Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder Mourns Loss of Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute of Reproductive Health
BOSTON, MA (October 31st, 2023) — The staff of Reproductive Equity Now is devastated to learn of the sudden passing of our friend, Andrea Miller, the former Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts. Reproductive Equity Now is sending loving thoughts to her family and the National Institute for Reproductive Health staff as they mourn the loss of an inspiring advocate and friend to so many of us.
“Today, we remember Andrea’s bold legacy, which live on in the work we do to advance reproductive equity, each and every day,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, President of Reproductive Equity Now. “Andrea’s impact on Massachusetts’ and the national reproductive freedom landscape cannot be understated. During Andrea’s tenure as Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, she played a critical role in making contraception more accessible for all people by eliminating copays for family planning in Massachusetts health reform – this progress ultimately helped lay the foundation for the Affordable Care Act. Andrea helped ensure patients throughout the state knew how to access legitimate and unbiased reproductive health care, and she helped elect an historic number of pro-choice candidates to the Massachusetts state legislature.
“Andrea went on to serve as President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, where she worked day in and day out to provide advocates in dozens of states and localities with the resources, guidance, and support they needed to create national change. Andrea helped shift the narrative around abortion messaging by investing in groundbreaking public opinion research. From NIRH, she invested in Massachusetts, continuing to believe that creating pro-active state policy would help shift the national tides on reproductive equity. She taught us all that we should fight like hell for reproductive freedom and be proud of that fight.
“But, to me, Andrea was a dear friend. I turned to her for advice and feedback often. She always made time for a pep talk or to help me through hard decisions. She invested in my growth and leadership. Perhaps most importantly, she taught me to be unafraid to ruffle feathers, with kindness, in pursuit of justice. For that, I will be forever in her debt.Andrea’s brilliance, creativity, and deep compassion marked her incredible career. More than anything, Andrea was a dear friend and beloved colleague. She will be deeply missed and forever loved by her Massachusetts repro family.”
For more on Andrea’s inspiring legacy, the National Institute for Reproductive Health has a statement available here.
###
