NARAL Pro-Choice America Pays Tribute to Betty Friedan

Washington, DC – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued the following statement commemorating Betty Friedan's contributions as a leader and advocate for women's equality, including reproductive freedom.

"Our thoughts are with the friends and family of Betty Friedan. We pay tribute to her legacy of advancing women's equality. Betty was a pivotal figure in a movement that compelled society to recognize the true worth of women's contributions to our country. Her vision included a culture that valued women's ability to make personal decisions about their health without political interference. Before the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, Betty joined other leaders in the battle to repeal state laws that blocked women's access to safe, legal abortion and often forced them to take desperate measures that could endanger their lives when faced with an unintended pregnancy. Even after Roe guaranteed a woman's right to choose, Betty never let us forget that we could not take for granted a right to women's privacy that she and other pioneering figures fought so valiantly to secure. It is on her shoulders—and in her spirit—that we wage today's ongoing battle to protect women's reproductive freedom from persistent attacks from an anti-choice president and Congress."

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032