Blog for Choice

Leading Civil-Rights, Faith, and Medical Groups Oppose PreNDA

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:57:06 -0500

Anti-choice Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) is at it again.

He introduced a bill he calls the "Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act" (PreNDA), which the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on as early as today. Contrary to Rep. Franks' claim, this bill does nothing to end sex discrimination or gender disparity.

NARAL Pro-Choice America has long opposed reproductive coercion in any form--including societal pressures to have a child of a particular sex, but the Franks bill is a divisive, unworkable measure. PreNDA could subject a doctor to up to five years in prison for failing to determine if sex is a factor in a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy. The bill also imposes the same criminal penalty on any person who accompanies a woman across state lines to seek such services.

In addition, the bill threatens any medical professional who does not report even a suspected case of sex-selection abortion with a one-year prison sentence, as well as the loss of federal funds for any facility in which a sex-selection abortion is provided.

Anti-choice politicians are exploiting the very real problems of sex discrimination and gender inequity to launch a sneak attack on a woman's right to choose. It's cynical and it's disgusting.

Already, more than 15,600 of our supporters have called on their representatives to oppose this bill--and the opposition is getting stronger.

Leading organizations in the civil-rights, faith, and medical communities are calling out this divisive attack.

This list includes the NAACP, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF). Take a look at the impressive lists and read what they have to say.

Medical organizations publicly opposing PreNDA include:

American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Public Health Association
Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
Medical Students for Choice
National Abortion Federation
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians
National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association
Physicians for Reproductive Health and Choice
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Civil-rights organizations publicly opposing PreNDA include:

ACCESS Women's Health Justice
ACLU
Advocates for Youth
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
AIDS United
API Chaya
Apna Ghar
Arizona South Asians for Safe Families
Ashakiran
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian American Justice Center, Member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance- AFL CIO
Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice
Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership
Black Women's Health Imperative California
Black Women's Health Project California
Latinas for Reproductive Justice
California NOW
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Center for Genetics and Society
Center for HIV Law & Policy
Civil Liberties and Public Policy
Daya, Inc.
Forward Together
Generations Ahead
HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (HIV PJA)
Jahajee Sisters
Japanese American Citizens League
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
Law Students for Reproductive Justice
Leadership Council on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR)
Legal Momentum
Maitri Manavi
MI LOLA
NAACP
Narika
National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF)
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of Jewish Women Los Angeles Section
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
National Health Law Program
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
National Women's Health Network
National Women's Law Center
Population & Development Program
Raksha
Sahara
Sakhi for South Asian Women
SisterSong NYC
South Asian Americans Leading Together
SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW - Atlanta, Georgia
TakeAction Minnesota
Trust Black Women
U.S. Positive Women's Network (PWN)
Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases (WORLD)
Women's Media Center
Young Women United

Faith organizations publicly opposing PreNDA include:

Catholics for Choice
Concerned Clergy for Choice
Disciples for Choice
Disciples Justice Action Network
Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc.
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Jewish Women International
Justice and Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ
Methodist Federation for Social Action
Muslims for Progressive Values
National Council of Jewish Women
Presbyterian Voices for Justice
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Religious Institute
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
Women of Reform Judaism
Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER)
Women's League for Conservative Judaism

Already, more than 15,600 Americans have called on their representative to vote against this divisive attack.

Add your name today!

Standing Up for D.C. Women

Tue, 29 May 2012 13:55:18 -0500

Earlier this month, I told you about a new proposed abortion ban that specifically targets women in our nation's capital.

And when anti-choice Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) held a hearing on the bill, he didn't even allow Washington, D.C.'s elected representative, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, to testify against it!

Today, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, spoke out at a news conference against these attacks on D.C. women's freedom and privacy.

She joined Rep. Norton, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, and other civil- and reproductive-rights leaders to amplify their opposition to anti-choice proposals that would undermine the ability of women in the city to make personal, private medical decisions with their doctors.

Nancy said that no woman's constitutional right to choose should depend upon her ZIP code or her income:

Unfortunately, too many members of Congress disagree with this core value--and they're using Washington, D.C. as a testing ground to interfere in the personal, private decisions that women make with their doctors. We have seen what happens to women in this city when some members of Congress try to play mayor or councilmember.

And since Rep. Franks is acting like D.C.'s mayor, some D.C. residents decided they'd take their problems to him.

Rats? Potholes? Let "Mayor Franks" take care of it!

Tell your representative to oppose attacks on D.C. women.

How to Talk to Your Friends about Why You Support President Obama

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:40:18 -0500

Ah...summer.

