NARAL-Pro-Choice America, Essay Example

NARAL-Pro-Choice America (NARAL) is a social-liberal institution formally known as National Abortion Rights Action League. The organization involves political events and advocates for enhancing access to abortion services in the entire America. It primarily operates through local organizations, leading all states’ campaigns to facilitate and normalize abortion. The organization was established in 1969 when its members gathered for the First National Conference on Abortion law modification (The Voter’s Self Defense System, n.d.). The conference was attended by 350 individuals and was supported by twenty-one organizations. The organization purposes to eradicate every practices or law that mandates women to give birth against their free will. According to the 2008 election data, NARAL came second as the influential left-of-center institution for achieving the democratic endorsement of candidates in various congressional races (The Voter’s Self Defense System, n.d.). The organization has recently backed a bill concerned with repealing the Hyde amendment, regulations that prevent the application of federal finances for abortion. The organization maintains a regional chapter in all states in the USA, which is often organized to facilitate vast abortion access to federal-funded abortion services at the state level (Berer, 2017). During the covid-19 pandemic, when various states declared abortion a non-vital medical process to save scarce resources, NARAL created a six-figure online advertising campaign to inform the population that Republicans were using the pandemic to extort vulnerable people (NARAL Pro-Choice America, n.d.).

Even though NARAL is strongly pro-abortion, one of the organization’s founders, Bernard Nathanson, oversaw at least 75,000 abortions before becoming a supporter of life movements and dedicating his life to abortion opponents (NARAL Pro-Choice America, n.d.). He confirmed that NARAL manipulated and incorrectly reported abortion data to receive elevated sympathy for access to abortion. In addition, Ilyse Hogue, the current NARAL president, has a strong connection with other left-of-center movements (Dwyer, n.d.). In 2016, she made national news by discussing her abortion experience at the Democratic National Convention.

NARAL alleged that the law transformed individuals’ rights to terminate pregnancies into a privilege to eradicate the Hyde Amendment. The organization created aggressive mail enlightenment to Congress to pressure legislators to repeal the Hyde Amendment. In 1985, at least 40,000 letters were collected from the women who had had abortions for its campaign known as “Abortion Rights, Silent No More.” The letters were read loudly in public by the NARAL leaders. In 1989, the organization continued to develop local abortion activism support, co-sponsoring women’s lives match and creating nationwide rallies known as “Speak Out” for individuals to discuss abortion merits as the Supreme Court experience a challenge to the Missouri law constitutionality restricting abortion (Dwyer, n.d.). In 1993, the organization lobbied Congress to formulate the Family and Medical leave act. In 1994, it ensured passage of access freedom to the clinic entrance act (FACE), which prevented any individual from physically obstructing or threatening women entering abortion clinics. In 1995, the organization organized a women’s rights rally to protest Pope John Paul II’s presence in New York City because of the Pope’s firm stand against abortion (NARAL Pro-Choice America, n.d.). Since 2000, the organization’s activities shifted to vast mass-media campaigns to facilitate abortion across the USA. In 2016 during the democratic primaries, the organization organized “#AskAboutAbortion,” to ensure that debate moderators inquire about abortion during the Democratic National Committee (Berer, 2017).

The issue of abortion is controversial because it concerns infants’ life, and if it is unsuccessfully conducted, it can lead to the mother’s demise. The organization should consider the religious norms before fighting for abortion. Abortion should be performed only if the mother’s health is at risk and if the mother was raped. However, other abortions involving physically disabled infants should be discouraged. The organization is okay because it fights for the life of the vulnerable in the community. For instance, it fights for the “Global Health Empowerment and Rights Act,” supporting the Equal Rights Amendment.

References

Berer, M. (2017). Abortion law and policy around the world: In search of decriminalization. Health and Human Rights, 19(1), 13–27. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5473035/

Dwyer, J. (n.d.). LibGuides: Political Science: What kind of information are you looking for? Libguides.slcc.edu. https://libguides.slcc.edu/political_science

NARAL Pro-Choice America. (n.d.). Www.influencewatch.org. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/naral-pro-choice-america/

The Voter’s Self Defense System. (n.d.). Vote Smart. http://votesmart.org/interest-groups#.VKq_5HsYMfU.