Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 8, 1994 TAG: 9401080050
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The 25-year-old National Abortion Rights Action League added the words "and Reproductive" to its title Friday - becoming the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League.
"America must change course," President Kate Michelman said at a news conference. "Our nation's focus should not be on abortion but on giving people the information and tools they need to make informed choices about their lives and their families."
Each year, there are 3 million unintended pregnancies in America and 1.5 million abortions, she said.
"We intend to lead the way in making abortion less necessary by addressing America's epidemic of unintended pregnancy," she said.
The league also will lobby Congress to fund contraceptive research and development.
The organization also will work to ensure that Congress stresses pregnancy prevention, access to prenatal care, family planning and abortion services as it considers health care reform.
"We will also lobby Congress and the statehouses to fund preschool programs that support parents and help low-income children stay healthy," she said.
The league and its affiliates will target key school board races where the religious right is running candidates, Michelman said.
The group also will choose one state in which to mount a campaign to overturn or prevent passage of a parental consent law, she said.
James Wagner, the league's political director, said Virginia, Colorado and New Jersey were being considered.
by CNB