ement is truly one for civil rights. A national campaign by the National Organization of Women began on 2 March 1984, demanding that the US Justice Department investigate anti-abortion terrorism. On 1 August federal authorities finally agreed to begin to monitor the violence. However, Federal Bureau of Investigation director, William Webster, declared that he saw no evidence of "terrorism." Only on 3 January 1985, in a pro-forma statement, did the President criticize the series of bombings as "violent anarchist acts" but he still refused to term them "terrorism." Reagan deferred to Moral Majoritarian Jerry Falwell's subsequent campaign to have fifteen million Americans wear "armbands" on 22 January 1985, "one for every legal abortion" since 1973. Falwell's anti-abortion outburst epitomized Reaganism's orientation: "We can no longer passively and quietly wait for the Supreme Court to change their mind or for Congress to pass a law." Extremism on the right was no vice, moderation no virtue. Or, as Hitler explained in Mein Kamph, "The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence." (See Endnote #4) This mentality continued on through 1989 during the Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (109 S. Ct. 3040 (1989)) case. "The Reagan Administration had urged the Supreme Court to use this case as the basis for overturning Roe v. Wade." (See Endnote #5) It is disturbing that the slow gains achieved by the women's movement are so volatile and endangered when conservative administrations gain a majority in government. To put the problem into perspective: a woman's right to have an abortion in this country did not come until 1973. Less than two decades later, the president of the United States is pushing to take that right away. It seems blatant that society is bent on putting women in their places. From the above examples, it appears American culture prefers women as non-profe...
