Feminist Daily News Wire
September 25, 1998

Women's Leaders Issue Call to Action Against Clinton Impeachment

National women's leaders delivered a joint statement at a press conference on September 24 to bring attention to the harm that the possible impeachment of President Clinton could bring to U.S. women and the country.

Participants included Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal, National Organization for Women President Patricia Ireland, Betty Friedan, National Council of Negro Women President Jane Smith, NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund Executive Director Kathy Rodgers, and others.

"Some of those leading the charge against Clinton are among the worst foes of women's rights", a joint statement delivered by the leaders stated. "The opponents of the President have a political agenda that will harm women long after the scandal has faded."

The leaders stated that they deplored President Clinton's conduct, yet agree with the women of this country that President Clinton should remain in office. According to the statement, Clinton's actions "are not impeachable," and "his misdeeds are not of the nature of high crimes and misdemeanors required by our Constitution for impeachment of the president."

Patricia Ireland noted the deluge of criticism fired at feminists since January, saying, "For months, pundits and opponents of women's rights have been asking, 'Where are the feminists on the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal?' Today, flanked by prominent women leaders, I ask, Where is Congress on our issues?"

One of the goals of the meeting was to encourage the public to take action to support President Clinton and others who support women's issue by encouraging all to vote in November. "We are urging the women and men of this nation to call their members of the House of Representatives to urge them not to proceed with impeachment hearings and to call their Senators to oppose the removal of the President from office," read the statement.

The statement also addressed real concerns over Congressional Republican attempts to taint the image of Al Gore, who is under investigation by the Justice Department for possible violations of campaign finance laws.

"Women should be asking the question, 'Who's on third? Who's next in the line of succession?'" the statement said. Next in line is Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who has offered 97 voting restrictions on abortion, worked to obstruct FDA approval of RU 486, devastated the budgets of family planning programs, and shown complete disregard for the rights of medical patients by opposing the "patients bill of rights."

Support for President Clinton remaining in office was also shown this week by a petition signed by more than 60 leading international intellectuals and artists.

Petition signatories included authors William Styron, Carlos Fuentes, and Gunter Grass; actors Vanessa Redgrave, Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, and Lauren Bacall; and Nobel Prize winners Bishop Jose Ramos Horta of East Timor and physicist Pierre-Gilles de Gennes of France.

Media Resources: The Feminist Majority and The Washington Post - September 24, 1998

Feminist.org: Your daily source for the feminist perspective on national and global events.