the past three years. The demands for our services is increasing steadily beyond our ability to deal with them due to a limited budget and staff. VSW activities over the past year have included para-legal information, skill-sharing programs, research, information services, representation to government and community bodies, production of Kinesis and much more. This year we are asking for a total budget of $154,420.85. An amount which covers staff salaries and office maintenance only. With this amount our plans for 1978-79 are: to maintain and expand an effective preventive ombudservice; to maintain the VSW office for information, referral, resources and services; and to maintain VSW as a provincial life-line responsive to the status of women issues throughout B.C. Each year our grant application is by no means guaranteed. If the grant is refused it is an economic probability that the office will have to CLOSE and Kinesis will cease publication! We urgently need letters of support from our members if VSW is to continue services. Please make 3 copies of your letter and send to: 1. Provincial Secretary Hon. Grace McCarthy Legislative Bldgs. Victoria, B.C. 2. Your MLA c/o his/her constituency office or Legislative Bldgs. Victoria, B.C. VSW 2029 W. 4th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. Tbank you for your interest and support. In Sisterhood, VSW Board of Directors write today As you will notice, this issue is not typeset. For the past few months, we have enjoyed the generous donation of access to a typesetting machine, which two of us have been learning to use. However, our donor has been forced to relinquish control of his business due to illness. We really appreciated his exceptional generosity. Needless to add, we greive mightily about having to go back to typing... March 8 is coming ~ G'Ç ̈T IHVOLVED! MARCH 8 IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY The theme of this year's International Women's Day is WOMEN AND WORK. The topic covers the following areas: unpaid work in the home, volunteer- ism, women in unions, female job ghettos, unorganized women, part-time work, minority women workers, job discrimination against lesbians, childcare, etc. In particular, emphasis will be given to the current realities for work for women in Vancouver in 1978: employment, wage controls, discrimination against minorities, unavailability of childcare. MARCH 8 PARADE On March 8 this year, we are going to have a joyful parade. It will be a mobile parade of floats, vehicles and bikes as: well as pedestrians and it will move along a route which has yet to be finalized. The parade will illustrate the issues of women and work, and its purpose will be to celebrate March 8 as our own special day, and let the public know that March 8 is important to us. INFORMATION DAY The International Women's Day Committee is also planning an information day. Tentative day is March 4, and proposed locale is Bayview Community School. MARCH 8 ORGANIZING Organizing has already begun for this year's March 8 celebrations, but more people are needed. International Women's Day (IWD) Committee welcomes new participants. Here's how the IWD Committee is working: general meetings of the IWD Organizing Committee take place every Wednesday night, 7:30-10:30 at Britannia Community Centre, Room L4 above the library. Major policy decisions are made at these meetings, with the smaller work committees reporting back on what they're doing, clearing decisions with the central committee. Any woman is welcome to these Wednesday meetings. If you can't come to these, you are also welcome to take part in the work committees. Each deals with a specific area of responsibility, and much of the practical work gets done in them. Here is a list of the committees, complete with a contact person for each: Information Day...Prabha...254-8082 Media & Publicity...Patricia ...734-3137 Finance...Janet...872-1940 Parade...Claudia...879-6006 Research...Sara...291-9150 (or 291-3670 for messages) Miscellaneous...Jill...251-4005 (for organzing speeches at schools, finding films and videos, etc.) BIMINI'S BIMINI STRIKE RALLY: WORKERS, SUPPORTERS BIMINI'S FIRST CONTRACT FINALIZED Kinesis regulars already know about the SORWUC victory at Bimini's neighbourhood pub. The workers won their first contract and went back tc work on January 2, with the agreement that four outstanding items, including exact wages, would be sent to binding arbitration. On January 13, arbitrator Ed Sims handed down his decision. Wages have been set at: Waitress - $5.03; Bartender - $5.94; Doorperson - $5.75; Bookkeeper - $5.53. The Head Waitress will receive 25c per hour extra, and the head bartender, 50c per hour extra. A Health and Welfare Plan will be supplied by the employer but the employees must bear the premiums until August 1, 1978, after which time the employer will take on 75% of these premiums. SUPREME COURT DODGES ISSUE In a manner only clearly understood by the "chosen", sections of the union contract between the Canadian Air Line Flight Attendants Association (CALFAA) and PWA have been fought over in several levels of courts by the Department of Labour, Canada, and PWA. The Courts have seen fit to interpret these sections (relating to maternity leave) without hearing from the Union. CALFAA STRUGGLC The herstory PWA was charged with two counts of failure to comply with the Canada Labour Code: S.59(4) which provides: "no employer shall dismiss or lay-off an employee who has completed twelve consecutive months of continuous employment by the employer solely because she is pregnant or has applied for leave in accordance with this Division. " PWA was acquitted of these charges on July 9, 1977. The Crown appealed first to the County Court, then to the Court of Appeal and finally to the Vjftdt Pip mou Me mtHaf sui{ wM iHe Supreme Court of Canada. The appeals were dismissed on the grounds that pregnancy was not the 'sole' reason for the lay-off. The collective agreement between PWA and CALFAA requires a mandatory layoff not later than the fourth month of pregnancy; the Labour Code entitles one to a maternity leave not exceeding eleven weeks before the expected date of confinement. The question the Union would like to have addressed and was carefully avoided: "Where maternity leave benefits under the Labour Code are different from the maternity leave benefits under a collective agreement do the employees have the right to choose the benefits they prefer?" "If so, what remedies are available to an employee whose employer refuses to grant such a choice?" The case is of great importance not only to flight attendants but to all working women in Canada whose contractual maternity benefits are different from those in the Code. The Court's decision settled precisely nothing. The SORWUC Bimini workers comment: In terms of non-monetary issues, we feel we obtained a good first contract. We were able to negotiate a modified union shop: recognition of seniority; comprehensive scheduling clauses which are related, to dob security for waitresses: two weeks guaranteed leave of absence in addition to vacations: up to six months maternity leave; and discipline and grievance procedures. We had to forego the paid leave at this time in order to negotiate for higher wages. Going back to work was difficult after the bitterness the strike had produced. But we have already noticed the stabilizing force the first contract has had on our working conditions. RATHW€LL DECISION IF: On January 19, 1978, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Helen Rathwell was entitled to one half of her ex- husband's 1,600 acre property after 23 years of working in her marriage. A copy of this important decision has not yet reached VSW, but our 'learned friends' tell us the following: The Court 'distinguished' this case from the earlier Murdoch decision, (i.e. explained why it was different). They 'found' a direct economic contribution on her part. (In the Murdoch case, they held that the monies supplied Mr. Murdoch came from his mother-in-law as a loan). However and more importantly, they also held that the Court had erred in not taking into account the contributions made by the wife in the Murdoch Case. What this all means (maybe) is that women who have worked for a long time in their marriages may have a better chance at receiving economic recognition if the marriage has been perceived to be a joint effort (her working at home etc.) once the marriage breakdown . . . more next month. FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS ERODED What has happened to human rights in B.C.? The Minister of Labour, Allan Williams appears unwilling to appoint Boards of Inquiry into the following cases: * A group of female clerks in a Port Alberni supermarket alledged that the company will not hire them as checkout clerks. Men are hired as general clerks, giving them greater access to promotions and more benefits than women. * In Victoria, several-people are alledged to have been terminated from their jobs because a cab company issued a new policy prohibiting employees from wearing beards. * A third case concerns a man who claims to have been refused employment because he is blind in one eye. * A printing company is said to have refused to print campaign material for a politician who openly supported gay 1 1 1 1 ■ _____ *___\ i*M NO BOARDS OF INQUIRY A Minister of Labour's failure to respond to the request of the Human Rights Board Director to appoint Boards of Inquiry constitutes, in the words of the Human Rights Commission," the erosion of people's human rights in B.C. Citizens are denied the opportunity of arguing legitimate issues before an independent, public hearing. If you have a complaint about discrimination in B.C. you can go to the Human Rights Branch. The Branch appoints an officer to see if the complaint has substance, and to attempt a settlement. If the complaint cannot be settled, the Human Rights Branch Director can recommend to the Minister of Labour that he set up a Board of Inquiry. The Board's decisions can be appealed to the Supreme Court of B.C. But if Boards are not appointed, the complaint moulders away on a desk, and the Human Rights legislation ceases to function . . . Not only is Allan Williams refusing to appoint Boards of Inquiry, he has not taken any action to maintain the Human Rights Commission itself. The Human Rights Commissioners were appointed in January of 1974 for a term of four years. The function of the Commission is to promote an understanding of the Human Rights Act, to develop programmes and activities promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to combat discriminatory practices by public education. NO COMMISSIONERS The Human Rights Commission still exists within the Human Rights Code; but no Commissioners exist. Do something about your human rights today. Send a night letter to HON W.R. BENNETT PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS VICTORIA B.C. Your letter could read: MINISTER OF LABOUR IS LAX IN ENFORCING OUR HUMAN RIGHTS CODE STOP CASE OF HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION VS SUPER VALU STORES WAS REFERRED TO MINISTER OF LABOUR FIVE MONTHS AGO FOR BOARD OF INQUIRY STOP THE WOMEN OF THE PROVINCE CONSIDER THIS CASE ONE OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE STOP OUR RIGHTS ARE NOT BEING PROTECTED BY OUR GOVERNMENT WHEN THIS CASE SITS IGNORED AND NOT SENT TO TRIBUNAL FOR ADJUDICATION STOP WE URGE YOU ENFORCE THE CODE AND ESTABLISH BOARD IMMEDIATELY FOR THIS CASE. -UNITED BANK WORKERS- The United Bank Workers (UBW) have decided to launch a massive, province- wide drive on all B.C. banks. B.CDRIVC This decision emerged from a special convention of the United Bank Workers, a section of the Service, Office and Retain Workers Union of Canada (SORWUC) on January 29. Firstly, UBW has significant provincial strength in B.C., with more than 600 members. They have strong union organizers in most regions of the province. Second, a province-wide bargaining unit would circumvent the current harassment by bank management. Management now discriminates against certified branches by witholding system-wide wage increases and improvements in benefits from them which it grants to unorganized banks. A provincial drive would be more anonymous. Banks won't know exactly where members are and therefore won't be able to discriminate against applicant branches. Because more than half of the UBW membership works in branches which do not yet have a majority signed up, UBW cannot assert its real strength within the system of bank-by-bank bargaining units. Furthermore, the anonymity of a provincially-based bargaining unit would encourage more workers to come forward and sign up. Thirdly, with a provincial bargaining unit, UBW would have the bargaining power necessary to win a good contract. Although UBW is now planning to apply for a province-wide bargaining unit in B.C., they emphatically agree with the Canada Labour Relations Board (CLRB) decision that a single bank branch constitutes an appropriate bargaining unit. The Royal Bank apparently has plans to appeal the CLRB decision that single bank branches constitute appropriate bargaining units. UBW will defend the CLRB decision because they recognize that it is an important precedent for other related industries within the 'pink-collar' field. While the bank drive is most highly developed in B.C., making province-wide bargaining possible, other provinces may have to apply on a branch-by-branch basis. You can help the United Bank Workers in their province-wide organizing drive. Contact them at #1114 - 207 West Hastings. Phone 681 2811 or 684 2834. WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT LETTERS RE: OUR GRANT APPLICATION TO PROVINCIAL SECRETARY WOMAN FIRED FOR EXPOSING SEXISM A VSW member has been forced to leave her job for writing about sex-stereotyping. Judith Burke was the public relations officer for the North Shore Credit Union. Last October, she wrote an article for the B.C. Central Credit Union publication, "Enterprise". It was a special issue devoted to women in the credit union movement, and Judith was asked to write about her experiences from a personal perspective. Her article, entitled "Forget Stereotypes", spoke to her experience as the first woman at management level since the credit union got underway 35 years ago. Since men are unused to working alongside women in management positions, Burke wrote, communication problems develop. Our sexist society sets us up for these difficulties. Men learn to present themselves as aggressive, and to look for a yielding, emotional quality in women. What men in management must do, explained Burke, is •accept the "femaleness" in themselves and the "maleness" in women. They have to learn to ignore expectations based on stereotypes and to deal with women as individuals. Previous work experiences had prepared Burke for some of the difficulties a woman can experience in male-dominated business. However, she found even more problems than she had anticipated. "I was confronted with the roles of bully and brother, among others," Burke wrote, "but coping with aggressive sexual advances proved to be the most uncomfortable experience." It's this last phrase which brought down the wrath of the credit union bosses. North Shore Credit Union general manager was most upset. "The manor complaint was that I had been disloyal and had failed to toe the party line. I was supposed to say that everything was just great. I had told the truth in a personal article and that proved unacceptable." Burke was given two alternatives: to be fired without severance or to resign and receive six weeks' severance. Burke chose the latter after investigating the chances of taking the credit union to court for wrongful dismissal, and discovering that heir legal chances were poor. "Middle-management employees have almost no