Let me introduce myself. I'm Cindy Nemser, art critic, theatre critic, novelist, humorist journalist, and ardent feminist I am the author of Three books: Art Talk: Conversations with 15 Women Artists, Scribner, 1975, reprinted in 1995 by HarperCollins, Ben Cunningham, A Life with Color, 1989 and a novel Eve's Delight, Pinnacle Books, 1982. I have written articles for all the art journals as well as short stories. I was also the publisher/editor of The Feminist Art Journal from 1972 to 1977. Art Talk was the first book about women artists since the 30's and the FAJ was the first magazine dedicated to championing women in all the arts.

I have written a memoir about my experiences in the New York art world of the 70's and about the birth of the feminist art movement all over the country. At another time, I will share some of the memoir with you.

Today, however the most important issue feminists in all echelons of society have to face is the threat of the with the election of Alito to the Supreme Court which may bring about the dismantling of a woman's right to choose.

In this time of right wing backlash, the so-called liberal New York Times, on January 10th, published a column by John Tierney, promoting Judge Alito's proposal that the law would require that women must tell their husbands that they intend to have an abortion. Women who fear physical abuse from their spouses are exempted.

Why should women, who should have complete control of their own bodies, have to notify anyone? Perhaps some women might not have to endure beatings, but what about the verbal abuse they might have to encounter? Husbands may heap guilt and shame on their wives, tell family and friends, and intimate them to go through an unwanted pregnancy. Tierney, calling himself pro-choice, advocates that if "either parent thinks its wrong to end the pregnancy, then the pregnancy must proceed. "

Then to muddy the waters he brings in the proposals of Frances Goldscheider, who thinks women should be forced into "financial abortion" which would coerce women to terminate the pregnancy if the man didn't want to support his offspring for eighteen years. She claims this is just as women have exclusive control over some forms of contraception like the pill. Goldschieder worries that women would lie about taking the pill to trick men into marrying them and paying child support. Has Goldscheider ever heard of condoms? She actually compares the campaign against "dead beat" dads to the punishment meted out to "wayward" women who had children out of wedlock. This assertion is laughable as women before Roe vs Wade often died trying to stop these pregnancies, and many today live destitute with their children, with no support from the men who impregnated them. Dead beat men, be they husbands, ex-husbands or lovers, slough off their responsibilities, make themselves scarce, and suffer no public scorn.

I think if a man wants to take his pleasure, he is equally responsible to support a child as his partner is, and considering the fact that most men make more money than women, due to sexism in the work place, he should contribute the larger amount.

Tierny shows more sense than Goldscheider, who calls her argument egalitarian, when he grudgingly acknowledges that "there is one big physical inequality between the sexes in this regard; it's the woman who must either have the abortion or go thorough a pregnancy." For those reasons alone, women should not have to notify anyone about their choice to abort.

Considering the seriousness of this issue, all women must contact their congress people and senators that they are against the acceptance of Alito. Letters to the Times and other newspapers would be a good idea too.