John—

As I reflect on my final week as NARAL president, I’m reminded of the words of the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who said that “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” My time at NARAL has shown me exactly that. Together, we’ve transformed the national conversation about reproductive freedom to spotlight the 7 in 10 Americans who support the right to abortion, worked to expand access for the far too many who have none, and exposed the disinformation tactics of the Radical Right.

And while enduring, lasting change didn’t always arrive in the moments we had hoped it would. Still, I have never doubted our resilience or lost faith in our ability to turn the tide when we stand together.

• In 2013, we joined partners across the movement for reproductive health, rights, and justice to fight back against a dangerous restriction that threatened to decimate access to abortion in Texas. And years later, we were there when the Supreme Court struck down that law as unconstitutional with its decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt.
• We mounted a fierce campaign against every one of Trump’s ideological appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court — from Neil Gorsuch, to Brett Kavanaugh, and lastly Amy Barrett. We knew that Trump’s efforts to stack the Court with judges hostile to Roe v. Wade would have consequences for decades to come, so we kept showing up and making noise. And no matter the outcome, we kept our promise to hold accountable, at the ballot box, those who enabled Trump’s push to capture our nation’s courts.
• In 2019, as anti-choice, anti-freedom lawmakers pushed ever-more extreme bans on abortion in states across the country, reproductive freedom supporters pushed back in a big way. That year, we joined over 80 other organizations for a historic nationwide Day of Action to Stop the Bans.

These last eight years have brought so much change — we've been through four election cycles, four confirmation battles at the U.S. Supreme Court, and an unprecedented period of upheaval as our country experiences a deadly pandemic, economic crisis, and calls for long overdue racial justice.

Even in the face of these unimaginable challenges, NARAL shifted to virtual work, running our largest-ever electoral program and helping make real change happen: ousting anti-choice Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski from Congress, booting Trump from the White House, and flipping the U.S. Senate to Democratic control. Quite literally, none of this would have happened without each and every one of you.

Our organization has had to reckon with our own history, our role in perpetuating white supremacy, and how we can live up to our commitments to racial justice. Those most impacted by our work demand and deserve real accountability — I know myself, our Board and everyone at NARAL is committed to continuing to listen, learn, and do better. While that work isn’t easy, we know it is essential to moving forward.

Moving forward requires an authentic assessment of where we’ve been and where we want to go. We held deep and passionate conversations — with stakeholders inside and out of NARAL — about how to authentically show up in our movement and build forward together. These conversations helped shape NARAL’s new Road Map to Equity (English and Spanish), which documents our values, aspirations, and commitments to be a better organization while also acknowledging harms and holding ourselves accountable to be better. It was an honor to work with the NARAL Board, staff, and members of the NARAL community in what is a guiding light for our work ahead and I’m excited to see how it is put in action.

As I pass the baton to NARAL's acting president, Adrienne Kimmell, I am full of hope for what comes next for the organization at this critical moment. Adrienne is a talented and dedicated leader who I've been privileged to work alongside for years. I am confident she will help this organization fight tirelessly for reproductive freedom and never lose sight of our ongoing work towards equity.

The power of NARAL’s members has humbled me — from you fearless storytellers who bravely share your experiences to you volunteers who give your time to make calls to voters. You’ve shown up time and time again, proving that the 7 in 10 majority isn’t just a statistic, but real people from all walks of life. Real people who call for truth in the media and the White House. Real people who believe that change is possible. Real people who are fighting for a future where reproductive freedom is a reality for every body. You’ve demonstrated that each of us has a role to play in securing our fundamental rights and freedoms.

We’re in a pivotal moment — the Supreme Court is stacked with judges hostile to abortion rights, and state lawmakers have finally succeeded in getting a case before the Court that could overturn Roe. At the same time, Democrats are in the White House and control both chambers of Congress.

This is a moment for change. And I know our future will be brighter than ever because of you.

While I may be departing as president, I will always be a part of NARAL and NARAL will always be a part of me. Serving in this role has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime. Thank you for believing in me, NARAL’s mission, and our work.

Forever fighting with you,

Ilyse Hogue
President, NARAL Pro-Choice America