recourse," commented Burke. "Legally, they could have turfed me out without a cent." However, Burke decided not to make getting rid of her easy for them. The general manager attempted to short-change her on severence and holiday pay by suddenly insisting that she was only an "officer" and not a manager, even though she had been accorded full management benefits and status up to this point. Burke challenged him on this issue, and succeeded in getting all of the money she felt the credit union owed her. "Probably when women read about this, they will want to withdraw their money from the North Shore Credit Union, " added Burke. "I hope that they won 't do this. What we need, instead, is ' for women to get elected to the board of directors. At that level they will be able to see that this kind of thing never happens again. " Burke wants to meet with women who are interested in becoming involved in the credit union as directors. She will share her knowledge and enthusiasm about the credit union movement. If "you're interested, give her a call at 985 - 3852 NDP WOMENS COMMITTEE CONFERS The Conference of the B.C. NDP Standing Committee on Women's Rights was held in Kamloops the weekend of January 14 and 15. Approximately 50 women attended the first conference of the Committee to be held on a delegated basis. Differing opinions on the role and structure of the Women's Committee — whether it was a committee of NDP women or a NDP women's rights committee — and a discussion of the pros and cons of delegated conferences dominated a large portion of the conference. A motion that the NDP Women's Committee revert to past practice of having their conferences open to all NDP women was passed. Those opposed to open conferences argued that such conferences are inevitably dominated by women from the Lower Mainland or the conference area. Women supporting the motion were of the opinion that open conferences encouraged more women to participate in what was intended to be a format for as many NDP women as possible to meet and exchange ideas and information. A woman attending as an observer expressed her anger at being denied the right to vote at a women's conference because her constituency executive (on which male members outnumber females) voted to refrain from participation in the conference. TURN T0 p%21, col 3... SCHOOLS, S€XISM AND SOCICTY A student-oriented conference probing sexism in the schools takes place February 26 at Sir Charles Tupper High School, starting at 9 am. The aims of the conference are to educate students and teachers about the nature of sexism and its effects on individuals in society; to provide information about the law as it relates to students and women in society; to provide a forum for the discussion of human rights and responsibilities . Workshops will include Assertiveness Training, Rape Relief, Dating, Relationships and Marriage, High School Women's Studies and Women and the Law. Students have been actively involved in organizing and structuring this conference, to which all Lower Mainland students are welcome. If you want to come, contact Pearl Roberts of the BCTF Status of Women Committee, 105-2235 Burrard Street, Vancouver (731 8121). Or you can get in touch with the conference contact-person in your own school. CDUCATION CONF€R€NC€ An umbrella organization representing educators, school trustees, parents, labour and business was formed in Vancouver on Wednesday, Jan. 18. The group, known as the United Society for Education Review in B.C., aims to undertake a thorough investigation of the B.C. public school system. The new society is expected to undertake research studies and to hold public hearings throughout the province in order to get widespread public input into its discussions. Attending the January 18 conference were representatives from the Vancouver Status of Women and the British Columbia Federation of Women. As a province-wide organization with a vital interest in education, VSW is planning to apply for membership in this society. This is a community-based group, not a governmental body. The Ministry of Education has been represented at meetings and will continue to have observer status, but will not be a voting member. TH€ B€WL€Y BUSINESS Why Was It Held? In response to complaints from the British Columbia Federation of Women (BCFW), the Judicial Council of B.C. decided to hold an investigation into remarks made by Provincial Court Judge Les Bewley during the trial of Anthony Tourangeau in August, 1977. Subsequent to that investigation, the Council launched the first-ever public inquiry into the conduct of a judge. It is within the jurisdiction of the Judicial Council to dismiss judges from the bench as a result of an inquiry. Official complainants in the case along with BCFW were the Vancouver Status of Women (VSW) and the Service, Office and Retail Workers Union of Canada (SORWUC). All three groups objected to the sexist nature of Judge Bewley's remarks. The Council, by its own admission, conducts such Inquiries only when allegations have been made of serious misconduct. Are we to infer from this that the Council viewed sexism with seriousness? Apparently not. Did Not Address Sexism Throughout the day and a half of Inquiry, on January 16 and 17, the Council refused to address the complaints brought forward by the three groups. We were left wondering why they had even bothered to call an Inquiry at all. Allan MacEachern, counsel for the Judicial Council, spent most of the Inquiry's one full day reading the full transcript of the Tourangeau trial. The sections in response to which the groups had made their complaints were lumped in with all the rest. The Judicial Council, chaired by criminal lawyer H.A.D. Oliver, stirred into life only occasionally, and then in response to Latinate lawyer jokes. Mary Southin Q.C. defended Bewley by undermining herself, quoting from Kipling to prove the eternal (and therefore forgiveable?) nature of misogyny: "A woman's only a woman; What Was Gained? but a good cigar is a smoke." Southin absolved Bewley by explaining his sexism as an unfortunate hyperbole, brought on by the stupidity of the female witnesses. Besides, he was due to go on holidays the day after. The female witnesses, she said were indeed silly. "I've never understood why any woman would put up with it — pressing charges and then withdrawing it (sic)" Neither Southin nor MacEachern indicated any knowledge of the reality of what they insisted was 'domestic' violence. Both subscribed to the dur- rent legal attitude which sees "domestic' violence as being something different from and lesser than other forms of violence. This attitude is in itself an important factor in perpetuating 'domestic' violence. Clearly the Inquiry would have benefitted from the expertise of women's groups which deal daily with domestic violence and reactions of precisely the kind that puzzles Southin. Refused Standing The groups did try to be heard. They retained lawyer Lynn Smith to represent them. As official complainants under the Provincial Court Act, argued Smith, the groups have a right to be represented, because they can speak for that segment of the public particularly affected by the issues raised. No, decided the Judicial Council, the groups are not 'complainants particularly affected'. The groups then took their demand for standing to the Supreme Court of B.C., where they were also rejected. Predictable The Council's decision on February 7 was completely predictable. They did tap Bewley on the wrist; they did not address the issue of condonation of violence and they didn't dismiss him. What, if anything, has been gained by the groups from raising the issue of Bewley's sexism? Firstly, the public learned that sexist remarks from the bench occasion a massive protest from women. Secondly, judges and justices learned that they make sexist jokes at their peril In her defense, Southin commented that five years ago Bewley's remarks would have gone unnoticed. She's right in one respect: consciousness of sexism has grown over the last five years. The fact that Bewley had to go to the trouble of excusing himself can only make it grow further. WHY DID WOMEN OBJECT TO BEWLEY? How does Judge Bewley's sexism affect the rights of women who come before the justice system? In co-operation with lawyer Lynn Smith, the three groups - BCFW, VSW and SORWUC prepared a submission to the Judicial Council which they would have presented, through Lynn Smith, if they had been granted official standing. That submission outlined the reasons why Bewley's remarks warrant his dismissal. Here is a brief summary of the major points made in that submission: Submission Judge Bewley's remarks suggest that he is incapable of impartiality. His remarks explicitly condone violence against women, indicate prejudice against women as a group and reveal that speculations about the sexual morality of the female witnesses entered into his assessment of their credibility. CONDONATION OF VIOLENCE Firstly, they indicate a condonation of violence. They indicate that he does not take violence perpetrated by men upon women in 'domestic' situations as seriously as other forms of violence. He's (Tourangeau, i.e.) got a macho personality obviously and he comes in ... he had a knife in his hand and he 's going to show her . . . that's no big deal, eh? It isn't as if he . . . threatened a policeman with a knife or something. He 's demonstrating his manhood to a little One of the important causes of domestic violence is that our society in many ways condones it. BEWLEY UPDATE, MORE DETAILS on p. 7, col 2... SEND YOUR SUPPORT LETTERS TODAY — TIME IS SHORT am MARY ASTAFOROFF, 63 years of age, has served many years in prison since the 1930's as part of the continuing struggle for religious freedom for her people — freedom to live according to her religious beliefs which include pacifism, no private ownership of land, and no public school education for their children. She has been in jail almost continuously since Sept. 8/74, date of a late night incident outside the home of Stefan Sorokin in Ktrestova, B.C. Charged "with taking part in a riot" she was held 4 months without bail, from early November 1974 until trial Feb. 17-21/75, charged under Criminal Code Section 65. On Dec. 20/74 there was a fire in the women's section at Oakalla. MARY and her co-accused had been on a hunger strike since early Nov. 74 until their trial date. She was released from hail in early spring of 1975. In March 75 there was a fire at Brilliant Hall. MARY was not charged with regard to the fire but at the trial in June she stripped in protest against the conviction of others, and was imprisoned to await trial for the December 74 jail fire. FORCC- F€D In Nov. 75 she started a hunger strike which ended May 27/76 when MARY and six other Freedomite women took part in this strike. Women from the Brilliant Hall fire and other sisters joined them as they protested their conviction on circumstantial evidence and the unjust sentences received for the Dec. 74 jail fire. There were four women charged for that fire. The case came to trial in Jan 1976 and the convicted women received sentences of varying lengths even though their past criminal records were similar. MARY^ MALAKOFF — 1 yr; ANUTA K00TNEK0FF and MARY BRAUN — 2 yrs less a day; MARY ASTAFOROFF — 3h yrs. mary astaforoff Culhane comments: "I would suggest that the indignation generated over the Bewley affair could well be channelled into a vigorous campaign to save the life of MARY ASTAFOROFF, a woman fighting for principles which we all can identify with. "Would it not be in order for the B.C. women's groups to come to the staunch support of their sisters in Kingston Penitentiary for Women who are demonstrating courage and persistence unmatched in so many other circles . . . ?" The women were force-fed during the hunger strike. About every two weeks they would be removed form the prison, taken to the Vancouver General Hospital, Fairview Pavilion, and fed through tubes put through their noses or mouths and into their stomachs. The women resisted this force-feeding. Their children held demonstrations outside the prison, but still it continued. The women started eating when the B.C. government promised to investigate their case. This was never done. The women were held in Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre (Oakalla) , Burnaby, B.C. including POLLY CHERNOFF and MARY ASTAFOROFF, who both had 'federal time', until the sentences of the other women were completed and they were released in the spring of 1976. POLLY CHERNOFF and MARY ASTAFOROFF were then transferred to Kingston Penitentiary for Women in Kingston, Ont. and placed directly into solitary confinement since they were considered to be "dangerous arsonists." They immediately began another hunger strike. Mary's health was very seriously impaired by the 7 month long hunger strike in Nov. 1975-May 1976, as was Polly's, and their husbands and children convinced them to start eating a little during the summer of 1977. Their health has been of great concern to their friends and relatives. Numerous phone calls have been made to the prison and to the Ombudsman's Office in Ottawa, with little or no meaningful response. Quotes from trial transcripts: "We do not start fires, injustice brings them about. " "Prisons are not the answer for the Doukhobors. " "We are not criminals, but a deeply religious people. " "Fire is not arson, but a defence against the injustice and discrimination throughout the years." INTERIM REPORT OF MARY ASTAFOROFF (prepared Jan. 25, 1978) LETTER TO CLAIRE CULHANE, OF THE PRISONER'S RIGHTS GROUP FROM POLLY CHERNOFF, BOX 515, KINGSTON, ONT., DEC.11/77 Dear Claire, I hope you could give me some information and hope, as I am very much concerned about a sister whom I will have to leave behind in a couple of months under these unbearable conditions in women's jail in Kingston. We are two Doukhobor Sons of Freedom women who try to defend our principles. Mary was in Kingston over a year, in segregation and I joined her in April of 77. We are not only not allowed to exercise, we do not see each other, just when passing the cell on the way to take a bath. I will not go into unbelievable details of our existing situation but we were forced into long fasts, in fact most of the time we are fasting we get no time to pick up strength enough to feel normal. «M* In protest we set fires in our cells six times for which were severely punished. What worries me is our time is extended and their business is flourishing and there is no end to it. No one is interested that you are protesting injustice and prejudice in courts, when you should not be here in the first place. No one cares that you have suffered more than one person should suffer in any case, or your health is gone. Others are brought here into segregation for punishment and hardly ever stay the full 30 or 20 days, yet for us its considered good enough for two years like for Mary, and even necessary security. As for punishment we are watered with buckets of water and fire hoses and left on a slab with not more in col 1, p.7... continued from p.6 a stitch of clothes or bedding, with windows wide open till you do not feel any more. Then one blanket and every few days you get additional blanket or mattress or tooth brush. Not much more we could keep in the cell. Then 30 days are added to our terms. Of course we are also fined for damages. We are very cheap to keep. We do not waste by habit. We eat just the cheapest food, vegetables and fruit. No meat, no desserts, and baked stuff, no coffee or sugar, so instead of helping us get out, they extend our stay. 63. POOR HCALTH I am concerned about Mary. She is 63 years old and in very poor health which is a big problem with the diet. There is so much prejudice against us being vegetarians. Mental cruelty is endless. Our religion is considered setting fires and