Today in America, ourright to control our bodies is under attack. Religious groups and con

    Today in America, ourright to control our  bodies  is  under attack.
Religious groups and conservative politicians are eroding our freedom to
make our own deasions about reproductive health. This year the Supreme
Court passed the "gag rule" forbidding federally funded clirucs from
providing information about abortions, even when specifically requested by
their clients. Growing militant anti abortion groups such as Operation
Rescue are staging increasingly frequent attacks on women's clinics.
Despite the fact that abortion is now legal, it is uraccessible to many
women, especially those who are poor or young. Many women are unaware of
or unable to take advantage of their reproductive  options  due  to
geographical isloation or a lack of knowledge due to  a  morally
repressive  atmosphere.

    It is irnportant that we begin to educate and organize to take control
of our bodies. We can learn about alternative abortion techruques and
establish services such as the Jane Collective, an underground network of
abortion providers in Chicago in the early 1970's. There are many
concerned health care workers who could be allies in such a program. We
can establish support networks for teenagers who must leave their homes or
deal with the court system to obtain abortions. We can educate ourselves
about alternative means  of  contraception  and  abortion such as
traditional herbal methods. Much of this knowledge is kept alive by women
in Native American and unmigrant communities, and is being reclaimed by
nridwives, witches, and herbal healers, and by those seeking to develop
health care outside the control of the medical establishment  and  the
state.  We  can uutiate independent  research,  production,  and
distribution of new drugs, such as the early abortifacient pill RU-486,
which is currently being used effectively in France and China, but is
denied women in this country  due  to  anti-abortion  boycott threats and
the fear of liability lawsuits.

  While it is necessary to demand that the government respect the right to
reproductive freedom, we must not rely solely on  the  state.  Legislators
have a poor record of accountability on reproductive issues, and Supreme
Court justices are accountable to no one. Reproductive freedom is too
crucial to be left to the state. We must claim for ourselves the
fundamental right of reproductive choice, and take our health care and
control of our lives into our own hands.