Massive Demonstration Backs Legal Abortions : O.C. Pro-Choice Group Joins March

Carrying banners that read “Orange County Calif. Women for Pro Choice” and “There Are More of Us Than You Think,” about 40 Orange County activists wedged themselves into history’s most massive women’s rights march Sunday from the Washington Monument to the U.S. Capitol.

“This tops it all,” said Anaheim Hills activist Arlene Sontag as she watched the hundreds of thousands of marchers stream down Pennsylvania Avenue. “This is what demonstrations are all about. They can’t ignore you when you have this kind of support.”

The Orange County contingent not only hoped to sway Supreme Court justices and politicians from making any changes in the abortion law but also wanted to show that there are those in the county, renowned for conservatism, who feel it should be represented by more socially liberal legislators.

Not ‘Radical Feminists’

“These are not radical feminists,” said Sontag, president of the South County YWCA. “This is apple pie and motherhood.”

Most of the Orange County delegation wore the traditional suffragette white, and about half belong to the National Organization of Women, the primary sponsor of the March for Women’s Equality, Women’s Lives. They included Shirley Bernard of Fullerton, the 65-year-old founder of Orange County NOW who remembered the organization’s first national women’s march in Los Angeles on Aug. 26, 1970.

“We nearly fainted with joy when we got 1,000 (in 1970),” she said. She said that she was happy to see Sunday’s huge turnout but that “it’s dreadful we have to do this.” If the Supreme Court or legislators manage to restrict abortions, “the response will be of frightful proportions,” she predicted.

Sunday’s first-time marchers included Jeffrey Jensen, 12, of Irvine, who came with his mother, Cathy, president of the county chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and who led a chant.

Pat Freeman, an insurance agent of Newport Beach, marched for the first time with his wife, Merrily Curtis, as part of their honeymoon. “We have a lot of differences, but one thing we agree on is we’re pro-choice,” said Curtis, a Democrat. Freeman is a Republican.

Joined Other Delegations

Some Orange County residents chose to join other delegations in the march. UC Irvine Prof. Judy Rosener, her daughter Janet, attorney Elaine Weinberg and her daughter Nancy Dahan were planning to march with the Hollywood Women’s Political Committee with whom they had flown out.

Other Orange County demonstrators who had come to Washington independently joined the delegation when they heard about it. They included two Irvine first-time marchers: teacher Sue Shuff, 43, and Sue Fazio, 46, a PTA president from Irvine who brought the “There Are More of Us . . . “ banner.

“I hope we represent the silent majority,” Shuff said. “Too many people make the assumption we don’t need to do anything. This has become serious. I have a 12-year-old daughter. The most important thing is to protect her.”

Orange County’s visible presence drew comments from other marchers.

“I can’t believe there’s a contingent from Orange County,” said Amanda Tupper, 25, a bond trader from New York who grew up in Newport Beach. “It’s so conservative.”

While passers-by applauded Orange County marchers, they in turn applauded a contingent regarded as even more conservative--a group from Utah holding signs reading “Mormons for Choice.”

Many marchers said they also had a message for Operation Rescue, the anti-abortion group that blockaded three family planning clinics in Orange and Los Angeles counties in recent weeks.

‘It’s Just Beginning’

While counterprotesters held up signs saying “Operation Rescue Will Prevail,” Marsha Elliott, 33, an environmental engineer from San Clemente, said, “We’re using this as a kick-off emergency campaign to raise money to stop Operation Rescue terrorizing tactics. It’s not like everyone goes home and it’s all over. It’s just beginning.”

The Orange County residents had arrived in Washington separately and scattered to various hotels or friends’ homes, prompting a flurry of messages about plans constantly changing. Some attended a Saturday afternoon celebrity press conference with the stars of the women’s movement, Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, as well as actresses Glenn Close and Morgan Fairchild.

Celebrity leaders are beneficial to the cause of women’s rights, said Irvine attorney Elaine Weinberg who traveled with the Orange County group. “The perception of the women’s movement was skewed by the bra burning,” she said. “Celebrities show you can be beautiful, stand up for what you believe in and still be strong.”

But few Orange County marchers attended a $125-a-plate celebrity dinner Saturday night. “We can see celebrities at home,” said Charlene Marsh, former chairman of the National Women’s Political Caucus. Weinberg and Judy Rosener, a UCI management professor, said they left when they were seated in the “B Room” where the speakers were visible only through television.

As groups of women became more visible over the weekend in the city’s hotel lobbies and sidewalks, a camaraderie developed among visiting strangers who eagerly informed curious cabdrivers and waitresses about their cause.

On the way to dinner Saturday night, a hotel doorman saw Linda Othenin-Girard’s pro-choice button. “I don’t like abortion,” he said. “No one likes abortion! It’s the choice that matters,” she told him. Dropping off her and her mother, Molly Lyon of Newport Beach, the cab driver turned around and winked: “I’ll be seeing you tomorrow,” he said. “I’m marching too.”

Most Leaving Sunday

Most were leaving Sunday to return to jobs in Orange County. Others planned to stay to lobby Orange County legislators today.

“We will hand-deliver a petition to representatives at the Capitol expressing our concern that all representatives in the Capitol do not represent the majority opinion in this county,” said Betsy Martin, a former coordinator of the North Orange County NOW.

Reps. Robert Dornan (R-Garden Grove) and William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) are among the most active in attempting to restrict abortion rights, said NOW coordinator Barbara Martinez. “We have to make them understand they can no longer do this without accountability to their constituents.”