not the other way around. Our religion is being prosecuted which brings us to be human sacrifices for our religion. I would like to know what fights Mary has, being locked in her cell till Sept. day and night is beyond human endurance, with nothing but the walls to stare at. In addition to listen to disturbed girls downstairs slashing and hanging themselves, swearing and nerve wracking radios blaring day and night. Well, I know for an elderly woman that is too much. Three thousand miles from family and friends. I would appreciate if you could let me know how I could help her. With your knowledge of prisons, I'm sure you could help. So thank you ever so much in advance. Admiring your spirit, Polly Chernoff BewleyL .fcifiAiiAl'LM* A fascinating event in Canadian news is the recent resignation of Solicitor- General, Francis Fox. Politicians have to be above suspicion. Fox was caught after the fact, having forged a signature. That's not just suspicious, it's downright illegal. But will that be what Canadians remember. It's doubtful. The signature was on a hospital document required for an abortion - for a woman whom Fox had apparently impregnated. She couldn't tell her husband, and obviously the hospital wouldn't do the abortion without the husband's signature, so Fox did the CONTINUED FROM P.5 PREJUDICE AGAINST WOMEN Secondly, certain of Judge Bewley's remarks openly state prejudicial attitudes against women as a class. "You know, women don't get much brains before they're thirty anyway" is his most infamous. He also referred to the witnesses as "a bunch of clucking females". When it was revealed that one of the women witnesses has been convinced that the accused would have stabbed her to death, Bewley commented: . . . would it have been any loss to society? I guess it would have been, yes, go ahead, we 'd have to have the Coroner's ASSESSMENT OF CREDIBILITY Thirdly, it appears that one important factor in the Judge's consideration of the evidence of the female witnesses in this case was his speculative view of their moral character with specific reference to sexual conduct. He called them "young, free-floating . . . very nubile, very attractive . . . still impressionable, still stupid. " "They 've been around. They 're no angels either. " pernicious This is not only illogical, but pernicious in that it seems to indicate that any woman who is young, attractive, and has in the Judge's terms "been around" will have little credence in court. The three groups point out that Judge Bewley's remarks cannot be excused as inadvertant, humorous, or merely in 'bad taste'. "It is intolerable that any class of people, whether defined by race, creed, colour or sex should be derogated by a Provincial Court Judge in the execution of his or her office," the groups commented. Judicial Council: Injudicious The Judicial Council decision, while exonerating Bewley, did admit: "Certain of the statements we have examined and others that appear in the transcript should never have been made. They were injudicious. The connotation placed by Judge Bewley on the expression 'on and off as used by defence counsel was off colour and in bad taste. The observation made by Judge Bewley that even had the accused stabbed the complainant it would not have been any loss to society, is improper. We are disappointed at the inability of as experienced a judge as Judge Bewley to express himself with more care. The use of inappropriate, ill-chosen and offensive language by one member of the Bench tends to diminish the respect and public confidence which the entire Bench must enjoy if the proper administration of justice is to be ensured." no awareness The Inquiry, and the Judicial Council decision, never once questioned Bewley's view of domestic violence as being something different from, and lesser than, other forms of violence. By limiting itself to a consideration of the trial proceedings only, the Judicial Council failed to recognize that the administration of justice does not take place in a vacuum. It failed to understand that Bewley's derogation of women as a group reinforces harmful societal stereotypes. Until the justice system realises that sexism exists, women who have been victims of so-called domestic violence cannot hope for equal treatment. FOX: TRAPPED IN HIS OWN LAWS his demise is jrought with ironies noble (?) thing and signed the husband's name. The situation is full of irony. Fox is part of the infamous Liberal government which brought us that quest- . ionable document, The Abortion Law. No where in that law is a husband's signature required. The federal government turned a blind eye to the discrepancies and hypocrisies of the hospitals that make this and other stipulations. (The Badgley Report, tabled in the House of Commons, Feb. 1977 found that interpretations of the Law by the provinces, and local hospitals, were still making the ac- by Maureen Karagianis, former Chair, BCFW Health Sub-Committee. quisition of safe, legal abortions impossible for many Canadian women.) Women's groups across the country have demanded that the law be changed to prevent this kind of discrimination. No one in Ottawa was listening. Will the destruction of one man's career in Canadian politics be the trigger that brings about the right of women to control their own bodies? A cynical laugh arises out of the Women's Movement. It just could be - but don't hold your breath! IF THE GRANT IS REFUSED VSW MAY BE FORCED TO CLOSE THE OFFICE .KINESIS 8 women in rurol china A report on Joan Hinton's comments, by Lyn Buckle The Canada'China Friendship Association recently hosted Joan Hinton, former U.S. nuclear physicist, in the first of their spring educational series. Hinton was on her way back to China after a 5 month speaking tour of the U.S. She and her family have lived in China since 1950. She now lives on the Red Star Commune outside of Peking. Her topic for discussion was "Women in Rural China". The evening spent with Joan Hinton was relaxed and informal. Informal, because she showed us something of women in rural China through her own personal experiences and life there over the past 28-29 years. Hinton stressed that "for a good perspective of women in China today", it is necessary to know "where they came from". Before liberation, many women in the southern rural areas escaped foot , binding because they were needed to plant rice. The north, being the wheat-growing area of the country, did not call for women to work the fields. So they had their feet bound to prevent them from running away from their marriages — into which they had been sold for 30 lbs of grain. During her time spent working on a farm in inner Mongolia, Hinton saw that the active involvement of the Mongolian women was the mainstay of the economy of these herdspeople, although, as she said, it was still a patriarchial society. The northern Han women, because of their bound feet, took no part in life outside the household. The Mongolians used to say that if a Mongolian man married a Han woman, he'd starve! Hinton's first year on the farm involved an unsuccessful attempt at making cheese from the directions in U.S. Dept. of Agriculture bulletins. She soon gave that up, and let herself be taught by women who had been doing it for 2,000 years. Above: Joan Hinton (R) with Lillian Martin (L) of the Canada China Friendship Association. Below: Woman from the Tachai Model Commune, & member of the Iron Girls ' Team. With liberation came the law declaring legal equality for women. But this did not mean there was actual equality. This, as Hinton stated, would not be completely achieved until a true state of communism was achieved. MAJOR CHANGGS Hinton did, however, cite some important dates when actual changes occurred. The 1940s saw the end of Chin Lien, or foot-binding. With the Marriage Law of 1950 came the end of the old matrimonial system of arbitary or forced marriages, arranged as a business transaction by parents. Bigamy and concubinage were forbidden, as was marriage for people under eighteen. (It had been commonplace for 12 year olds to be sold into mar- 'Sen* > ft riage.) Mutual consent became the only basis for marriage; the grounds for divorce were no longer restricted and divorce could be obtained free of charge. Agrarian reform, in destroying the great estates, dealt a fatal blow to the old family structures. Land was redistributed among peasant families and also among all women living on their own or wanting to leave their husbands. There was a movement against cruelty against women. Women publicly denounced violent husbands, knowing for the first time their criticisms would be heard and dealt with. Women came forward in great strength during the 1958 Great Leap Forward which in part was an attempt to decentralize industry to rural areas. The Cultural Revolution of 1968 saw the formation of co-ops and neighbourhood street factories by women. Women took a leading role in the transformation of the Taching oilfield from a pasture field only 10 years before to a leading model commune for the country. For the first time in history, a balance was created between agriculture, industry, cultural activities and nature. The movement to criticize Lin Piao and Confucius was a way to put the women's question back into the centre of the political arena. Hinton cited an instance of a woman who cleaned the lathe after use by a man at the end of a day's work. This practice was criticized and changed. The men had to clean their own lathes. Older, retired men were asked to teach women carpentry. From there the women progressed to making crates for boxcars and eventually set up factories themselves . WORK POINTS During this time the issue of work points was raised. One woman protested by writing a dazibaos (wall-poster) that upon marriage her work points dropped by 8 to 7 while men made 10. The men claimed that it was necessary for them to make 10 points because they did work that was much too strenuous for women to do, such as carrying heavy sacks of grain. The women agreed that the men did indeed do this extra heavy work and did deserve more work points. However, they said, carrying these sacks was not an everyday occurrence and therefore men should only receive extra points at the time of the year when they did this heavy work. This was agreed upon without argument. However, the woman who had raised the objection was criticized. She was told she was selfish and was asked if she was working for her own work points or for the development of the commune. There are women in China, said Hinton, who don't turn to col 1, p.19 GCRMAN FEMINISTS AGAINST SEXIST ADS Berlin — "You Communists! I'll tear the tits off you, you piles of shit. You look like it's already been done!" These were the kinds of insults we were subjected to on August 15 when, at 3pm we painted "Womanhating Advertising" on the sidewalk in front of the Wertheim department store in Berlin. The reason for our action : Wertheim's sexist window dressing. In each of 6 windows, a naked woman, clothed in only an open man's shirt, lay on a table in a clearly provocative pose. Around nearby stood 6 men in suits and waistcoats, looking lecherously down at her. That reached us! On the night of Saturday, August 13, the window had been spraypainted with "Womanhating" and many women's symbols. Result: by 9 the next morning, even before shoppers could see it, the paint had been removed. However, Wertheim was warned by telephone: if the window displays were not immediately removed, something would happen. The caller said, "We shall return!" And women did return. Not in the night this time, with stealthy movements and faint footfalls, but broad (shopping) daylight. Six women distributed leaflets in which a boycott of the store was called for; two painted the words on the sidewalk. Of course, since we had forewarned the store, we were not unhindered. Two provocateurs obviously hired by Wertheim showered us with insults, tried to stir up the stan- dersby against us, and threatened us with sticks. We kept painting. Soon a crowd had gathered to watch and listen as these thugs assaulted us. The crowd offered us no help, not to mention support. This dismayed us. When we heard that the police were coming, the women who had painted left. One of the leaflet distributors was arrested on the word of the provocateurs, who said that she had done the painting. She was released after the police had taken down her personal data, with the instructions that a "statement of accountability according to the press laws" had to appear on all leaflets. We had stupidly forgotten this. Whether the woman will be brought to trial has not yet been decided. The thug was used as a witness against her. He gave his personal data to the police in private, which was farsighted of him. For, "we shall return!" (Off Our Backs, reprinted from Courage) Contact: Gewaltgruppe des Frauen- zentrums Berlin Spendenkto.:PSchKto BlnWNr: 295196-104, Marion Hopfl, "Vergewaltigung". INTGRNATIONAL N€WS U.S. BATTERED WOMEN WIN Christina Pratt, sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter of a man who had raped her, is being considered for pardon by New York's Governor Carey. Sentenced in 1975, when she was 16 years old, Christina has so far escaped from two of the facilities in which she was placed. On being caught and sent back to prison once again, the judge hearing her case said that she had committed an act (the murder of the man who raped her) "which by every just, reasonable, and humane standard would have been classified as excusable or justifiable." That didn't stop him from sending her back, however. Women are fighting back, and fighting for and winning their freedom, all over the U.S. Along with Christina Pratt in New York and Francine Hughes in Lansing, Michigan, there are: Wanda Carr, of Redding. California, was freed in the shooting death of her husband on the basis of her testimony that he had beaten her and she feared he would beat her again; Marlene Roan Eagle, a South Dakota American Indian, acquitted of the murder of her husband on the grounds of self-defense; Sharon McNearney, of Marquette, Michigan, acquitted of the murder of her husband on the grounds of self- defense; Evelyn Ware, of Orange County, California, acquitted of the murder of her husband on the grounds of self- defense; che feminist funnies by nkoic hoiiander Gloria Maldonado, of Chicago, released after killing her husband due to "insufficient evidence" to warrant her prosecution; Janice Hornbuckle, of Bellingham, Washington, acquitted of first-degree murder of her husband. Two more cases, yet to be determined, in which women are pleading self- defense in the killings of their husbands are that of Jennifer Patri, of Waupaca, Wisconsin, who shot her husband who had beaten and sexually abused her and molested her daughter; and Roxanne Gay, who stabbed her husband, a lineman on the Philadelphia Eagles football team, after years of beatings by him, often following the loss of a football game. Evidence of brutal and long-term abuse and very reasonable belief that severe physical injury was imminent were clear in each of these cases. Perhaps more women,#who read about these successful cases and the women's support groups to aid the defense, will fight back; perhaps husbands and boyfriends will be frightened into restraining themselves; but also, perhaps the forces of the law will get around to making the plea of self-defense a difficult one to satisfy. The second "perhaps" is probably spurious: the death penalty does not deter murderers. The third "perhaps" is irrelevant to the options a woman has. The first "perhaps" may be the only way for many women to put an end to their being beaten and terrorized. (Off Our Backs) RECLAIM THE NIGHT England — On November 12 women■ marched through the streets of cities throughout England to "Reclaim the Night" - the protest the dangers of rape and attack that deny