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Medical Crimes Against Women
by Jenny Knauss, Janet M., Kathy
Mallin, Lauren Crawford & Sharon M. (circa 1976)
(Editors Note: This document proposed that the CWLU adopt a comprehensive
plan to organize around health issues.)
Health
is an issue that affects everyone, one that cuts across class, race,
and sex lines. Our health care organizing will have at least two goals;
(1) building those kinds or struggles which more people to challenge
the particular abuses of local institutions and providers, and (2) giving
people a sense of the kind of quality of care they have a right to,
and should demand, from this, or any other system.
The current
national health policy debate about national health insurance makes
it imperative that women demand that the abuses and inequities in the
present system, in which patients suffer, and providers profit, not
become embedded into whatever plan emerges from Congress. But in the
long term, we must join other progressive forces in fighting for a
national health system which incorporates bother worker/patient
control over health institutions and the kind of quality of care stands
which are at the core of the women’s health movement.
In the
current economic crisis, health care services have increasingly come
under assault; services have been cut back, especially in inner city
areas, and lay-offs and speed-ups of healthcare workers, particularly
minorities & women, have increased. The CWLU has been active in
a city wide coalition fighting such cutbacks in public health services
in Chicago (see CWLU news, Sept/Oct., “On Saving Cook County Hospital);
but we have been slow to respond to two other issues of immediate concern
to women -- aborting and sterilization. These are actually two sides
of the same issue; women’s control over reproduction, for as access
to abortion becomes limited, it becomes more likely that women may be
forced into serializations they may not necessarily want.
Our rights
to safe, inexpensive abortions have recently come under attack again
with pressure to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting abortion,
a major issue in the Presidential campaign, and passage of the currently
void Hyde Amendment, which would prohibit using Medicaid funds for
abortion. Although the women’s movement was instrumental in forcing the 1973
Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, poor women especially are
still being victimized today by illegal butcher abortionists because
access to decent services is limited, geographically as well as financially.
By 1974, for example, only 15% of all public hospitals had performed
a single abortion, and at least 400,000 women were unable to obtain
legal abortions last year (Planned Parenthood Study). In Chicago, it
was only in response to the Abortion Task Force of the CWLU that Cook
County Hospital began performing second trimester abortions, albeit
only two per week.
Even legal
abortion clinics across the country continue to victimize women, financially
as well as medically. In 1973, HERS. was instrumental in closing down
a shoddy Michigan Avenue clinic, but we know that unscrupulous and
shoddy practices are the norm, and not the exception on Chicago abortion
clinics. Public hearings were held just last month on the atrocities
committed by one such Chicago clinic which was being sued by three
victims of botched abortions, one of whom died of complications due
to her abortion.
Sterilization
abuse is an issue around which groups across the country have recently
begun to move. In New York, C.E.S.A. (Committee to End Sterilization
Abuse) formed a coalition that forced the Health and Hospitals Governing
Commission to institute more stringent guidelines for sterilization
procedures in the municipal hospitals. There are now the subject of
a court suit filed by a group of hospital gynecologists.
In Chicago,
a small C.E.S.A. chapter has begun researching local institutional
abuses and presenting community educational programs on sterilization.
And we will soon have access to a study conducted by the Illinois Department
of Public Health which gives hospital by hospital statistics on sterilizations,
and which reveal the shocking fact that 30% of all Medicaid patients
in Illinois receiving hysterectomies were under 30. Unnecessary
hysterectomies are clearly becoming another issue which women’s
groups across the country are just beginning to work on.
Abortion
and sterilization are issues which together encompass a woman’s
entire reproductive life, from puberty to menopause, and so can reach
the young as well as old, poor and “middle-class”, and white
and non-white. A programmatic strategy focusing on these two issues
follows.
We would
begin with an issue oriented forums. If we picked abortion and sterilization
for our primary focus such as program might do the following:
Research
A Task Force would be set up which would be responsible
both for collecting current data we have on abortions and sterilization
and for delineating other research that needs to be done in the area
and seeing that this research is done. In collecting current data on abortion the
group would keep current files on all current birth control methods
and abortion techniques (menstrual extraction through second trimester).
This group would also organize the material we have on the Chicago
area abortion clinics; gather statistics on how many women are using
which clinics; which clinics accept green cards; which accept deferred
payment; which do second trimester abortions; as well as how women
are treated by staff and doctors at such clinics. Most of the above
information is already available to us through the HERS files. The
data collection function of HERS could be continued and perhaps expanded.
