Betty Ford quotes

[WI_DEM]

I thought Jerry Ford a nice man but mediocre president, but Betty Ford was a outstanding first lady--one of the best. Here are some quotes from Mrs. Ford:

"The search for human freedom can never be complete without freedom for women."

"I was an ordinary woman who was called onstage at an extraordinary time. I was no different once I became first lady than I had been before. But, through an accident of history, I had become interesting to people."

"You never know what you can do until you have to do it."

"We were in a position where my husband had been sworn into office during a very, very difficult time. There had been so much cover-up during Watergate that we wanted to be sure there would be no cover up in the Ford Administration. So rather than continue this traditional silence about breast cancer, we felt we had to be public."

"My makeup wasn't smeared, I wasn't disheveled, I behaved politely, and I never finished off a bottle, so how could I be alcoholic?"

"It's always been my feeling that God lends you your children until they're about eighteen years old. If you haven't made your points with them by then, it's too late."

"I figured, okay, I'll move to the White House, do the best I can, and if they don't like it, they can kick me out. But they can't make me somebody I'm not."

On being asked how often she and President Ford would "sleep" together? "As often as possible."

On being asked her reaction if her daugher Susan was having "an affair"? "I wouldn't be surprised. I think she's a perfectly normal human being, like all young girls. If she wanted to continue it, I would certainly councel and advise her on the subject."

On Premarital Sex? "It might lower the divorce rate."

On abortion rights? "Any woman should have the right to a safe and legal abortion."

No wonder the right wingers of her day called her "No lady."

(I remember in '76 one of the most prominent bumper stickers read: BETTY FORD'S HUSBAND FOR PRESIDENT

[Raine]

1. Betty Ford=Class

one of the VERY BEST First Lady's this country has ever had. :thumbsup:

[FourScore]

2. Kick

:kick:

She has also helped thousands to kick their dependence on drugs and alcohol...

My thoughts and prayers are with her.

[smirkymonkey]

3. K & R!

:kick:

[Berry Cool]

4. I liked her better than I liked him.

She is the first First Lady I can remember who seemed to have her own mind and not be just an appendage to her husband.

She also openly fought breast cancer, and didn't care who knew. It's hard to believe now, but there was a time when people wouldn't talk about breast cancer in public because it was about, well, breasts! The women who openly faced it in the '70s had a huge influence on how it is treated today; they are largely responsible for ending the typical practice of sending women suspected of having breast cancer to the operating room to undergo a biopsy under full anesthesia, after which they would either wake up with the breast (tumor was benign) or wake up with half their chests gone (tumor was malignant) without having any say in whether or not they wanted a full radical mastectomy.

Today, most biopsies are less invasive and not done under full anesthesia, and the woman gets an opportunity, after she finds out the tumor's pathology, to make a decision about the kind of treatment she wants. That is largely the result of what women like Betty Ford went through and how they felt about it.

[libnnc]

5. Thanks for those quotes.

Seems like I've had to defend her all week here.

I hope she can get some rest after today.

[northofdenali]

6. She opened up many dialogues that this country needed -

breast cancer, premarital sex, alcohol/drug abuse treatment; I remember her being ridiculed and hearing many scathing remarks. I admire her, and wish her the best.