
Freedom Writer - November 1995

ACTIVIST PROFILE
Anne Bower of The Body Politic


Launched in 1991, _The_Body_Politic_, an engaging national 
reproductive rights news magazine, is published by 
Anne Bower. "We cover all aspects of reproductive rights, 
women's health care issues, news and analysis, original 
research, first-hand reporting, and, on occasion, poetry," 
Bower told _Freedom_Writer_. As an independent, interactive 
magazine, _The_Body_Politic_ solicits information, 
articles, and clippings from its readers. Readers include 
women and men, most of whom are prochoice activists, 
service providers, and others engaged in fighting the 
Radical Religious Right. 

Significantly, considering the magazine's focus on 
reproductive rights, _The_Body_Politic_ is based in 
Binghamton, New York. Binghamton is the birthplace 
of the radical antiabortion group Operation Rescue 
(OR). Today, OR's founder, Randall Terry, lives 25 
miles away, where he runs his Christian Leadership 
Institute at Outlook Farm. 

"I've known Randy since December 1984," Bower said. 
"That's when he started with his belligerent picketing 
outside the Southern Tier Women's Services in Binghamton. 
That was the first clinic in town; now we have two 
 which goes to show how effective he was." 

According to Bower, before founding Operation Rescue, 
Terry and the Rev. Dan Little, pastor of the Church 
at Pierce Creek, started Project Life, a "pregnancy 
crisis center" which still operates in Binghamton. 
(After running full-page newspaper ads telling Christians 
not to vote for Bill Clinton, Rev. Little's church 
was the first church to lose its tax-exempt status 
for failing to comply with the IRS code which prohibits 
501(c)(3) organizations from engaging in partisan politics.) 
In 1986, after meeting with long-time anti-abortion 
activist Joe Scheidler, Terry started Operation Rescue. 
Scheidler wrote the book _99_Ways_to_Stop_Abortion_, 
which provided Terry with ammunition, so to speak, 
for his new organization.

Cranking out a 40-page monthly magazine is a lot of 
work for this tiny organization consisting mostly of 
Bower, the only full-time staffer. _The_Body_Politic_'s 
associate editor, Valerie Finkelman, lives in far-off 
Texas, but electronic mail bridges the distance factor. 
A local friend contributes graphics, and Anne's husband, 
Dick, serves as computer consultant. As a 501 (c)(3) 
non-profit educational organization, Bower works under 
the auspices of a board of directors.

"I had absolutely no qualifications to run a magazine 
when I started this," a jovial Bower told _Freedom_
Writer_. "I have a degree in anthropology!" Nevertheless, 
Bower's life experience provided her with the knowledge 
and spark for the task. Anne served on the board of 
New York State NARAL; was the resource coordinator 
for Planned Parenthood in Binghamton; worked with a 
local prochoice coalition; ran a voter ID project; 
and served as an escort for clinic patients.

One might wonder why someone with limited funding would 
want to start a prochoice magazine. "A mid-life crisis!" 
Bower responded when asked the question. "What really 
pulled me into this was the experience of three years 
escorting against Randy. It was very emotional. No 
one would know it by watching me, because I was extremely 
controlled while doing it, but underneath there was 
anger and outrage. But, under that kind of pressure 
you form close bonds with service providers. The experience 
is one you never forget."

Bower said that through her experience in working with 
so many prochoice organizations she saw that often 
one hand didn't know what the other was doing. "A two-way 
flow in communication was lacking," she said, "and 
I thought a magazine would help meet that need. Besides, 
I'm too old and too fat to escort any more!"

Bower is appalled by the lack of citizen participation 
in the democratic process in the United States. "The 
whole nation needs an attitude adjustment," she said. 
"I am continually at wits end trying to get people 
to see the threats to a modern, secular democracy, 
and to get people to do something about it."

Bower mentioned the recent case of a Nebraska 15-year-old 
who was prevented from having an abortion because the 
district attorney and police didn't think she should. 
"I can see this happening in Romania  but the United 
States?" 

She also mentioned the recent arrest of a Chicago bank 
robber who said he planned to use the money to blow 
up reproductive health-care clinics. "And these incidents 
just involve choice. Look at the current Congress; 
look at the Radical Religious Right. Now, at 52, I 
am watching what I cared for in the last 20 years being 
dismantled."

"Our elected officials are to be blamed," Bower said. 
"Everything that is going on is the result of elected 
officials. Electing a prochoice president hasn't solved 
our problems. People need to get involved in the electoral 
process. They need to register and vote."

"I think we have to put something in the water to make 
people wake up!" Bower said in jest. "I try to deal 
with it by providing information. People are so overwhelmed 
by their own personal problems; they don't have time 
to worry about anybody elses. I'm doing all I can do 
by publishing a magazine."

_The_Body_Politic_, according to Bower, "hasn't exactly 
caught fire with the foundation community yet." This 
year, one foundation gave a thousand dollars. Subscriptions 
cover only a portion of the costs involved in publishing 
the monthly magazine; most of the rest comes from Dick 
Bower's paycheck. 

Now a seasoned activist, Anne Bower offers advice for 
other activists. "First, take care of yourself. Maintain 
a sense of humor. Try to find a lot of things to laugh 
about." Also important, she said, is developing a good 
network of friends. "They'll be there when you need 
them."

"Lastly," she said, "plan on fighting the Religious 
Right for the long haul. The opposition is not going 
away."

_Subscriptions_to_The_Body_Politic_are_$22_a_year._
Subscriptions_include_ten_40-page_issues,_plus_the_
National_Pro-choice_Directory_published_each_August._
Write_to_The_Body_Politic,_PO_Box_2363,_Binghamton,_
NY_13902-2363._Phone_607-648-2760._


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