women free access to the streets. Singing, chanting, bearing torches and banners, and jeering, 500 women marched through Soho, London, centre of the porn trade and sexual exploitation. Some of the male bystanders spat at the demonstrators, or tried to grab individuals out of the procession However, this possibility had been taken into account in the planning stages of the march, and these men were sprayed with red dye. The marches were exhilarating events with women singing songs about their struggles and plastering stickers on sexist advertisements and establishments. (Off Our Backs, info from Peoples News Service) WE APPRECIATE YOUR PAST SUPPORT 10 SORWUC faces off with the CIC Joan woodward The Service, Office and Retail Workers Union of Canada is a small democratically structured, all Canadian union. The reasons for the establishment of a constitution providing for these factors are many. But principally, we don't want tc replace the oppressive burden of the bureaucratic structure that we find in industry and commerce with an identical such structure in our union. We have found that bureaucratic "leadership" is totally unnecessary, and that cooperation is not only possible, but highly desirable. Unfortunately, trade unions need money to operate. And as the union expands we will require more funding and a more stable basis of funding. To this end SORWUC contacted the Canadian Labour Congress early in July of last year to request special financial assistance. (Take note, however, that SORWUC was already beginning to receive substantial donations from the memberships of a number of other unions in order to help it along its way. Some of these unions x^ere affiliates of the C.L.C. and some were not.) The most outstanding expense in SORWUC's budget at present is a bill for $20,000 in legal fees. This bill was incurred as a result of a battle, in the courts over whether or not SORWUC would be allowed to organize bank workers branch by branch. This was a decision with far reaching implications as it gave the possibility to other unions of organizing bank workers as well, but SORWUC alone was left to foot the bill. SORWUC saw in the banks a very definite need for the organization of women workers, who had hitherto been largely ignored by the trade union establishment. The response from bank workers has been tremendous, and the reasons for this probably lie in a) SORWUC's democratic and consequently decentralized structure and b) the fact that through the intermediary of a great number of volunteers, women workers are being organized by other women workers. It is unlikely that the C.L.C. could motivate such mass volunteerism. internationals take over bid However, shortly after SORWUC contacted the C.L.C. requesting financial assistance, the union heard of a rival union, a large international, the O.P.E.I.U., controlled from the U.S., who had also taken a sudden interest in organizing the bank workers of British Columbia where SORWUC is based. The Office and Professional Employees International, known as the Office and Technical Employees Union in B.C., is an affiliate of the C.L.C. and as such enjoys its full support. The Service, Office and Retail Workers Union of Canada had previously applied to the C.L.C. for affiliation but was told that it would only be granted an affiliate status if a) it dissolved the present organization altogether, b) if it merged with an already existing affiliate (probably retaining the name only), or c) if it became a directly chartered local of the C.L.C. SORWUC rejected all three of the above options! The National Executive stated that while it would require a referendum from the membership to decide whether or not SORWUC would affiliate to the C.L.C, the National Executive would be prepared to recommend such affiliation if SORWUC could join as a national union with its own constitution and jurisdiction to organize the unorganized in all industries and occupations where women are a majority. TELLER Meanwhile, SORWUC had been heard of as far away as Saskatchewan, and a group of volunteers had started to organize bank workers there. A representative of the Steelworkers International was obviously concerned. With the help of a C.L.C. official in Saskatoon, he attempted to discourage employees in a large branch of the Toronto Dominion in that town who had been meeting with volunteer organizers for SORWUC, from joining that union. An effort was made to brand SORWUC as incompetent; it was claimed that information given to workers about the Canada Labour Relations Board was incorrect; the organization was redbaited; and it was generally denied that SORWUC was organizing in Saskatchewan. When we raised our objections the response was unacceptable to us. It was stated that the C.L.C. with the participation of representatives of Steel intended to actively oppose SORWUC in organizing, and would use whatever means necessary to sign up bank workers into.an affiliate union. There was refusal to cooperate with us and stated support for the Steelworkers' actions. They went on to say that they had "C.L.C. orders" to sign up bank workers: that Steel did not intend to represent the branch in bargaining; and that they were getting involved mainly to prevent SORWUC from representing bank workers. Also the Steelworkers indicated that they would be hiring a full-time bank organizer for Saskatoon. SORWUC asks: Who needs bureaucrats ? Once again it appeared that the C.L.C. or one of its affiliates had taken a sudden interest in organizing bank workers, and once again in an area where SORWUC was already organizing. The C.L.C. is presently mounting a drive to organize bank workers. They tell us that this is because SORWUC does not have the necessary "muscle" to do the job. In a letter to Joe Morris, president of the C.L.C, the National Executive point out that there has been a rapid decline in the number of women union members and that in British Columbia a majority of women union members are in unions not affiliated to the C.L.C. or the A.F.L.-CI.O. It would seem apparent then, that the organization of women workers is in need of a union like SORWUC:"and the union has reiterated its interest in affiliation, stating that: We do not make independence a principle; however, we are determined to run our own affairs. Consequently, although SORWUC still hopes to eventually get financial assistance from the C.L.C, we doubt whether any help will be forthcoming in the near future - a critical period for us. We are beginning a campaign to collect monthly pledges from $10 to $25 per month from concerned individuals, and any donation is appreciated. If you wish to make a donation, please contact the Union office, #1114-207 West Hastings, Vancouver, or by phone at 681-2811. AND WE NEED IT ONE MORE TIME abortion 11 When a woman in the Lower Mainland area of British Columbia needs help in dealing with an unexpected pregnancy, one of the places she may call for information is the Vancouver Women 's Health Collective, a self-help organization focusing on women's health care. As well as providing health information to the public in the areas of birth control, preventative health care, education, and doctor referral, the Health Collective offers counselling to women who need assistance in making a decision about their pregnancy. DONNA HERBERT of the Vancouver Status of Women talked with LINDA GOULD of the Health Collective about why a woman contacts them for counselling. LINDA: Women usually call us because they're unsure of the law or the hospital regulations, or they don't understand the procedure required to obtain an abortion. Some women are unsure of their feelings about the pregnancy and want to discuss things with a sympathetic but impartial person who can help them make an informed decision. DUNNA: How do women find out about your organization? Sometimes word of mouth - the phone book - a referral from another women's group or social service agency. Often a woman's doctor or clinic will refer her to us. At the present time, Section 251 of the Criminal Code of Canada states that abortion is illegal except in certain specific cases. Could you clarify what the situation is as far as it affects women in the Lower Mainland, area? The regulations basically say four things: first, that legal therapeutic abortions must be performed in an accredited hospital; second, that all applications for abortions must be reviewed by a Therapeutic Abortion Committee consisting of at least three doctors; third, that the Committee must state in writing that "in its opinion the continuation of the pregnancy would or would be likely to endanger a woman's life or health"; and fourth, that the abortion must be performed by a doctor other than a member of the Therapeutic Abortion Committee. On first hearing these regulations they sound quite reasonable in theory. Can you explain how the system works in practice? The system works very unequally, for several reasons. In the first place the law does not require every hospital to form a Therapeutic Abortion Committee, it simply gives them the option of so doing. If the hospital board has a number of people on it who are anti-choice, they will block the forming of an abortion committee. Also some rural areas don't have enough doctors to form a proper committee. Another obstruction appears when you try to define the word "health" as used in the words of the Criminal Code. The World Health Organization defines "health" as "a complete state of physical, mental and social well- being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." If a woman's local hospital accepts this definition, her chances of obtaining a legal abortion is much better than from a hospital which defines "health" in more restrictive terms. What about restrictions involved as far as individual hospitals ' regu- latuions are concerned? Is there inequality there too? Yes, there is. For instance, in the Lower Mainland area, each of the hospitals where therapeutic abortions are performed have their own regulations, involving residency requirements, consent of parents, consent of husband, or requiring two doctors' opinions before abortion is available. This can cause some women a lot of needless running around, and also of course a lot of mental stress can be caused to her and possible her close family or friends. Could you describe the kind of woman who might come to you for help in dealing with an unplanned pregnane^ We see women of all ages and backgrounds, from teenagers to women in their 30s and 40s. Are they always looking for an abortion as a way out of their pregnancies^ Not always - although many women have of course made up their minds before they contact us. Often what they want is to talk over the alternatives with a knowledgeable and sympathetic person in a supportive, non-judgmental atmosphere, which is what we try to provide. So you offer alternatives to abortion? Yes, we do - we can talk about assistance for the single mother, and make referrals to agencies dealing with adoption and so on. We certainly don't attempt to persuade undecided women into having abortions - we just make them aware that it's one of several possibilities open to them and that only the women herself is responsible for her choice. What do you feel are the circumstances in which a woman might need an abortion? There are many reasons and sometimes it's a combination of several circumstances that make it advisable not to carry an unplanned pregnancy to term - for instance, a very young woman, still in school, unable to cope adequately with a pregnancy or with raising a child and also not wanting to disrupt her education at such an important time:, a woman who already has one or two very young children, too close together - this could cause a big physical and financial strain; someone whose marriage or partnership is unstable or in the process of breaking up; someone whose poor financial situation could not support another child adequately which might mean going on welfare; and of course a woman who has a mentally unstable lifestyle, uses drugs or alcohol heavily, might not have the motivation to handle a pregnancy in a responsible way. There is also the older woman who has stopped using birth control thinking she's safe because of her age, and who suddenly finds herself pregnant when she already has a grownup family. An important part of abortion counselling is a discussion of birth control and the way its use fits into a woman's life. The process of contraception is explained and the use of the various methods of birth control, together with their advantages and disadvantages, are explained, so that each woman can make the best possible choice. It is probably surprising to many people that in 1977 when we have a choice of contraceptive methods that abortion should still be needed to deal with unwanted pregnancies. Can you explain why that is? We certainly do have a variety of methods available, but unfortunately none of them are 100% effective, and not all of them are suitable for every woman. This means abortion is necessary as a "back-up" method turn the page for more... f 12 13 ALL YOU COULD CONCCIVABLY NG€D TO KNOW ABOUT ABORTION IN B.C. in certain cases, however unpleasant it may seem. To go into some of the difficulties - the pill and the IUD are excellent contraceptives in their way, but some women cannot use them due to the severe side-effects they experience. The diaphragm is a very effective method if it is properly understood and regularly used, and the same goes for the foam and condom method. The problems are that many people think these methods are uncomfortable and messy because they've never learned how to properly use them. A big problem is that when a woman seeks advice on contraception, she will usually go to her doctor first, and since many doctors have their own biases and prejudices about birth control, she might not get the full picture of what is available, or may end up with a method that she doesn't fully understand or which is unsuitable or even unsafe for her to use. Why do birth control methods fail? Usually through human error caused by inadequate understanding of the method. For example, the pill must be taken every day at the same time every day - forgetting several pills in a row means you are unprotected for the rest of that month. The IUD can fail because it moves around inside the uterus or is expelled by the body unknown to the woman. It's also known that taking antibiotics for an infection can decrease the function of the IUD since it suppresses the uterine inflammation which is the way the IUD prevents pregnancy. Doctors don't always remember to tell patients this when they fit them, and some doctors aren't even aware that this can happen. As far as the barrier methods go, the condom can break or slip off and the diaphragm can fail if it's not properly fitted or if the woman hasn't been fully taught how to use it properly. So you see that it's quite possible for a woman using birth control to get pregnant, usually without understanding what went wrong. What do■you see as the answer to this problem? A realistic program of birth control and responsible sexual behaviour integrated into the school system would be a good start in making young people aware of the necessity for contraception and the risks they take in having unprotected intercourse. We've been successful in running some preventative health care and birth control education classes at local high school during the last couple of years and it's very obvious when we go there that this information is really necessary and is welcomed by the students, both male and female. You mention responsibility as being involved with birth control - who do you see as being primarily responsible, the woman or the man? Since the appearance of the pill and the IUD over the last few years, the burden of contraception and the risks that go with it