A Letter to Our Supporters

Dear Friends and Supporters, 

On the precipice of my fifth year as Executive Director of Reproductive Equity Now, two things have become clear. 

First, the sky is in fact falling with regards to reproductive freedom. The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to undermine access to abortion care and impact the ability of millions of people across the United States to make deeply personal decisions about their reproductive health. 

Second, protecting and expanding abortion access, and reproductive freedom more broadly, is a state-by-state, voter-by-voter grassroots movement. And that’s exactly what we do best.  Over the course of the last four years, we have helped enact no fewer than six pieces of transformative legislation to change the landscape of reproductive freedom in Massachusetts. 

And, yet, this year is like no other in the 48-year history of our organization. For four decades, we have been a statewide affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America. However, NARAL America recently  initiated a disaffiliation process with all statewide affiliates across the country.  This seismic shift has given us an opportunity to reflect on our strengths and reimagine what our organization could be. Though the enormity of this change is not lost on me, I am filled with hope about our future and our path forward.  

We are pleased to relaunch our organizations as Reproductive Equity Now and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation. This name reflects our expanded mission and the urgency we feel when it comes to demanding, protecting, and expanding abortion access and reproductive freedom for everyone, especially those facing barriers because of both structural racism and poverty. We have the knowledge, experience, winning track record, and most importantly the grassroots supporters who are dedicated and inspired to protect reproductive freedom and abortion access. 

So, what’s next? 

We will continue to fight for reproductive equity in Massachusetts. As important as that is, we know we need to do more and we believe that our model for change can work regionally. 

The U.S. Supreme Court poses a threat to reproductive freedom across the country. New England can and should be at the forefront of the fight to assert the right of all people to make private, personal decisions about their reproductive destiny. We envision a regional block of states paving the way forward on reproductive freedom and demonstrating to the nation what true reproductive equity looks like. We are poised to lead the way with a model that emphasizes local and state leadership to secure national change. 

We have transformed ourselves into a fully independent organization fighting for reproductive equity in Massachusetts. Our next step is to imagine our work more broadly in New England.

I hope you will join me on this exciting journey!

–Becca