NARAL Pro-Choice America, one of the largest advocacy groups for abortion rights in the country, made an announcement on Wednesday regarding a change in its name. This switch highlights the evolving politics surrounding the issue following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn federal abortion rights.
While abortion rights activists have long framed their mission as a fight for healthcare and women’s rights, NARAL’s new name, “Reproductive Freedom for All,” aims to align the group’s goals with a different argument. In the wake of the post-Roe era, the battle for abortion access is portrayed as a fight for fundamental freedoms.
The term “pro-choice,” once widely used by Democrats, no longer resonates with moderate, younger, and male voters who have become more engaged since the Supreme Court’s decision to end nationwide abortion rights last year, according to NARAL’s president, Mini Timmaraju. Additionally, the previous name of the group failed to reflect the contributions of Black and Hispanic women who have long been at the forefront of the fight for abortion access.
“NARAL is incredibly resonant for the political world, but we’re not necessarily in the business anymore of just winning political opinion within elected officials and policymakers,” said Ms. Timmaraju. “We are now in a much bigger fight for the heart and soul of the American people, and those are folks who are brand-new to the abortion debate.”
In addition to the name change, the group plans to increase its focus on state organizing and adopt a broader approach by aligning with causes such as eliminating the Senate filibuster, supporting voting rights, and expanding the Supreme Court.
The landscape of abortion rights supporters and opponents is rapidly changing as political battle lines are redrawn. Some Republicans have called for a move away from the term “pro-life,” asserting that it has become politically detrimental to their candidates. On the other hand, NARAL’s name change reveals the significant shift in abortion politics since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last year.
Surveys conducted over the years have consistently shown that those opposing abortion felt more impassioned by the issue, viewing it as a litmus test for candidates. However, following the Supreme Court’s ruling, the dynamics have flipped. Those supportive of abortion rights have become increasingly motivated, while opponents have grown less so.
The abortion rights movement has shifted its messaging from framing abortion as healthcare to framing the legality of the procedure as a basic American liberty. This messaging approach has been employed by NARAL since 2018, following internal research that found it to be the most persuasive argument.
In the 2022 midterm elections, many Democrats embraced this approach, portraying abortion restrictions as a form of government overreach. Meanwhile, Republicans used similar arguments during the pandemic, often invoking the word “freedom” to criticize mask mandates and other public health measures.
“Reproductive Freedom for All” marks the fourth name change for NARAL since its inception in 1969 as the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws. It then became the National Abortion Rights Action League after the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. “Reproductive Rights” was added to its name in 1993, and in 2003, it became NARAL Pro-Choice America, coinciding with a multimillion-dollar effort to place abortion at the forefront of the 2004 presidential election.
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