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The agency has financed its achievements on a shoestring budget of about $300 a week; the largest contribution that it has received to date is $12,000 from Beatle George Harrison, who was recently fined for being caught with pot. Founder Coon, who draws only $12 a week for herself, is Release's best fund raiser. The tall (5-ft. 8-in.) daughter of country gentry, she often makes pitches for funds during TV interviews, speaking, a debutante English that is laced with junkies' slang.
She is already working on innovations in the Release program, among them a new contraception and pregnancy bureau. While abortions are legal in Britain under some circumstances, many doctors do not want to be bothered with the involved bureaucratic procedures that are required; those who do, often charge more than most young girls can afford. "We've got a doctor who will perform legal abortions at very reasonable fees," says Caroline. "Or if the girl wants to keep her baby, we know the right social agencies that will help her without leaning on her." With that kind of frank talk, plus her zeal and 24-karat charm, Caroline Coon is helping to remind her countrymen that they cannot afford to become too complacent about their cherished rights.