With a long weekend coming up, people are heading outdoors, chilling and grilling with friends and family, maybe going to the beach to cool off.

Do you know what you'll say if one of your friends or family members asks you why you're supporting President Obama? You never know when talk of the presidential election will come up - but trust us, you don't want to miss the chance to talk about voting pro-choice.

Now, I don't mean the Uncle Marvins of the world--there will always be people who simply don't share our values of women's freedom and privacy.

I'm talking about people who are firmly pro-choice, but, for one reason or another, aren't yet committed to supporting President Obama this year.

Research shows that highlighting the president's pro-choice record helps persuade these voters to support his re-election.

You can let your friends know about some of President Obama's accomplishments:

In his first week in office, President Obama rescinded the global gag rule. That was the anti-choice policy that canceled U.S. family-planning funds to many overseas health centers and denied the world's poorest women birth control.
President Obama repealed the worst provisions of the controversial, last-minute Bush policy known as the Federal Refusal Rule. The regulation could have allowed entire health-care corporations to refuse to provide medical services--including, potentially, birth control.
President Obama signed legislation fixing the birth-control price crisis at college health centers and clinics across the country.
President Obama signed legislation increasing family-planning funding for American women and cut failed "abstinence-only" programs.
President Obama won passage of the Affordable Care Act, a.ka. Obamacare. Obamacare will ensure that nearly all women get insurance coverage of birth control without a copay.
President Obama also pledged to veto two far-reaching anti-choice bills, the "Rape Audits" bill and the "Let Women Die" bill.

President Obama's pro-choice record is clear--that's why he received the endorsement of NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC.

And if you can't remember these details, that's okay. Talk about the importance of keeping government out of personal, private decisions like abortion. Tell them that President Obama believes that this decision should be up to women and their families with their doctor - and that he'll always stop anti-choice attacks.

Have this conversation with your friends. It could end up making the difference in November.

Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Outrage on Capitol Hill: Anti-Choice Politics Injected into Homeland Security

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:22:51 -0500

Nick and Kate are members of NARAL Pro-Choice America's policy department.

What's it to like to lobby on choice-related issues in an anti-choice-led House of Representatives?

Let us tell you about a recent experience that's likely to make your blood boil, even though it didn't make headlines.

"Abortion services" and "homeland security" are two phrases you probably never thought would appear in the same sentence. But anti-choice leaders in Congress never miss an opportunity to try to dismantle women's reproductive rights, and last week was no different. It took some doing, but they figured out a way to pick a fight over abortion policy in the legislation that funds America's homeland-security programs.

Last Wednesday, as the House Appropriations Committee finalized the 2013 Homeland Security spending bill, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) introduced an amendment to restrict access to abortion for women in immigration detention facilities.

Under current U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy, women in detention centers may only access abortion care in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest. But Rep. Aderholt and his colleagues on the committee wanted to write that restriction into law with one important change: he offered an amendment to eliminate abortion access for incest survivors.

That's right, apparently anti-choice politicians believe that denying abortion care to incest survivors is a matter of national security.

Does this restriction on survivors of sexual violence sound familiar? Remember the "Stupak on Steroids" bill that tried to redefine rape last year? We're sensing a pattern...

The Aderholt measure stood out as an openly callous attempt to deny health care to women in tragic circumstances. ICE Director John Morton even denounced the proposed amendment as wholly unnecessary. Imagine a woman who endured the long and dangerous journey across the border, only to suffer sexual abuse at the hands of a family member. If approved, the original Aderholt measure would have denied that woman and victims like her the opportunity to decide how best to confront and heal from incidents of sexual violence.

The good news: pro-choice champions voiced strong opposition to this inflammatory proposal. Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), Sam Farr (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), David Price (D-N.C.), and Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) spoke out against this latest affront in the ongoing War on Women.

The bad news: there just aren't enough votes in the anti-choice-dominated House of Representatives to defeat such efforts, so we lost this round. Although pro-choice members succeeded in adding an incest exception to the original measure, the Aderholt amendment ultimately passed on a party-line vote of 28-21.

The silver lining: the pro-choice-led Senate, not to mention our pro-choice president, both have the common sense to reject outrageous and dangerous proposals like this.

A Far-Reaching Sneak Attack in North Dakota

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:54:53 -0500

On Tuesday, June 12, North Dakota voters will vote on Measure 3, the so-called "Religious Liberties Restoration Amendment."

The what?

You might be thinking, "Why would North Dakotans vote on this? Aren't our religious liberties already protected by the U.S. Constitution?"

Indeed, they are. And, like most Americans, North Dakotans are strong believers in religious freedom.

