Mrs. America

The Supreme Court today ruled that abortion

is completely a private matter to be decided

by mother and doctor

in the first three months of pregnancy.

The 7-2 ruling to that effect will probably result

in a drastic overhaul of state laws on abortion.

Specifically the court today overturned

laws in Texas and Georgia and ruled the government

- has no right to enter... - I couldn't get any work done.

a decision which should be made

- by the mother and her doctor. - They're winning.

During the second three months of pregnancy...

_

It's a great decision because it puts right on the line

that a woman has the right to remain pregnant or not.

It gives freedom of choice.

I respect the conscience of those who oppose abortion

on moral grounds.

I do not believe that they have the right

to deprive other women of abortion.

Abortion may be legally permissible.

It is still morally wrong.

I cannot believe it.

- You heard the news? - I know.

Roe v. Wade. It's the law of the land.

I was in the Supreme Court during oral arguments.

My God. You're Betty Friedan.

I am.

Your book... it changed my life.

Can I hug you?

Well... please.

- Aw. - Thank you, Gloria Steinem!

Tomorrow you'll meet

a crowned head of Europe and marry.

I will have a fat attack.

Eat 300 peanut butter cups and die.

You know, now that you're my upstairs neighbor,

I feel like I'm Mary coming up to visit Rhoda.

- Mary never visits Rhoda. - Never? Why?

Why?

Rhoda, I'm running...

You're going out in that blouse?

Mom, it's just a blouse.

That you can wear when you turn 18. No, 20.

Where did you get that?

Noreen doesn't wear it anymore,

so she gave it to me.

Change now, please.

They share clothes now.

Looked expensive.

Carl loves spending money on his new wife...

Money I made from my book.

You know, it makes him feel superior.

You know, I may have someone for you...

Friend of Leon's, divorced, two children, grown.

Maybe. When I get back

from the Women's Caucus Convention.

You seen any of them since Miami?

I shouldn't have slammed Gloria and Bella in the press.

They slammed you right back. Didn't they convince Nora Ephron

to write that bitchy account of you for "Esquire"?

Nora doesn't need convincing to write something bitchy.

Well...

And is that what everybody thinks?

That I'm the Wicked Witch of the West,

and Gloria is Glinda?

No one thinks that.

You know, somebody should tell Nora

that the real Wicked Witch of the movement

is that Phyllis "Schafly" woman.

She the one that looks like Dolly Parton?

- What's the name of her group? - No.

She's the other one from Illinois.

The one with the "STOP" signs and the blonde beehive?

- She is terrifying. - And I do not buy

for one second that she's a real blonde.

The ERA is in danger,

and everyone is too busy fawning over Gloria to listen to me.

It's absurd!

Are they so blinded by all the hair?

So make them listen.

You're Betty Friedan, for chrissake.

_

Thanks.

- Thank you. - Well, you know who is

a rising star in the Republican Party?

Audrey here,

and I have recruited her to run for Vice President

of the national caucus.

I do not know if I'm a rising star,

but I definitely stand out.

- You were raised Republican? - No.

And my folks were not too happy about it.

You know, I told you, you did not need to bring a fur coat.

Well, I hauled it all the way down here.

I'm not taking it off.

But now you're schvitzing all over the place.

- Schvitzing? - What? I'm trying.

Schvitzing?

We should bring Betty over.

You think?

So she wants to be Mother Superior.

She's earned it. We were in the wilderness for 40 years.

She lit a match.

Shirley! I wasn't sure if you were coming.

Hello, everybody.

- Shirley. - Shirley, Betty.

This is Audrey.

Are you okay? You don't look yourself.

- Is it the investigation? - It's been a long year.

You need a lawyer, I can get you some names.

It's just outrageous. It's a witch hunt, you know.

Investigating you for misuse of campaign funds

instead of Nixon.

I bet you're having a great time at the White House right now.

- It isn't dull. - So can you tell us which

of his advisors they'll be calling to testify?

Who do you think?

Well, my money is on Haldeman and Erlichman.

Of course. German.

Yes.

You know who the government should be looking into...

- Phyllis "Schafly." - Schlafly.

I was inspired by Woodward and Bernstein

to do some digging into the funding

of her STOP ERA operations,

and you'll never guess what I discovered.

She's a member of the John Birch Society.

Do you think someone like her

will care if she gets called a Bircher?

You'll have to do better than that.

Well, no, but if she's a Bircher, there's a good chance

that she's got some white sheets in her closet.

But we don't have proof.

And they don't exactly share their membership rolls.

Well, we should use our resources to find evidence.

Take her down.

That is exactly what the men with money want us to do.

They use women as a cover to orchestrate a catfight

to distract everyone

so they can sit in dark rooms and smoke cigars

and count their money.

The smartest thing for us to do is not engage with her at all.

It'll only create more headlines.

I agree. Gloria's right.

We should stick to the program, as they say in Weight Watchers.

Like you would know what they say at Weight Watchers.

Can we all make a pact

right here and now not to give her the time of day?

Betty.

Fine. I agree.

I only show up when my help is needed.

Phyllis "Schafly"

did not get this money from her housekeeping money.

I have found evidence that she and her STOP ERA organization

received funding from the John Birch Society,

and I believe she has ties to...

the Ku Klux Klan.

Yes, this is she.

Yes.

Who?

Good morning.

Funded by the Birch Society? I'm sorry, what?

The Klan? No.

This charge is ridiculous.

I have not, received a dime from any organization,

unlike... well, that's all...

No, wait. Here's a quote.

I hope Ms. Friedan keeps investigating,

because it keeps her out of trouble.

Sorry, when... when's this article coming out?

All right. Thank you for calling.

This is terrific news.

Betty Friedan, the most famous of the libbers,

is attacking me in the press.

I thought Gloria Steinem was the most famous libber.

Well, the point is that they are acknowledging

that we are a force to be reckoned with.

But isn't it kind of awful?

I don't wanna be associated with the John Birch society

or the Klan or any racist groups.

No, the John Birch Society is... is not a-a racist group.

It's anti-communist.

- Exactly. - Anyway, doesn't matter,

because we're... we're not affiliated with anybody.

You're not suggesting that I'm prejudiced.

- I... - No, no, of course not.

No one thinks that. The libbers lie all the time.

And they're getting even more desperate

- now that we're winning. - That's right.

If people only knew how close you are with Willie...

You taught her daughter how to read.

But is it possible some of the state chapters

are taking money from these groups?

Maybe Mary Frances?

Alice, now you know I run a tight ship.

Of course you do.

All right. Well, I will, I will talk to her just in case.

- Good. - Now the fact is that

the libbers are running scared.