seem to have fallen more on the woman than the man. There is a great need to educate men into taking a more positive role in preventing unwanted pregnancies, instead of just relying on the woman to take the initiative, and also foot the bill for prescription pills, sperm- icial jelly, and so on! There is also a very great need for more funds to be directed towards a safe, effective means of birth control for both men and women. Unfortunately, since research funds are mostly controlled and administered by men, to predominantly male scientists, this need will probably be unfulfilled for some time. It's been said before, but if men ran the risk of getting pregnant, we'd have better birth control and less need for abortions as a back up method. When a woman comes to the Health Collective for counselling, her problems and life situation are discussed with the counsellor either in a group situation, or if she prefers, in an individual counselling perhaps with her partner along for support. She is given detailed information about the law, the hospital regulations, and the doctor's examination. The hospital admitting procedure and the actual abortion methods are described and demonstrated with the help of pictures and models. What is the purpose of all these explanations? For many women the whole situation is a very scary one, because they don't understand what's involved. We feel that going over the procedure step by step we can eliminate a lot of needless anxiety and fear and can also offer a lot of useful advice and support. I understand that a first trimester abortion, that is, under 12 weeks of pregnancy, is a relatively uncomplicated procedure. Could you explain a little more about what is involved? Yes, it is usually done on an outpatient basis, meaning a woman would go into the hospital in the morning and leave by the afternoon. The method most used now is the Vacuum Aspiration method, where the cervix is dilated a few centimeters to allow the introduction of a vacurette, a small hollow tube. The vacurette is attached to a small vacuum suction machine and the contents of the uterus are withdrawn by means of suction. In some cases the doctor may complete the procedure by going over the uterus lining with a small curette to remove all traces of tissue. This is called a D&C, or dilation and curettage. The whole procedure is usually done under general anasthetic although some women who have had problems with the aftereffects of general anasthetic may elect to have a local pelvic anasthetic and remain conscious during the procedure. The whole thing takes about 15 minutes and the woman is kept in the hospital for 2-3 hours afterwards until she's fully recovered. After 12 weeks, this method is no longer suitable, is that correct? Yes, a more complicated procedure, either saline or prostaglandin injection has to be used to induce fetal death and labour. This of course involves a higher risk to the woman, and a hospital stay of several days. For women outside the Lower Mainland area, the abortion situation is not always straightforward. Heather Campbell of the Health Collective talks about the problem of obtaining an abortion in less populated areas of the province. Many hospitals in rural areas have too few doctors to form the necessary m-SAi ift _^L r*a# **J» t*M Women will nor be free unhl Wean control our means of reproduction It also involves a considerable amount of mental stress and physical pain and is a procedure to be avoided if at all possible. Unfortunately those women who don't realize they are pregnant until after 12 weeks, or who have hassles finding a sympathetic doctor or hospital, may end up in this situation needlessly. committee. There may be a conservative attitude towards abortion by doctors in these areas who may refuse to refer women to other sources of help. This results in a delay for the pregnant woman which could mean having to use the more risky second trimester method and which of course causes a lot of stress to the woman. I understand that some research is being done on the availability of abortion services throughout the vrovince? Yes, I'm involved now in gathering information for a B.C. Federation of Women survey to assess abortion availability in B.C. What kind of information will be contained in the survey? Well, we know now that in B.C, out of 142 hospitals, 54 have abortion committees. These statistics only show those hospitals that will consider a woman's application for abortion; they don't show how many applications are accepted, or indicate the attitude of the committee towards abortion. So the survey will try to asses these two things, and so reflect the actual availability of abortion in B.C. It will include specific information on residency and age requirements, methods and cost of abortion in each area of the province, availability of counselling, and other details. How will this survey , The survey will be distributed to women's centres throughout B.C, to familiarize women of their local situations. This should serve two purposes; one, it will be a source of information, useful as far as helping women in outlying areas to obtain abortions more readily, and two, it will serve as a political tool, motivating women to take action on the abortion issue. What are the results far? So far they seem to indicate that the availability of abortion for the individual woman in B.C. depends on her ability to find a sympathetic doctor who will present an effective case for her to the local hospital committee. The committees appear, for the most part, to follow the World Health Organization's definition of health in interpreting the abortion law, and, on paper at least, most applicants are accepted IF they can persuade their doctor of their need for an abortion. So the power still rests with the doctor, and as I said earlier, it may be difficult for women in rural areas to find a sympathetic doctor. Residency requirements vary considerably throughout the province — it seems difficult if not impossible outside of the Lower Mainland for a woman under 19 to obtain an abortion without parental consent. Three areas so far specifically reported anti-abortion pressure on doctors doing abortion in the areas, and expressed concern about the effect of this on future availability. How is the survey progressing? I have three quarters of the results in so far. We hope to have the survey compiled and distributed soon. Do you see any prospect of the abortion situation becoming less restrictive and more available to women who need it? The situation won't change radically until abortion is removed from the Criminal Code, and that will take a lot of work to change the existing law. The most important research done on the Canada-wide situation is published in the book "Report of the Committee on the Operation of the Abortion Law", otherwise known as the Badgley Report. This is a survey carried out across the country to determine whether the procedure provided in the Criminal Code for obtaining therapeutic abortions is operating equitably across Canada. The results of this study have been made public and will be tabled in the House for debate, although we are not sure when that will take place. Does the Badgley Report contain information that show the abortion situation to be inequitable in different provinces? Yes, it goes into detailed transcripts of interviews with doctors, nurses, and women who had legal and illegal abortions and shows that the procedure is not only operating very inequitably but that the medical profession, hospital staff and so on all have very different and in some cases very definite opinions of the right of women to have legalized abortion. Reading the transcripts of interviews with women who have had to go through so much needless mental suffering, expense and pain due to the attitude of the people who were supposed to be helping them is really an eye-opener and shows very clearly that the system is not working the way it should. What do you see as solutions to the problems? . Firstly, abortion should be removed from the Criminal Code and should become a matter between the woman and her doctor. The consent of another person should not be required. Secondly, the therapeutic abortion committee system should be scrapped as it is a mere formality in most cases and causes unnecessary delay in starting the actual abortion procedure. It would also be preferable to have separate clinics specially for abortion, rather than having to go through the whole hospital admitting procedure which can cause more delay while waiting for an available bed. I would urge all women who are concerned about the right of every woman to have a safe, legal abortion free from unnecessary restrictions and by her own choice as an independent person, to give her support to a change in the abortion law by writing to her MLA, the Minister of Health, and the Minister of Justice, to urge a repeal of the present abortion law in favour of a system which is fair and equitable to all women. KINESIS 14 STAMP OUT TAMPAX Some tampon manufacturer , in the great search for more and more profits, use chemicals, wood fiber, plastic and even known cancer-producing materials — asbestos, for example — as ingredients in tampons. And many women find that the amount of chaffing in repeated use of tampons over a week's time is extremely uncomfortable. An alternative that many women are using and advocating is the natural sponge. Natural sponges are grown in the Aegean Sea and are used in the US for ceramic purposes. The sponge should be a natural sponge, generally brownish in color, and chosen for a size that is comfortable, or cut to a good size, if necessary. Also, feel the sponge thoroughly to check for any abrasive pieces that may still remain in the sponge. String, such as dental floss, can be attached to the sponge to make removal easier, but it isn't necessary. If you use string, it should be replaced before next month's flow. String can be tied tightly around one end, or put through a hole made in the sponge. USE A The sponge should be rinsed thoroughly and moistened before inserting. It should only need to be used as often as tampons are replaced. Natural sponges are amazingly absorbent — nothing like artificial sponges. To replace, simply rinse, squeeze semi- dry and reinsert. It may take awhile to figure out the right size for you and how to insert and remove it. Some women occasionally rinse the sponge out in chlorophyll (a natural odor- cleanser) between uses. Some women with a very heavy flow prefer to continue using "super" tampons during the heavy day, or to supplement the sponge with a slim pad, and then totally use the sponge for the remaining days of the period. For use in public restrooms, having a second sponge to insert and then later cleaning the first would be helpful. When you finish your period, wash the sponge thoroughly in a non-detergent mile soap, rinse thoroughly and store in a clean, dry, airy place such as a cloth bag. Allowing it to dry thoroughly discourages bacterial growth. Another alternative is to boil it, although this shrinks the sponge. Many women enjoy the way it feels; in fact, some are very enthusiastic about the way it comforts. The cost in enjoyable too: a smaller size will run 40 to 60c and 80 to 95c for a larger one. Big Mama Rag/From an article by Bara Broen in Well Being U.S. ABORTION ABORTION RIGHTS BADLY COMPROMISED BY HOUSE-SENATE ACCORD New York — The five-month deadlock Over federal Medicaid funding for abortions ended December 7 as the House and Senate agreed on compromise legislation which severely limits the access of poor and third world women to abortions. According to most estimates, two- thirds of the 260,000 Medicaid abortions that were performed last year will be prohibited under the compromise legislation. The bill forbids Medicaid abortions except when the mother's life is endangered or when she would suffer "severe and long-lasting physical health damage" if she were allowed to give birth. In cases of rape or incest - which were a strong area of argument in the Senate-House debate - Medicaid funds will be allowed for "medical procedures" such as dilation and curettage, but only when the rape or incest has been promptly reported to a law enforcement agency or public health service. "It is a brutal treatment of women with medical needs for abortions," said American Civil Liberties Union director Aryeh Neier, who called the decision "no compromise" at all. "This law denies women the right to control their destiny...it imposes the religious views of some groups on others; it interferes with the right to privacy and it penalizes the poor." (LNS) OVULATION WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OVULATION? Are you concerned about harmful side effects of the contraceptive pill? Does you IUD give you cramps and heavy bleeding every month? Would you be interested in learning more about your body cycles? The ovulation, or mucus method of fertility awareness may be what you're looking for. The method is based on the changes in women's cervical mucus, resulting from the changing levels of ovarian and pituitary hormones during the men strual cycle. What that really means is that if you examine the mucus which appears on your labia (external genitals) every day during your cycle, you'll notice that its appearance and texture vary from time to time. Using the ovulation method involves daily observation and charting in order to be able to follow the pattern to find out your infertile, or 'safe' days, and fertile, or 'unsafe' days. Taking the first day of menstruation as the first day of your cycle, you'll notice that after the period flow stops there is usually a feeling of dryness, that is, no mucus is present. Dry days are considered infertile as the type of mucus produced is hostile to the sperm which cannot survive in it. Just prior to ovulation a feeling of wetness appears at the ovulation time and is very stretchy, slippery and elastic like egg-white. After ovulation, the mucus again becomes infertile, which may be indicated by either dryness or dry, tacky mucus. The length of each phase of the cycle and the exact characteristics of each of the different types of mucus vary from woman to woman, and the explanation given is not sufficient to use as an effective method of birth control. To learn more about how the method works., we recommend that you read an excellent book called The Ovulation Method: Cycles of Fertility by Nealy Gillette and Denise Guren. It's available from the HEALTH COLLECTIVE for $2.25. After studying the book, you will be prepared to take one of the classes run by the Collective every month. The class is a 3-hour intensive study of the method, involving demonstration and discussion on how to interpret the different types of mucus. Call the Health Collective at 736-6696 to have your name put on the list for one of the upcoming classes. (The Catalyst) The Vancouver General Hospital annual meeting anticipated in April, has been moved to September. The annual meeting is where the hospital Board of Directors is elected. Each year there is a battle between pro-choice and anti-abortion people, each trying to elect a Board sympathetic to their beliefs. If anti- abortion nominees are elected, abortions will no longer be performed at Vancouver General Hospital. ORGANIZING for September It is necessary for pro-choice people to organize now and not leave it until the summer when our population is more transient. The initial meeting of the pro-choice■ group took place on February 6; further meetings are planned. You can make contact with the group by calling Jackie Simpson at 736 6696 or 738 4080. KINESIS 15 WOMGN '5 STUDIES In my opinion I feel that Women's Studies is a very worthwhile course. Last year when we were going course selection I first heard about the course. It sounded really good to me because for once in all my years