The fact is that Measure 3 is a sneaky ballot measure that isn't really about what its sponsors claim it is.

Measure 3 is so broad that it could allow anybody to do (or refuse to do) just about anything as long as they claim to be motivated by a "sincerely held religious belief." It is also poorly written and has so many loopholes that it could open the door for serious and even harmful unintended consequences for all North Dakotans.

For example, bosses could use their religious beliefs to discriminate against their female employees.

But it doesn't stop there.

A man could claim domestic-violence laws don't apply to him because his religion tells him he has the right to discipline his wife and children as he sees fit.

If Measure 3 passes, health-care providers could refuse to provide prenatal care to an unmarried woman.

Simply put, Measure 3 is a terrible idea. And it's not limited to North Dakota. If it passes, it could pave the way for similar measures across the country.

That's why are working with North Dakotans Against Measure Three to defeat this dangerous measure.

If you live in North Dakota, or know someone who does, be sure you and your friends vote NO on Measure 3 on Tuesday, June 12.

Women's Health Week: How Obamacare Benefits Small-Business Owners

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:35:55 -0500

Today wraps up National Women's Health Week.

This week, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC endorsed President Obama's re-election campaign. The president is the only candidate in this race who will stand up for women's health, and we're going to give 110 percent to make sure he's re-elected.

Here at Blog for Choice, we've been sharing stories about how Obamacare helps women get quality, affordable health care.

The Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, allows many small-business owners and self-employed Americans to get affordable health care for the first time. That's great news for Sarah in Minnesota:

I am a professional working woman who recently left a well-paying job to start my own consultancy and independent projects. As I build my contacts and résumé, I'm not making very much money. Thanks to a state-sponsored family-planning program, I'm able to access very low-cost birth control. This ability to prevent pregnancy while I build my financial stability for myself and my partner is an important part of my goals for a healthy, inspired work life. People might not connect these two things (birth control and financial security), but they are absolutely interdependent.

Millions of Americans' access to health care depends on keeping President Obama in the White House. It's as simple as that.

Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Women's Health Week: How Obamacare Helps People with Pre-Existing Conditions

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:49:19 -0500

It's National Women's Health Week, and here at Blog for Choice, we're sharing stories about how Obamacare helps women--and men--get quality, affordable health care.

The Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions. That's great news for Ted in Wisconsin and his kids:

After losing our employer-sponsored health insurance, our family of five was uninsured for months. We had so many pre-existing conditions, such as our kids' asthma, every private insurance company denied our application for coverage. I'm happy that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage my asthmatic children. It's terrifying to witness your children struggling to breathe, knowing there's no way to afford the preventative medication they desperately need. To overturn the health-care law would return our family to the days of this terrifying desperation. To deny even children the basic right of accessible and affordable health care would be a moral outrage.

Thanks to Obamacare, Ted and his children can breathe a little easier. Literally.

House Panel Denies Elected Woman Her Right to Speak. Again.

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:16:48 -0500

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

This afternoon, a key subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives will hold a hearing on an anti-choice bill. The bill in question was introduced by anti-choice Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona, who's also the subcommittee's chairman.

When a pro-choice elected woman requested to testify at the hearing, Rep. Franks told her NO.

What am I talking about?

Is it the all-male birth-control panel that excluded Sandra Fluke?

Is it a hearing on the "Arrest Grandma Act"?

Nope. It's a brand-new attack on women's freedom and privacy that combines some of the "greatest hits" of the past three months.

Rep. Franks is pushing a bill to ban abortion care at 20 weeks in Washington, D.C., without consideration for the woman's situation, including cases of rape, incest, or fetal anomaly.

(Hear one family's tragic story that makes clear just how cruel this sort of law really is.)

Why does a representative from Arizona get to do this?

Because the District of Columbia is not a state, and opponents of choice have long used it as their anti-choice proving ground. Rep. Franks' bill is a top priority of the anti-choice National Right to Life Committee and continues the anti-choice legacy of undermining home rule in Washington, D.C.

And the pro-choice woman who wanted to testify at the hearing? That's Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, whom D.C. citizens elected with 89 percent of the vote.

Rep. Norton is not allowed to vote on the House floor, and now, thanks to Rep. Franks, she's not allowed to speak out on a bill that will affect the women in her district, either.

Rep. Franks, by the way, got exactly zero percent of the vote in D.C., since he's from Arizona. But I guess he thinks he knows what's best for D.C. women.

Tell your representative enough is enough: stop the War on D.C. Women.

