On Tuesday, NARAL Pro-Choice America held its annual dinner celebrating the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion. After leading the organization for eight years, Nancy Keenan turned the reins of the organization over to liberal activist Ilyse Hogue who will serve as its new president.
In preparation for the transfer of power, NARAL released a YouTube video to introduce Hogue to its members. In the video, Hogue touts her roots as a “progressive organizer,” particularly noting how she was drawn into the pro-abortion movement. The most stunning revelation comes when Hogue describes abortion as “foundational for every other thing we want to achieve for ourselves, our families and our country.”
Hogue lays out a future vision for NARAL Pro-Choice America saying they “will always be there to protect that choice and to expand those choices so that all women have the freedom to write the stories of their own lives.” While Americans may have reelected a pro-abortion president, the vast majority does not want to see abortion expanded. Perhaps Hogue envisions more bills like Governor Cuomo’s Reproductive Health Act in New York, which would expand late abortions, tear down conscience protections, undermine state maternity programs, allow non-physicians to perform abortions and preclude any future reasonable regulations on abortion.
In the conclusion of the video, Hogue indicates Americans share “pro-choice” values with her and her organization. Yet, recent polling found just 13% of Americans support abortion for any reason, at any time during pregnancy, the NARAL position.
It’s also quite a stretch for Hogue to claim she is mainstream after praising the radical Occupy Wall Street movement and serving as a senior advisor to George Soros-funded Media Matters for America.
The selection of Hogue to lead NARAL comes after previous president Nancy Keenan stepped down fearing the aging of the organization and intensity gap between pro-life and pro-abortion young people.
“Part of my decision was that, at 40, you have the opportunity to engage a new generation, the Millenials, because they are so huge, and that the person at the helm of this organization could reflect that youth and a younger generation,” Keenan said in an interview with The Hill. “Because now the responsibility lies with these next generations to be vigilant.”
“This isn’t on the top of their list of issues that they’re concerned about right now,” she said. “And so we have to close that intensity gap, we have to make the case for the importance of the vigilance around this issue.”
Yet Atima Omara-Alwala (@atima_omara), Vice President of the Young Democrats of America tweeted that at NARAL’s dinner, Keenan remarked, “The good thing about young anti-choicers is that they are in the minority of their generation.”
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A 2010 internal NARAL survey examined the views of young Americans and found a stark “intensity gap” on abortion. Some 51 percent of the under 30 voters who are pro-life call opposing abortion a “very important” voting issue compared with just 26 percent of abortion backers.
Also in attendance at NARAL’s Roe. v. Wade dinner was Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. NARAL’s Virginia affiliate proudly tweeted a photo of the pro-abortion politician.
Some of the most popular tweets during the event reiterated comments made by NARAL president Ilyse Hogue that “when women thrive, communities thrive, marketplaces thrive and our country thrives.” Can women, communities, marketplaces and our country truly thrive when we pit mother against child and doctor against patient? Ending the life of another human being is not a viable solution to societal ills or economic challenges. It would be an incredibly sad commentary on our nation if abortion were required in order for women to achieve their dreams. We’re better than that.
