We witnessed history in 2008: the election of Barack Obama as our country's next pro-choice president represented a resounding victory for the fundamental American values of freedom and privacy.

As I campaigned on behalf of President-elect Obama and other pro-choice candidates, I witnessed the energy and enthusiasm that compelled ordinary Americans to go to extraordinary lengths to change the direction of our country.

In states such as New Hampshire and Wisconsin, I met daughters who recruited their mothers into the campaign. I saw college students worried about the rising cost of birth control at their campus health centers working alongside baby boomers who feared that the Supreme Court could move further in a direction that threatens Roe v. Wade. I met parents concerned about the rising rate of sexually transmitted diseases among our teens. Although of different ages and backgrounds, these Americans channeled their anxiety into action and spoke of a common responsibility to do whatever they could to elect leaders who shared their values.

Without a doubt, choice was an issue in this historic election. The public endorsed President-elect Obama's call for a change in the tone of the debate over reproductive rights and an end to the divisive attacks on a woman's right to choose. The pro-choice victory in the presidential race was replicated at all levels of government. We built upon the successes of the 2006 midterm elections, as pro-choice forces—although still outnumbered by anti-choice lawmakers—strengthened their ranks in Congress. Many state legislatures will convene with more pro-choice members. Voters in California, Colorado, and South Dakota rejected anti-choice ballot measures.

With these successes comes profound responsibility. The pro-choice movement finds itself on the cusp of a tremendous opportunity: not only to make significant headway into reversing some of George W. Bush's worst policies, but also to start advancing pro-choice initiatives on a national level and in the states.

The 18th edition of Who Decides? The Status of Women's Reproductive Rights in the United States lays out the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead. If we learn any lesson from this election, it is that we cannot wait for others to make our dreams a reality. We cannot for one moment underestimate how our success will spur opponents of a woman's right to choose to invent new ways to undermine the very freedoms we fight so hard to protect.

As we move forward, let us build on our progress and pay heed to the inspiring words that President-elect Obama spoke during his historic bid for the White House: "None of this will be easy. It won't happen overnight. But I believe we can do all this because I believe in America. At each and every moment in our history, we've risen to meet our challenges, because we've never forgotten the fundamental truth that in America, our destiny is not written for us, but by us."

Sincerely,

President
NARAL Pro-Choice America