Other groups such as Fritzi and Emma have already expressed interest
in expanding their research and educational work. Further research
would vary from collecting information on Medicaid payments, how they
are made, who they are made, what restrictions govern them, new laws
that threaten them (Hyde Amendment) to investigating vitamin C as a
means to abortion (is it really safe? What are the possible side effects:
Can you take medicine for the side effects without adversely effecting
the process? How far into the pregnancy will this method work?) Early
research in these areas could easily build a base from which we could
expand our research into drug related issues--misuse of estrogen--the
pill, DES and post-menopause estrogen therapy. While the abortion issues
may just affect women of a certain age (“Child-bearing years”)
it cuts across all class and race lines. At the same time expansion
into the drugs areas cuts across all age lines as well. Equivalent
research has to be done on sterilization. CESA has been strongest so
far in educational and community work. The
proposed task force--which would probably divide into two closely
connected have would guide and undertake research as a basis for developing
strategy on sterilization, working closely with CESA. The hospital data
on hysterectomies on Medicaid patients collected by the Illinois Department
of Public Health will be released to us in a few weeks. The task force
would access the need for further research and the implications for
direct action strategy. Education
and Outreach Work CESA has
already begun educational work on sterilization. For this and for abortion--an
educational group--perhaps part of the Liberation School but with close
connections to the task force, would organize presentations, and audio-visual
materials and set up classes co-sponsored with other groups and community
organizations. This would also function as a Women’s Health Speakers
Bureau. Classes and educationals should be offered in particular communities
where they can be specifically applied to local institutions ( e.g.
the issue of 2nd trimester abortions at Cook County or sterilizations
at local hospitals.) Here again the Chicago Women’s Center and
Emma’s are both interested in doing this kind of work--we should
undertake it jointly.
We see
the issue of the menopause of women through drugs as very important
here. It’s a new mass issue, attracting women who may not be interested
in sterilization or abortion, but who can easily make the connections
and begin to work on those issues. The medically defined “sickness”
of childbirth has been followed by the epidemic “disease”
of menopause. Hundreds of thousands of women are beginning to understand
the risks from the pill, DES, post-menopausal estrogen therapy, etc.
We propose a series of classes and educationals offered jointly with
CWHC, or Emma’s, or the Grey Panthers, or community groups--perhaps
where CESA is active. We might begin with a class on menopause, follow
it with one one Women’s Right’s in the Health System, which
would include material on Medicaid, consent forms for sterilization,
rights to records, etc. They have to provide good, reliable information.
We have a number of resources--women who have worked on the Concerned
Rush Students’ Project on the drug industry, nurses, physicians
who can help. Probably we should ultimately have a Drug Abuse
Research group (could also include appliances--like fetal heart
monitors in childbirth.
Direct Action
Out
of our educationals would emerge a organizing base. We could mount
patients rights campaigns in specific communities directed at particular
institutions or consider city wide campaigns centered around Medicaid
payments or the closing of a specific abortion clinic which treats
women around the city ineptly(i.e. Biogenetics)-or actions around
hospitals or clinics with suspiciously high sterilization rates. From
our own organization perhaps we could pull the skill and interest
of such groups as PT and Secret Storm. Outside CWLU we would try to
hook up with other health and community groups. Organizing campaigns
would be directed both to win reforms (close down negligent clinics)
and develop peoples sense of power over their health care institutions
in order to make demands for expanded and improved services. Simultaneous
or sequential campaigns on a number of these issues would make their
essential connections clear. The nature
of the issues would make coalitions with a wide variety of groups
possible. For abortion struggles these might include Illinois Abortion
Rights Association, N.O.W. Health Task Force etc. For sterilization
we would have a different grouping with stronger representation from
third world and welfare groups.
Structure
The two
task forces might initially be one group, though they probably should
become separate but liked groups. If this proposal is to be successful
at least 15 people should work on the two task forces, and at least
25 on the project as a whole. We are including in the long-term plans
an Educational Group which could be part of the Liberation School, and
a Drug Abuse Research group.
In time
we would also include an occupational health group (safety
hospital workers, for example, might be a focus---which would in turn
provide contacts which we could use in further disentangling the sterilization
situation in institution. If the schools group develops program around
screening, there would also be connections.
This whole
proposal looks grandiose at first sight. We stress that the overall
chart is a blueprint for possible development in a year from now ?).
We would start with one task force which subdivides into two halves,
and go on from there.
As for leadership it’s really hard to develop this without
a clear idea of what the structure of the CWLU will be over the next
year. Probably we should ultimately have a steering committee consisting
of representatives from task forces, educational groups, HERS, CESA
Drug Abuse group and other groups who want to join--Emma’s, CWHC,
community organizations. The connections to other CWLU program will
become more clear at the conference. But there is room for most currently
active groups to work on this program. At least 50% of the resources
of the CWLU might be devoted to it.
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