NARAL Pro-Choice America

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NARAL Pro-Choice America (pronounced "Nay-ral") is a prochoice group in the U.S. that favors abortion rights, and engages in political action to oppose restrictions on abortion and expand access to abortion. NARAL is often used as a short form of the name.

The group was founded in 1969 by Bernard Nathanson, Larry Lader and Betty Friedan as the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws. After Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case where the US Supreme Court voted the Constitutional right to privacy in reproductive decisions including abortion, it first changed its name to National Abortion Rights Action League then to National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League, and then dropped the long form entirely. The acronym is no longer officially used.

NARAL Pro-Choice America uses numerous tactics to lobby for increased abortion rights, both in the U.S. and overseas. It engages in lawsuits, donates money to politicians supportive of abortion rights through its political action committee, and organizes its members (especially through Internet communication and email) to contact members of Congress and urge them to support NARAL's positions. In addition, NARAL sponsors special events, most notably the March for Women's Lives in 2004. NARAL's longtime leader was Kate Michelman; however, she announced her retirement in 2004. Nancy Keenan, formerly the Montana state Superintendent of Schools, is now the President of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

NARAL Pro-Choice America is a partisan, but non-profit organization, and has approximately 30 state affiliates. It has been criticized by some abortion political activists, both for supporting Republicans supporting abortion such as Lincoln Chafee and Michael Bloomberg, and for supporting moderate or conservative Democrats.

NARAL Pro-Choice America also does public sex education and tracks state and national legislation affecting laws regarding abortion, women's health and reproductive rights.

Nancy Keenan is NARAL's current president.

1 Recent activities
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

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Recent activities

2005: In an ad targeting United States Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, NARAL claimed that Roberts supported "violent fringe groups and a convicted clinic bomber." While he did defend these individuals, it was almost seven years before the bombing pictured in the ad and the case was unrelated to clinic bombings.Template:Ref The ad was retracted under pressure from abortion advocates as undercutting the credibility of the abortion rights cause.Template:Ref
2004: sponsorship of the March for Women's Lives

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