of school I had never learnt anything about women and now was my chance. I was not really sure what the course involved but I wanted to give it a try. In September at the outline of the course we were told that we would be doing a section on women in History. To be honest that did not appeal to me at all. Now that I have just finished doing a group report on Famous Women in History I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot too. GOOD LEARNING What I feel is very valuable part of the course is when we have to get up in front of the class and do either role plays or skits. I think it is so good because we have to get up in front of all those people and perform. I like it because it helps us to overcome our doubts and feelings of shyness or embarrassement. These are excerpts from students ' papers about women's studies. We are greatly indebted to the students for giving us access to their comments. (ed.) I hope that this course is introduced to many other schools because it is a very good learning course and it is also lots of fun. # GXPRGSS YOURSGLF I personally feel that the Women's Studies course should be introduced to all schools. From this course I have gained a lot more knowledge of our overlooked history. Through this course I have really began to realize that women are just as important as men. This is true for our history and our present. This course offers a lot to both women and men. It shows you how to be yourself. By this I mean this class lets you say what you feel. A lot of the class is based on your own opinions, the class shares their ideas. The students in a sense teach each other in a lot of things. This course is a valuable course, for all young women who are interested in just where they stand in the world today. Women's Studies is different from what I expected it to be like. I thought it would be more about specific women and what they were doing. I like how we do things to improve ourselves. (The assertiveness training and doing skits.) I don't like doing things like that book study we did. There didn't seem much point to it. One of the best things about this course is the class discussions. I think everybody benefits from them because you get other people's ideas. I think the things that seem most important to me so far is the women in history. I like doing that sort of thing. I would like to learn about women in other countries in the past and now. Nothing has happened to me that was important except what I told you about the T.V. show. • I find Women's Studies a very interesting "and rewarding subject. Women's Studies has given me a better understanding of myself as a woman and the importance of women in society. I have learned to stay calm in a variety of situations. Many of my friends are curious about Women's Studies, and want to know if it is a good course, in my opinion it is. Since the time I decided to take Women's Studies, I was really excited. I'm really glad that I did take it. Through class discussions we express our views and share them with others. By taking part in class discussions everyone learns something from each other. So far the best unit we have covered is assertiveness training. I didn't think I would ever be able to be assertive, but I find that I had. • ASSGRTIVGNGS5 WORKS Being assertive also works and really bugs other people. Women in History was also very interesting. The book entitled 'Never Done' gave me a better understanding of women in history. Before I read the book, I didn't realize that women had to fight in order to enter pro-• fessions, such as- teaching and business. I also wasn't aware that women helped in clearing the land. As a result I feel I have a much better understanding of women in history. At first my father wasn't too keen about me taking Women's Studies. But I assured him that it was going to be continued on p.16 16 a really worthwhile course. I think he was a little upset because he thought it would be all about Women's Liberation. But now I've been in the course, I've been telling him all about it. As a matter of fact he knew more about women in history than I did. So I think my father's views of Women's Studies are better than before he knew what was going on. "WOMGN'S LIB" As for my brother, he thinks it's just a Women's Lib course. We get into discussions about it and I end up laughing at his statements. Just because I'm taking Women's Studies he thinks I'm all for Women's Lib. But I keep telling him that Women's Lib is not the main theme of the course. He was looking through the Status of Women in Canada and says that a lot of the changes have been made. He says he would change roles with a housewife any day. But I reminded him of all the responsibilities of being a mother and wife. Overall I really enjoy Women's Studies. I would recomend this course to any student that asks if its worthwhile taking. This year is the first year of Women's Studies in high school and I think it should be continued to be taught.£ When our class of Women's Studies first began in September, it was everything I thought it would be and everything I wanted it to be. We took the stereotyping etc. section and it presented many opportunities for interesting discussions from all of us in the class. Now we seem to be heading more towards a Social Studies class centered around women, with topics such as Women in History, Women in Economics etc. But this isn't bad; some of the material is quite interesting. But I would like to do more field work — like field trips or going out and talking to people — rather than sitting in class writing reports, and taking notes. However, I realize that there has to be a certain amount of substantial information, for tests etc., so maybe we can work the two together. Everything we've done so far has seemed important to me. I've found myself more alert and aware of subtle things that are happening around me, such as sexist comments from people make themselves known to me whereas before I wouldn't have thought twice about. 9 E£ I have learned a lot about women since I have been in this course. There was so much going on around me and I had no idea it was even there, for example how people think. I never really thought about what people say about women. # mm <*x*& M&r^i LL^S<- When I talk to girlfriends about school, what classes I'm taking, I mention woman studies, everyone seems very interested and wants me to explain everything. When I talk to guys about the course they all think we're all just a bunch of women libbers. # I feel that Women's Studies is one of my more interesting courses. I have learnt a great amount about women of the past and present, in such a short amount of time. The reason probably being that I was never taught about women in any of my other courses, although I feel that in some cases the study of women should have been taught in many of my other classes. It is too bad that the school curiculum does not realize that women are a part of this world, an important part at that. I'm glad that this course has been set up as it is "very much a part of my life. Learning about myself is essential. # BGNGFICIAL This course has been extremely beneficial to my family life. We can sit as grown people and discuss what is on our mind, and all be treated fairly. Previous to this, my father believed a "women's place was in the home". When I would get home I would help do dishes, cook dinner, and then the dinner dishes. A year or so before I was introduced to this course I participated in some meetings on equal rights among some university students. Then with patience and assertiveness, I have slowly convinced my father that we are all the same. Now, after I have had time to think about it, my father really wasn't all that shauvinist. Assertiveness was of the greatest asset to me, it has brought great results. I am willing to learn anything for I know only what I have been taught so far, and it has proved profitable, why not in the future.£ Let's Hear It For WOMCN'S STUDICS I am thoroughly enjoying W.S. and it is a very eye-opening class which makes you more aware of things that went on in the past which I never knew about before. My first expectations about women's studies was that it was a course which looked at women in the home environment, and different women in different walks of life. The things that I have learned that are important to me is when we did the Assertive Training section. I like learning about what women have accomplished and are accomplishing today. I would like to learn about what results and/or failures the women's movement is having and exactly what they are accomplishing, because it seems that results are slow. People in this school and many others which do not go to it are under a misconception, they think just because you're in this class you are a women's libber. As a result of this class an ex-boyfriend of mine and I got into a conversation about marriage and working, he is against marriage, does not want kids and wants to go to parties all his life. I want to work, go travelling and eventually marry and have kids, but even if I have kids I intend to work, but he says if you get married, the woman should stay in the home. In other words he's in favour of male freedom and not the same for both people involved. I am becoming more aware of the male dominance in English and business, and am interested in what is being done. I am more aware of people's opinions concerning the roles of men and women. This course should be in all High Schools in B.C, it would make people more aware. # The one thing that sticks in my mind, that I would say would be the most important thing I've learned, is the discrimination against women. You really don't realize or see it when you're at school. When it's pointed out though, you sit back and say, "Wow!" £ SGLF RGSPGCT One of the most important things that I have learned in this class is self- respect for myself and also how to attain respect from others. The first step that any woman or women's group must take is the attaining of respect from the rest of society. Before we can achieve this respect we have to learn about ourselves. Women's Studies is the first major step in this direction, a 17 Gayla Reid "I come here for my survival", commented one parent, and the others agreed. I was asking women and men why they came to Family Place, 2505 Dunbar. What do they find there? Family Place is a converted storefront on Dunbar just off Broadway. There's a large playroom at the back of the building, with lots of diversions for children: trampolines, crayons and paint, a slide, books, scooters. And other children. More toys than you can ever muster at home; and other children. The playroom is open for pre-schoolers three times a day, Monday through Friday. Any person can bring a child for one session a day, provided that they stay within reach at the centre to be responsible for the child. Times are 9 am - 10.30 am; 11.00 am - 12.00 am; and 1.30 pm - 3.00 pm. While your children is amusing her/him self in the playroom, there's a drop- in area where you can have coffee and talk with the other women and men who bring children along. There's a volunteer staff of 50 at Family Place, who rotate shifts. There's also a full-time, paid staff of five: two regular staffers and three Canada Workers. Arlene Gladstone Gropper, old-time VSW member and on last year's VSW executive, is the coordinator at Family Place. We talked with her, and with Canada Works staffers Juddy Ritter and Jim Moats. "Family Place is not just a place for children"-, Arlene stressed. "It's a community place. Older people are welcome, childless people are welcome. We want people to come for whatever they need to find here." For parents, that's often a chance to talk, to catch up on schoolwork, or to simply sit and stare at the wall for a bit. For older people, it's a chance to be round kids. And for the kids, it's a place to be around each other and to relate to different adults. Jim Moats, one of the playroom supervisors, told us that the centre used to be open for children and adults all day long. "But because of the funding cutbacks, we've had to organize these Above: Child making good use of the Family Place playroom. Below: Women with children at Family Place. three shifts." Family Place receives slender funding from the Ministry of Human Resources, and has recently opened a thrift store, in an effort to become self-sufficient. The store, at the front of Family Place, features children's clothing and toys. "Family Place was started in 1973 on a LIP grant, by two women who met each other at their high school reunion," explained Arlene. "They started exchanging experiences about the isolation of being at home with young children. Then and there they decided to do something about it." Since then, Family Place has been through the whole funding hassle and has had to re-locate to the present address. NCW PROGRAMMES The three Canada Works staff members have just been hired, which gives Family Place the opportunity to develop and extend programs. "We hope to offer a series of programs on practical topics", said Judy Ritter, "such as nutrition, dental care and safety for kids, and some discussions about child development and child abuse. And we're thinking of getting some workshope going on basic carpentry, car maintenance, self-defense and vegetarian cooking. We are also experimenting with the idea of being open some evenings for childcare." The centre already has an excellent library on child development, and extensive resource lists about community activities. FRIGNDLY I found Family Place friendly, informal and not at all clique-ish. If you want to take advantage of the services, and contribute your energies to their growth, call Family Place, 731 2719 or drop in at 2025 Dunbar. SUPPORT HEALTH COLLECTIVE VANCOUVER WOMEN'S HEALTH COLLECTIVE 1520 West 6th Ave Vancouver, B.C. IF YOU USE THEIR SERVICES, THEY NEED YOUR HELP! Since April, 1977, the Health Collective has been funded primarily by the Ministry of Health, Provincial Government. On March 31, 1978, this grant will terminate unless they can prove to the government that their work deserves further funding for 1978-79. If you have contacted the Collective for information, referral or counselling, or if you have participated in a group or study session organized by the Collective, or if you've been a patient at the Women's Self-Help Clinic, PLEASE SUPPORT THEM BY WRITING A LETTER, however brief, stating your appreciation of their services. Letters should be addressed to: The Hon. R.H.McCelland Minister of Health Parliament Buildings Victoria B.C. It must be sent before March 15! PLEASE HELP THE HEALTH COLLECTIVE WRITE TODAY! 