Abortion

Laura Kaplan is the author of the new book, "The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service," (Pantheon Books). In 1969 this underground abortion service began operation in Chicago, four years before Roe v. Wade. The members of "Jane" were lay-persons who learned how to perform abortions themselves. Laura Kaplan was a member of Jane. She was also a founding member of a Chicago-based women's health-care center. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW).

Terry discusses the recent murder of abortion doctors with Dr. Susan Wicklund, who provides abortion services; National Director of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue Reverend, Flip Benham; and Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, Pat Mahoney.

Journalist Verlyn Klinkenbor's article "Violent Certainties" appears in this month's edition of Harper's Magazine. He reports from a Milwaukee abortion clinic from the perspectives of both abortion providers and protestors.

Norma McCorvey. She was the plaintiff in Roe vs. Wade. In the lawsuit she was called Jane Roe to shield her privacy. In her new book "I Am Roe" (Harper Collins), she tells her story. She was poor, alone and pregnant. Her case became a landmark Supreme Court decision--it gave women the right to choose abortion. But McCorvey ended up giving birth to the child because the Supreme Court decision came too late.

David Garrow is a Pulitzer Prize winning author for his biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., "Bearing the Cross." His newest book is a history of the struggle for birth control rights during the 1920s and 30s and how that paved the way for the abortion rights struggle. Along the way, Garrow examines how these rights are tied in with issues of privacy and sexuality. Garrow found that the arguments used in the birth control rights struggle were the same ones used in the struggle for abortion rights.

Dr. Susan Wicklund. She provides abortions services to women in Montana and South Dakota, traveling 4 hours each way. Without Wicklund's services, abortions would not be available to women in North Dakota. In the past she has worked in up to five clinics in three states while living in Montana with her teenage daughter. Wicklund has been featured on "60 Minutes." She will receive the Elizabeth Blackwell Award for her outstanding dedication to women's health care on October 29th.

Regional Director of four women's clinics in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Omaha, Nebraska, Diane Strauss. Three of her clinics were the target of Operation Rescue's protests last week. Before that, Strauss has been harassed at home by the group. In 1987, one of STRAUSS's clinics was the first clinic to be targeted by Operation Rescue outside of Binghamton, New York where the group is based.

Founder of the anti-abortion group, "Operation Rescue," Randall Terry. Last week his group tried to stop abortions by blocking access to clinics in seven cities across the United States, including Philadelphia. TERRY also has a new book, "Why does a nice guy like me keep getting thrown in jail?" (Huntington House Pub., Lafayette, LA; Resistance Press, Windsor, N.Y.)

President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of New York City, Alexander Sanger. Terry will talk with him about his work there, and about carrying on the work that his grandmother, Margaret Sanger pioneered. One of the projects they are involved in is training doctors in abortion practices. This is in response to a drop in training programs in OB/GYN residency programs, where it's fallen 50 percent since 1985.

The Pulitzer-prize winning columnist for The New York Times writes about issues and events that affect women and families. She has a new collection of her work, "Thinking Out Loud."

Terry talks to activists on both sides of the abortion debate:

1) Pro-choice activist Kathryn "Kitty" Kolbert. She is an attorney who argued against Pennsylvania's restrictive abortion law in the Supreme Court last year. This summer, she founded the Center for Reproductive Law And Policy to focus on reproductive rights world wide.

Two interviews in this segment:

1) Jean Hunt gives a grassroots perspective on abortion rights and accessiblity. Hunt is a registered nurse who has been an activist in the women's health movement since the late 60's .From 1988-1992 she was director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center for Women in Philadelphia. She says that even if the federal government ensures the right to an abortion, local politics, health care economics and physician shortages make it difficult for women to get abortions.

Kirn was raised a Mormon on a Minnesota farm, and has been an editor for "Vanity Fair" and "Spy" magazines. His first collection of stories, "My Hard Bargain," was published two years ago. His most recent book, "She Needed Me," is about religion and redemption.

Weddington is the lawyer who represented Jane Roe in the Supreme Court. Weddington was in her 20s when she argued the landmark abortion case. She has a new memoir called "A Question of Choice."

Terry will talk to three people about the recent events revolving around RU-486, the abortion-inducing drug. The drug is in use in France and Britian but is illegal in the U.S. Two weeks ago, a pregnant woman, Leona Benten, tried to bring the drug into the country, but it was seized by authorities. The case is about to go before the Supreme Court. Today's guests include FDA spokesperson Gary Fendler, Simon Heller of the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, and Leona Benten's physician, Dr. Louise Tyrer.

Two views of the Supreme Court's decision on "Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania V. Casey," the latest case that brought Roe V. Wade, and a woman's right to an abortion, into question. They'll react to the Court's decision to uphold most of the Pennsylvania restrictions, including parental notification for minors, a 24-hour waiting period, and provision of information about the development of the fetus and alternatives to abortion. The Supreme Court felt that notification of a husband was an undue burden, and that the precedent set by Roe V.

Joan Micklin Silver directed the upcoming HBO special "A Private Matter." It's the story of Sherri Chessen Finkbine, host of the children's T-V show Romper Room, and her decision to have an illegal abortion in 1962. Publicity about her choice led to intense public condemnation. In the HBO special, "Miss Sherri" is played by Sissy Spacek, and her husband is played by Aidan Quinn. Among Silver's other directing credits are several films, including "Crossing Delancey," and several HBO specials.

David Savage is the Supreme Court reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He's just written a book called "Turning Right: The Making of the Rehnquist Supreme Court," (John Wiley and Sons) about how the Supreme court turned conservative in the 80s, and what future decisions the court will make.

Pennsylvania's abortion law places restrictions on a woman's ability to get an abortion. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the law. Their ruling is expected to be an referendum by the court on the Roe versus Wade decision. On this edition of Fresh Air, we hear from both sides. Terry Gross talks with...
1) Kathryn Kolbert, the attorney who will be arguing against the Pennsylvania law before the high court, and

Legendary television producer Norman Lear. His shows include All in the Family, Maude, the Jeffersons, and Good Times. Lear returns to the small screen next year with the show The Powers that Be. Lear is also the founder of People for the American Way, a citizens' group dedicated to stemming the influence of the Religious Right. The group is currently fighting the "gag" rule preventing doctors from discussing abortion in federally funded facilities. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)