Women's Health Week: How Obamacare Makes Health Care Affordable

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:14:50 -0500

It's National Women's Health Week, and here at Blog for Choice, we're sharing stories about how Obamacare helps women get quality, affordable health care.

Obamacare's full name is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Here's how the law makes health care affordable for Donna in Pennsylvania:

Without the Affordable Care Act my daughter, born with cerebral palsy, would not have health-care coverage after she finishes college. My family earns too much to be eligible for aid from the government or any charitable foundations (which means we earn over the poverty line). The Affordable Care Act will allow my daughter to be covered for an additional three years while she finds work and helps us pay down her tuition bills.

Obamacare means that, for millions of Americans, health care will be affordable for the very first time.

NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC Endorses President Obama for Re-Election

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:59:45 -0500

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, today announced that her organization's political action committee proudly endorses President Obama's bid for a second term.

NARAL Pro-Choice America's independent expenditure operation released this new video highlighting President Obama's dedication to women's health and families:

President Obama has been a tireless leader for women's reproductive health, and NARAL Pro-Choice America will engage its one-million member activists and the pro-choice community to support him in this upcoming election.

Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Women's Health Week: How Obamacare Benefits Young Americans

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:45:25 -0500

It's National Women's Health Week, and here at Blog for Choice, we're sharing stories about how Obamacare helps women get quality, affordable health care.

The Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, allows young Americans to stay on their parents' health-insurance plan until age 26. That's great news for Susan in Florida and her daughter:

My daughter is currently under my husband's insurance, even though she's almost 25. She was a college student for six years and started working on a part-time basis, only to receive medical benefits whenever she is put on to full time. With her medical problems, the Affordable Care Act has been a blessing!

Obamacare truly is a blessing for Susan's daughter and other young people.

(As an aside, I turned 26 on Saturday. While I've got health insurance through NARAL Pro-Choice America now, there was a time after college when I did rely on my parents' health-insurance plan--and I needed it.)

Three cheers for Obamacare!

Nancy Keenan Talks to Rachel Maddow about Her Upcoming Departure

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:40:54 -0500

Last night, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, went on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show."

In her first televised interview since announcing her departure at the end of the year, Nancy spoke with Rachel about the need to allow a new generation to take the reins of the pro-choice movement:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Thank you, Nancy!

Women's Health Week: How Does Obamacare Benefit You?

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:26:19 -0500

This week is National Women's Health Week, an opportunity to recognize the need for women to have control over their own health care and family-planning decisions.

And now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a Obamacare, we have a lot to celebrate when it comes to women's health.

Just how does Obamacare benefit women? Each day this week, we'll share a story here at Blog for Choice about how the law helps real women get quality, affordable health care.

Today, we're focusing on the no-cost birth control policy, which will give women near-universal contraceptive coverage. Let's hear from Amanda in Ohio:

At the age of 23 I was a working professional, but still unable to afford the cost of insurance. (At that time, young people stopped being covered by their parents' insurance soon after their college graduation.) Although I was working full-time as an intern to further my career, my employer did not cover my insurance, nor could I afford to pay it. Hence, I was not on birth control for two years before I decided to return to grad school. The institution I attended mandated that students without health care purchase insurance through the school, which I did. However, the full cost of birth control was not covered and I could not afford the monthly co-pay. At this point, I had been off birth control for at least three years.
During the spring of my first year of grad school, I experienced a ruptured ovarian cyst. The pain associated with this was excruciating, beyond anything I have experienced before in my life. It actually felt like an organ had burst inside of me. I could barely walk, or even think, I was in so much pain. A friend rushed me to the emergency room, where I underwent eight hours of testing (x-rays, ultrasounds, etc.) before they could figure out what had happened since the amount of fluid and tissue from the ruptured cyst was so great. After the painful ordeal and recovery, I had to visit an ob-gyn where I learned that being on birth control actually prevented the formation of cysts. I subsequently went on birth control, though it meant I had to borrow money to pay for the copay.
Although I followed protocol and contacted my insurance prior to going to the emergency room, they still would not pay because I did not go to the university health center, which is not equipped for emergency situations. If it took a hospital eight hours to diagnose and treat me, I wonder how a health center without emergency treatment capabilities would have fared?
The insurance company still refuses to cover the service and the $5,000 has been in dispute for years, while negatively impacting my credit and ability to apply for loans.
Basically, because I could not afford insurance or birth control copay as a young woman in my early and mid twenties, (that would have prevented cysts from developing), I now face thousands of dollars of debt, bad credit, and a diminished quality of life as a result.
The new policy will prevent this situation from happening to other young women who dream of having both a professional career and a healthy body. I don't think that is too much to ask...