10 FEMINISM as IDEOLOGY A Response to the Lesbian Caucus Linda Yanz & David Smith Capitalism is in crisis. This is the context of the renewed debate in the women's movement over 'where we go from here'. We are facing hard times. We want to respond effectively. We need more and better analysis so that we can develop stragegies that will work. The recent article by the Lesbian Caucus, "Feminism as Ideology", published in Kinesis (October) contributed to this debate but unfortunately added more confusion than clarification. There are a lot of disagreements in the women's movement. Ideological struggle is taking place within groups, over coffee, in study groups and in the pages of our publications. The questions are clearer. The divisions are becoming sharper. The questions aren't new and they're fundamental. Where do we go from here? How do we work to best serve the interests of women - in the short and long term? How is it that women are oppressed in this society? How can we change it? Who are our enemies and who are our allies in the struggle for women's emancipation? It is no accident that these questions are out front again. In the last few years we have had successes and failures. If we are going to make progress from here we have to evaluate our past. The capitalist crisis has had a real impact on women's lives and on our work in the movement. We've learned how temporary the gains we've made really are. Childcare is available to fewer women today than three years ago. Rising unemployment and inflation means more women need work but there are fewer and fewer jobs to be found. It means women are losing the small inroads they made into the better paying 'men's jobs'. And as always, the crisis means more work for women in the home. Where wages buy less women fill in with more work. The crisis has made more and more visible the ways in which capitalism works against women. the state is against us And we've learned much more concretely that the state oppresses women. It is not on our side. The state's repeated attacks on the gains we've made show us more and more clearly that the state apparatus is the instrument of the capitalism class and is opposed to the liberation of women. We now know this applies whether the particular party in power is the Liberals, Conservatives or NDP. One may be more 'humane' than the other but they still administer a capitalist state in the interests of a capitalist class. Many of us have paid lip service to this before, but at the same time we've depended on the state. Reforms have often been an end goal. We've seen the short term gains in areas like child care as leading in a simple way to long term changes for women. We have thought in terms of x number of changes in legislation eventually adding up to women's emancipation. Our experience makes it clear that this is not the way things work. No reform is secure. We are involved in a continual struggle to maintain what we've won. Right now we are losing ground. The question 'where do we go from here' can only be given a political answer. The Lesbian Caucus suggests the solutions are to be found by speculating about what feminism is and what a feminist Utopia might be. They try to deduce a political direction from a set of general principles. Feminism is for them "an analysis of power relationships" which "embraces a comprehensive set of values - cooperation, classlessness, demystifi- cation of knowledge, non-oppressiveness, (and) respect for uniqueness." It is "concerned with the equalization of power". And finally - it is based on the principle of "integration" of "these values at all levels of personal existence/experience and inter-relating these values on all levels." The political ideology that emerges does not give us a solid starting point for our work but rather is a string of abstract terms with little logical continuity - and more importantly, with little concrete relation to the real political problems feminists face right now. The article boils down to a hodge-podge of wishes for a beautiful future tied together with a shallow analysis of capitalist society and its reality for women. The article does raise important issues but for the most part they are lost in the confusion. We've attempted to bring them into focus. 1. The Lesbian Caucus is right - capitalism has to go. Liberation for all women is not possible under capitalism. But we can't just wish it away with thoughts of decentralization, work in small groups and cooperation. We need to understand how capitalism in Canada in 1978 works and how it works to oppress women. We need to look concretely at how developments in capitalism and the policies of the state over the last 50 years have institutionalized the dependence of women on men through the segregation of women in low pay ing jobs and often by denying them jobs altogether. We need to understand the impact this development has had on relations between women and men and children in the family. And we need to understand the class dif- cerences in women's oppression - not to deny bourgeois women's oppression but in order to understand the real bases of women's oppression and exploitation. We can't work to organize a society differently unless we understand the determinants of women 's oppression in this kind of society. 2. We agree with the Lesbian Caucus when they say that women's problems don't end with socialism. Socialism doesn't offer automatic solutions for women. But by suppressing capitalism it does create qualitatively different conditions - both economically and politically - for women's liberation. It's not easy to see how women in the women's movement can take up the struggle for socialism. Our experience and the history of the communist movement gives feminist Marxists cause for serious concern. All too often the interests of women get put aside for a later day. But it is important to see that the real problems reflect divisions among potential allies. Dorothy Smith's recent Feminism and Marxism is one attempt to look at these divisions between women and men in the working class and revolutionary movement. It is this kind of analysis that gives us a basis for identifying the main enemy - the capitalist class - and as well for beginning to understand the divisions that exist among those who oppose that class. Unity won't just happen. Sexism in all classes is a real practice. If we are going to win we have to build the unity of as many women and men as possible against the capitalist class and against women's oppression. vanguard needed 3. When it comes down to proposing ways of working "Feminism as Ideology" is vague and idealist. Common sense tells us we are not going to overthrow capitalism by working in 'small' 'horizontal' groups. A revolution is not a picnic. To confront the bourgeoisie we need to be well organized and large in number. On this question the Lesbian Caucus adds only confusion by opposing vanguard parties. The social movement which overthrows and suppresses capitalism and builds socialism will need a practical and theoretical leadership. That is - it will need a vanguard. Neither women's liberation or socialism are going to be achieved tomorrow or the next day. To bring these about'we need to discuss analysis and strategies openly and concretely and organize to carry them out. The pages of Kinesis are a good place to begin this discussion. 19 ! China Continued from page 8 work to increase their own incomes, but instead to,play a more powerful collective economic and political role which, in transforming their own condition, transforms as a result the lives of everyone else as well. Such contradictions, Hinton explained, have resulted in an upsurge of women's organizing. WOMCN'S FCDCRATION Since 1973, Women's Federation conferences have been held throughout the country. During the campaign to criticize Lin Piao and Confucius, women directed their grievances with men at the roots of the Chinese patriarchy, namely, Confucianism. Women held that responsible for the position they were in currently. In efforts to remove some of these patriarchial attitudes, men offered to go, upon marriage, to the villages of their wives, instead of remaining within the patrilocal system, whereby the man sets up a home in the house or village of his parents. BRCAKING WITH TRADITION In the early days of New China, women had always been on revolutionary committees in factories and communes but had always been forced into positions for which women were "best suited"; namely, women's work. Women, however, have recently been breaking with this binding tradition and have been taking positions as heads of production in fields of industry and agriculture. In closing, Hinton described her disillusionment with her work as a nuclear physicist. She left the States knowing what she was against, but not knowing what she was for; and headed off to China. It took her one year before she was able to get through Kuomintang lines north to Yenan — birthplace of revolutionary China. From her vibrant description of her life in China from that time, she has obviously found what she was for, and it has clearly brought her great refreshing hope and joy. The evening ended with a discussion period, during which Hinton made the following points about the status of women in rural China: - There is free abortion on demand - The pill is in use for contraception. - There is no difference in educational opportunities for women and men in rural areas - Crime, marital problems etc. are dealt with at the local, grass-roots On the issue of rape, Hinton said that she had lived in rural China for nearly 30 years and has never heard of a case of rape. She rides her bicycle anywhere at any time and feels very safe. FCMINISTS HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOUR? Lorna Boschman My name is Lorna Boschman . . . I am a feminist stand-up comedian. There are not many feminist comics around; there are even fewer in Canada. And if any of you are making a living at it, I'd wish you'd write me and tell me how you did it . . . Sometimes I feel like comedy and I are lovers. I put a lot into the relationship, but I get so much back emotionally that it's worth the sacrifice involved. Through comedy, I have found my voice politically. I am one of those women who is not very good at meetings. I am just not the analytical type. But you can say as much through a cultural medium like music, comedy or theatre as you can in a speech or book. These are all parts of communication of ideas that can and do compliment each other. Besides, there is no rule that says politics cannot be fun. I mean, what politics is all about is having control of our lives on our terms. And that better include enjoying life. Doing it like we want to do it. For me to be a comedienne is my attempt to control my own life. I don't want to dtpend on any man's wages. I don't want to toe the line to keep some job I hate. I want to be an independent woman. Which, unfortunately, in this time and place, means I have to sacrifice some financial security for emotional stability. I don't feel like an outcast, though, because most women are just getting by, too. And so, as a comedienne, I speak from a place they know. I hope to be funny for the people who don't usually like comedians. We all know why there are so few famous female painters, writers and speakers. We stay at home with the kids and dishes, because we don't have the money to leave. Or the money to live that life on our terms. If I had had the money these past few years to work full time on writing and developing skills performing, who knows how much better I would be now. But you do what you can to get by. In all modesty, I must admit I am hilarious at times. I can do wonders for your emotions, if only for a few hours. My material is aimed at women, written about women's lives and experiences. I try, as much as is possible, to perform for audiences dominated by women: either all women or a reasonably mixed group. Some men will not get the jokes unless there's a woman there to explain something she takes for granted. I am not a laughter machine. I want to work in situations where there is some possibility of communication between all involved. That is next to impossible in the middle of a bar room brawl, for example. Which is not to say that all bars are hard to work in, but just that I recognise that there are times to drink, times to dig the show and times to do both. I believe in the importance of my words and ideas. The reactions of others reinforces that belief. The topics I speak of are varied, ranging from fat liberation, housework, diets, jobs, welfare, the Ion Theory, to how pet stains on your carpets may ruin your marriage. I have two characters, "Mama B.", a daytime T.V. hostess with hints for the homemaker and "Mary Q. Normal", whose name says it all. LORNA BOSCHMAN appears at the FULL CIRCLE WOMEN'S COFFEE HOUSE, 152 East 8th Ave., February 17 (women only) and February 22 (women and men). Doors open 8.30; performance starts 9.30. 'halan county* is coming Whatever you do this March, don't miss Harlan County, USA. This incredible movie is coming to town about March 3, and will be at either the Varsity or the Dunbar. Kinesis, July '77 carried a brief review of Harlan County. The story is of the striking miners in Harlan, Kentucky, and of their struggle to be represented by the union of their choice. In the community of Brookside, the Brookside Women's Club played a major role in the strike. The women's courage is inspiring, and tremendously moving. The movie was directed and produced by a woman, Barbara Kopple, and the movie is a testimony to her own personal strength and political commitment. 20 GODIVA'S Doreen Allan A naked woman, supposedly representing Lady Godiva, was lead on a horse through the UBC campus in January. The event celebrated Engineers Week. Witty engineers accompanied her, singing "We are/we are/we are the engineers;/we can/we can/drink forty beers." Unfortunately, I was not there to join the protest, but it was described to me by one of the protesters as being a frightening experience. He said, "It was like the warriors returning with a prisoner or the hunters coming home with their kill." I find this analogy appropriate, considering the damage it does to women. I went up to UBC to speak with individual engineering students about their annual events, and to find out what they are like outside their pack. They said Lady Godiva is their mascot. When I asked them, "Why Lady Godiva?", they didn't have a clue. One person tried to justify their parade by comparing Godiva's legendary, unconventional act of charity to the engineers' "witty" acts of charity. (They raise money for some band-aid causes during Engineers' Week.) Godiva was an eleventh century English woman who rode through the streets naked to urge her husband to abolish a heavy tax. Godiva's famous ride has nothing to do, in fact, with men humiliating and degrading a woman to prove their power over her. 4ito ^ «2 HUMOUR The engineers' paper, Red Rag, appeared on the scene during the festivities. It contains a plethora of gross jokes that particularly contribute to the oppression of women. One cartoon depicted a male character violently raping a female character. Rape is funny? There were "humourous" titles, such as Ram Her Inc. and "jokes" comparing the odour of female genitals to that of a dead fish. Red Rag is about 90% sexist, but there are also racist and anti- gay jokes. The only things it does not attack, violate and criticise, are their almighty penises, which are clearly depicted as weapons. The protest against the Lady Godiva ride came in the wake of an attack, on the women's office at the UBC student union building. Women's Committee posters were stolen and photographs of nude women taped to the walls. Damage is estimated at $100. The engineers' annual activities are just examples of countless attempts by the state to perpetuate male domination and female oppression. They are not to be taken lightly. PROSTITUTION GOES TO COURT Prostitution isn't prohibited under the Criminal Code in Canada, but soliciting for the purpose of prostitution is.. What exactly is soliciting? The word is defined neither in the Criminal Code nor in the Interpretation Act. Vancouver lawyers Anne Roundthwaite and Tony Serka challenged the fuzzy nature of the word "soliciting" in the Supreme Court of Canada on November 30. A decision is expected at any time. They were appealing the conviction of a 23-year-old Vancouver woman who had been charged with soliciting outside a Vancouver hotel in 1975. She was acquitted once and convicted twice. "SOLICITING" LEGAL? Roundthwaite and Serka comment that in the absence of any legal definition, "soliciting" must be understood as "pressing, persistent conduct", as this is the dictionary definition which comes closest to describing how we normally use the word. Ontario case law, moreover, supports that definition. Hopefully, if the Supreme Court rules in their favour, B.C. will have to operate within the boundaries of that definition, too. TWO WOMEN REPLACED BY THREE MEN Two women doctors have won their fight against discrimination through the intervention of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The two women were on the staff of a small Toronto hospital when they were terminated and three male surgeons hired in their place. The marital status of the complainants was a contributing factor in their dismissal. The hospital considered that it was justified in letting the women go because they were not "principal breadwinners". The women were also subjected to other forms of petty discrimination such as being referred to as "the girls", being denied the opportunity to examine patients, and having to share one locker whereas each of the men had his own. The Commission commented: "..making hiring decisions on the basis of the breadwinner concept...is in violation of human rights." It also pointed out that the breadwinner concept always crops up in times of economic recession. (Women's Bureau Newsletter, Ontario Ministry of Labour info) 21 NDP One For The Album A loose group of women street theatre players gave their premier performance at the Bloedel Conservatory recently. Their "Mock Marriage" was a spontaneous performance stimulated by the nauseating procession of wedding part ies that choose the Conservatory for their ceremonial photographs. Some of this group are continuing to meet to work on street theatre pieces of March 8, International Women's Day. Research Team Continues The Women's Research Team has received a grant of $8,725 from the Secretary of State to continue its research project until March 31. This educational phase of the project will include distribution of their publication Update on the Status ot Women m B.C., and workshops with women's groups throughout the province. The research team will be holding a number of workshops during March to share the results of their research. Women's groups anywhere in the province who are interested in a workshop presentation should contact the Women's Research Team, c/o Vancouver Status of Women, 2029 W. 4th Avenue, Vancouver for details. Queen Charlotte Women Queen Charlotte City Women's Group has begun work on Canada Works Project: Mobilization. Our proposal outlines two specific parts of the project. Part I will be concerned with the Re-Cycled Fabrics Workshop. This workshop will be initiating a variety of re-cycling projects that use fabrics as the major material. The first big project will be the design and creation of several tapestries which will be given to the community of Queen Charlotte City for the purpose of decorating our new community hall. Part I will be involved with many other types of fabric related crafts and every Saturday morning we will be by Nancy McCreary giving workshops, which will be open to the public on a wide variety of topics. Part II of the proposal outlines the development and expansion of the Resource Library and files which we have been assembling during the past few years. The staff for Part II will also be involved in giving workshops which will be designed to share the information with the public. Our address is: Queen Charlotte Women's Group, PO Box 387, Queen Charlotte City, B.C. VOT ISO. Have You Written Your Support Letter Yet? continued from p. 4 During the course of discussion it was pointed out that the NDP Standing Committee on Women's Rights was founded on the premise that women should organize inside the NDP and have a responsibility for bringing forward policy on women's issues. This was the basis of its winning recognition by the party in the early 1970's as an official standing committee on women's rights. Countering a comment that the committee has been ineffective in influencing the party to accept women's goals, several women pointed to the comprehensive body of policy on women's rights that has been developed by the Committee and adopted at Provincial Conventions. It was recognized that women's rights are not a priority with the party leaders. Recently a motion approved in Convention for full-time women's organizer was omitted from the party's budget. The Women's Committee has been repeatedly refused representation on the Provincial Election Planning Committee. It was agreed that one of the tasks of the Women's Committee is to educate the party leaders and Provincial Council on women's issues. women's issues A discussion paper on the goals and objectives of the Women's Committee as expressed in the conference workshops is being prepared. A proposal for restructuring the Steering Committee of the Women's Committee is also being prepared for debate. Guest Speaker Judy Wasylycia-Leis, Federal Women's Organizer, asked B.C. women to supply her with the data she needs to show Broadbent and other NDP leaders that B.C. women "are suffering and looking for a political alternative." We must convince them, she said, that candidates can benefit from stressing women's issues in their campaigns. She reported that the federal Election Planning Committee were astounded at statistics showing how dismally the Party has failed in attracting women's votes. The conference passed a resolution forming a Provincial Women's Election Planning Committee to gather material on patterns of women voters, to determine women's issues for campaigns, to present the information to the Provincial Election Committee, to ensure that the material is presented to candidates and election workers. This information will be shared with Judy Wasylycia-Leis. The Women's Committee also hopes to be able to cooperate with the B.C. Federation of Labour in their program of public education on unemployment, by providing information on unemployment and cutbacks affecting women. A Search Committee was set up to find women candidates for provincial and federal councils. A telegram was sent to Premier Bennet protesting Labour Minister Williams failure to set up Human Rights inquiries and stressing the support of the Women's Committee for Kathleen Ruff and her work. thanks to Jo Lazenby, former editor of Kinesis for this information ! 22 SORWUC Dear Sisters; We would like to thank you for all the time and energy you spent helping us while we were on strike. It was your support that made it possible for us to win a first contract. In fact, your solidarity was an inspiration to all of us as to just how much strength there is in unity. For the past three weeks, we have been writing and mailing letters of thanks to all those who expressed their solidarity by walking the line and/or making financial donations. We have a lot more to do, but in some cases, only have a first name and no phone number or address. Please accept this open letter as a personal thanks from us. All of you in the Women's movement supported us because you recognized that we are trade unionists and feminists and because you know how important it is for working women to stand up together, for themselves. If you would like more details of the contract covering the staff of Bimini, or other SORWUC information, please contact us. We would like to hear from you. A very special thanks to the staff of VSW whose time, incredible energy, patience, and facilities were invaluable. This is a good beginning for waitresses and it is only through what we all experienced during our struggle that waitresses and other working women can continue to fight for their rights. Thank you again, and remember, it's your victory too. In solidarity SORWUC at Bimini WORKERS ON THIS ISSUE: Doreen Allen, Janet. Beebe, Lyn Buckle, Judith Burke, Portland Frank, Gayla Reid. CREDITS: All graphics from Liberation News Service, except for p. 20, 22: Emergency Librarian. ABOUT THE COVER: In. 1963, floods destroyed much of the crops of the Tachai commune in northern China. A group of approximately 20 young women, aged 13 - 17 formed a shock brigade and set to work to salvage as much of the crops as possible. They far exceeded the quota given out by the Party branch and thus won the name "Iron Girls Team of Tachai. " CRITICISM KINESIS: I read with great interest Holly Devor's comments on the materials anonymously sent to her and other individuals and groups connected with the so-called women's movement in Vancouver ("What is a radical?", Kinesis, December 1977). Although I am in general agreement that the tactic of anonymous mailings is "disruptive and irresponsible", and that it creates "paranoia and anger" in the receivers, I take issue with Holly's suggestion that women (who received the mailings) , "if approached openly, could be involved in productive discussion". As someone who does not operate anonymously and who has approached many of the women in question openly, in public meetings, in pursuit of "productive discussion", only to be royally abused, attacked, slandered and threatened, in a word, "trashed", I can understand why others would want to avoid a similar fate. The hostile treatment of critics and questioners, as described by Cady Williams and myself in our leaflet, "When is the 'women's movement' not a women's movement?" (November 1977), results understandably in people having to take cover when offering criticisms, unless they are personally strong enough and/or politically experienced enough to take the abuse that they are likely to get. Unless Holly Devor is willing to recognize a possible cause-and-effect link between this kind of treatment of critics and the anonymous mailings, her request for "person(s) responsible to identify themselves and explain their intentions...and to make themselves available for discussion both of the issues raised by their paper and the techniques used to distribute it", can only be regarded as hypocritical if not downright dishonest. It smacks too much of "why don't you stand up to be counted - so we can shoot you down", to be regarded as sincere. As long as the abusive treatment of critics continues - and as long as no public self-criticism is forthcoming from the women who have either partaken in or approved of such treatment, either actively or passively - a number of women who have criticisms to offer and questions to ask on any issues related to the building of a women's movement, are either silenced or forced to operate with anonymity. In either case it is a loss to all women. Yours, for open and principled struggle Marjaleena Repo 2621 Charles Street, Vancouver Kinesis is published monthly by the Vancouver Status of Women. It's objectives are to enhance understanding about the changing position of women in society and to work actively towards achieving change. Views expressed in Kinesis are those of the writer and DO NOT necessarily reflect VSW policy. All unsigned material is the responsibility of Kinesis editorial and production crew. SUBMISSIONS: VSW welcomes submissions from the feminist community and in particular, from VSW members. We do reserve the right to edit, and submission does not guarantee publication. Include a SASE if you want your work returned. CORRESPONDENCE — Kinesis, Vancouver Status of Women, 2029 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1N3. You can help our subscription base by delivering free copies in your community. Call VSW and we'll send you some: 736-3746. Membership to Vancouver Status of Women is by donation and Kinesis is mailed monthly to all members. Individual subscriptions to Kinesis are $8.00 per year and we would ask members to base their donations on this and their own financial position. For information on union organizing or the women's programme of the B.C. Federation of Labour, please contact: Director of Women's Programmes B.C. Federation of Labour 3110 Boundary Road iurnaby, B.C. V5M 4A2 • 1 430-1421 23 -j^imrfHwij WOMAN ALIVE VSW Weekly TV Show February programme Woman Alive is shown every Wednesday night, 9.30 on Channel 10 in Vancouver. Feb 15 — Interview with women from New LIFE (Living is for Everyone) Centre — which is a resource centre for widowed, separated and divorced women Feb 22 — "A Sign of Affection" — This is a video on wife battering made by Peg Campbell for the United Way Task Force on Family Violence. Includes Peg's interview with Vander Zalm, with him saying he tries to keep families together . . . A special series on Women in the Arts will begin in March. SELF ADVOCACY WOMEN'S SELF-ADVOCACY. VSW now holds workshops where you can work with other women who have similar legal problems to yours. If you want help about your separation, divorce, or family court problems, give us a call. Workshop times are Sundays: 1.00 to 3.00 pm; Mondays and Mondays & Tuesdays, 7.30 - 9.00 pm. Call Mercia or Carol, at VSW for more details. ASSERTIVENESS ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING AND CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING. VSW runs regular sessions in both. Call Susan, 736 3746 for details. CR FACILITATORS SOUGHT At VSW, we are looking for facilitators for Consciousness Raising Groups. If you are interested, call 736 3746 and ask for Susan. REFERENCE LIBRARY. VSW has an extensive reference library on topics of relevance to feminists. If you are a student, and are woking on research in areas related to the women's movement, drop by the office from 9-5 weekdays. Call Mercia 736 3746 for more information. COMMUNITY ACTION. VSW is now organizing feminist groups in Marpole, South Vancouver and Kitsilano. If you live in any of these areas and want to work within your own community on women's issues, call Susan at 736 3746 for information. COFFEEHOUSE FULL CIRCLE COFFEEHOUSE 152 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver (874 7119) FEBRUARY SCHEDULE Opens at 8.30 - performance at 9.30 Admission $2.00 WEDNESDAYS (open to women & men) Feb. 15: EDDIE McKENZIE and AUDIE O'BEHRA -both singers and guitarists from Vancouver Feb. 22: LORNA BOSCHMAN -see Feb. 17 FRIDAYS (women only) Feb. 17: LORNA BOSCHMAN -feminist comedian from Toronto Feb. 24: EDDIE McKENZIE -local singer and guitarist SUNDAY NIGHTS — Drop-in for women only (free) JAM SESSIONS — 2nd & 4th Thursdays Feb. 9 & 23 (free) SPECIAL EVENTS Monthly social happening: lounge-like atmosphere. Saturday Feb. 4th at 8.30. $1 Women only WOMCN'S FILMS Throughout February, Thursday evenings at the National Film Board cinemas, 1161 W.Georgia, are devoted to women's films. WOMEN IN FOCUS has organized the series. Feb 16 "The Amazing Equal Pay Show" (50 mins); "Take Off" (10 mins); "China Moon" (15 mins); "Maxine" (13 mins). Feb 23 "Some American Feminists, New York, 1976" (55 mins); "Emancipation of Women" - Pts 1 & 2; "Lavender" (13 mins). STRATEGY MEETING WOMEN'S MOVEMENT STRATEGY MEETING SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1978 12 NOON - 5 PM : COME FED Date: Time: Place: BRITANNIA COMMUNITY CENTRE 1661 Napier Street Room L2, L3 above library Refreshments Provided Suggested Agenda A Who or what are our enemies? B Looking for the women's movement For FREE CHILDCARE, phone 874-2564 before Februrary 8, 1978. WOMEN'S STUDIES B.C. WOMEN'S STUDIES ASSOCIATION SPRING CONFERENCE Date: SATURDAY, MARCH 18 Time: 9 AM registration Place: UBC, ARTS ONE BUILDING For registration information, contact Frances Wasserlein, Co-ordinator, B.C.Women's Studies Assoc, c/o 517 East Broadway, Vancouver. Telephone: 879 1219 PEOPLE'S LAW SCHOOL Feb. 16 — SEPARATION AGREEMENTS When a married couple separates, they should set the terms of their separation down on paper. A free seminar on Thursday, February 16 will explain how to draft, finalize, and enforce a separation agreement. The seminar will run from 7.30 to 9.30 pm at the Britannia Community Centre Library, 1661 Napier Street. Separation Agreements is sponsored by the Vancouver People's Law School. It is free and open to the public, but please pre-register at 734 1126 to ensure that space is available. i Full Circle X Piano Benefit ** Saturday Feb 18th. Full Circle Piano Benefit, at the Scottish Auditorium, 1605 W.12th Ave. $4.00 admission, 8.00pm. Performers: FERRON, CAROL STREET, MAGGIE SAVAGE AND JUDY FOGELQUIST.