Fortunately for women like Amanda, Obamacare means that insurance plans will cover the medicine they need without a copay.

Unfortunately, anti-choice politicians like Mitt Romney are fighting tooth and nail to make it harder for women like Amanda to get the health care they need. They're pushing for the Supreme Court to overturn the health-care law, and if that doesn't work, they'll try to repeal it in Congress.

That would have devastating consequences for women like Amanda.

Check back here at Blog for Choice every day this week to read more personal stories!

A Change at NARAL Pro-Choice America

Fri, 11 May 2012 10:10:25 -0500

After nearly eight wonderful years as the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, I informed our board of directors yesterday that my time as the leader of this amazing organization will come to an end in January 2013.

This decision was not an easy one, so I wanted to take time to say thank you and talk about our focus for the next eight months.

In building a great organization, there is no single defining action, no single election cycle, nor one leader that makes it successful. It is a combination of the talented and dedicated staff, state affiliates, board members, allies in elected office, and activists like you. I am so very proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with all of you in protecting the values we share.

Since 2005, we have stood together as we lobbied 55 votes on choice-related issues in Congress and worked in partnership with our affiliates on more than 4,000 choice-related bills at the state level. We also played a leading role in electing President Barack Obama and other pro-choice champions across the country.

As we've done this work, I have had the privilege of traveling across this country meeting with women and men who take time out of their lives to fight to protect a woman's right to choose.

One example comes from South Dakota. In 2006 and 2008, voters in that state faced ballot measures that would have banned abortion. I met a woman who had driven 100 miles with her daughter and two teenage grandchildren to attend our affiliate's organizing event. She told me she came because she respects the work we do. But she also wanted to show her daughter and grandchildren what it means to stand up for what you believe--especially in the face of adversity. She went door to door in her hometown of 200 people to talk with her neighbors about why the abortion ban was wrong. It is because of the courage of individuals like her that South Dakotans defeated both abortion bans by wide margins.

I believe that stories can lead to change. A few years ago, we faced a growing trend of pharmacists at large retail chains, including CVS, the Kroger Co., and Walmart, who refused to fill women's prescriptions for birth control because they personally opposed contraception. Some courageous women who experienced the humiliation of being told in front of total strangers that they could not get the medication their doctor had prescribed stepped forward. They spoke out at press conferences and helped us channel thousands of messages to these corporations. We successfully pressured these pharmacies to adopt policies that require them to fill valid prescriptions without delay or harassment.

In the last two years, as politicians who told voters they would focus on the economy launched a War on Women, the profiles in courage have been especially inspiring and powerful in countering this far-reaching agenda.

Last year, Dana Weinstein stepped forward to speak in opposition to a bill that, among many bad things, would have banned insurance coverage of abortion in the new health-care system, regardless of the woman's situation. She shared the profoundly personal story at a press conference on Capitol Hill of why she and her husband decided to terminate a wanted pregnancy that had encountered unforeseen complications. As she talked about her experience and how this bill would harm women facing situations like hers, the room fell silent, and I watched as the eyes of members of Congress filled with tears.

More recently, I was proud to listen as U.S. senators read stories from our activists about the importance of family-planning services to women during debate on bills that would have defunded programs that provide contraception services and other basic care to millions of Americans. You helped us defeat legislation that would have been devastating for women.

I share these stories because I want you to draw inspiration from them for the road ahead.

In the next eight months, we will focus on helping pro-choice candidates win elections so we can end this War on Women--and I need your courage and conviction now more than ever.

Every election matters--but this one is especially important to choice. As you may know, in January 2013 we will mark the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which recognized a woman's constitutionally guaranteed right to choose.

We all must work together to protect the values of freedom and privacy that Roe represents. That means you will continue to get messages from me and our state affiliates asking you to do a lot for choice, from supporting President Obama and other candidates to calling on lawmakers to oppose anti-choice attacks.

I am confident that our collective efforts will lead us to a fantastic celebration of Roe's 40th anniversary.

I look forward to proudly handing over the reins of this organization to a new leader, who will have pro-choice allies at all levels of government, thanks in part to the most passionate and effective membership base of any organization in this country.

Thank you for all you do to protect choice.

NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan to Depart in January 2013

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:36:06 -0500

The chairs of the boards of directors of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation announced today that President Nancy Keenan has chosen not to renew her contract, which expires at the end of December this year.

Keenan, who took the reins of the organization in December 2004, will continue her strong and successful leadership at the helm, including the organization's electoral efforts, until the completion of her contract to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

Read the press release and this story in The Washington Post, and learn about some of Nancy's key accomplishments.