NARAL Pro-Choice Washington Activists Save Family Planning
King County Council Votes to Keep All County Family Planning Clinics Open SEATTLE – NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, the state’s leading grassroots pro-choice advocacy organization, has played a pivotal role in preserving King County family planning funding. When the King County Council was considering eliminating 5 out of 9 King County family planning clinics for low-income women and teens, NARAL rapidly mobilized pro-choice activists to lobby the Council in support of funding for women’s reproductive health care. The pro-choice community was heard loud and clear, and today the Council voted to preserve the funding for at least the next nine months. “Today’s vote is a clear example of the power of pro-choice grassroots activism,” said Karen Cooper, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. “On behalf of all the women and teens in King County, I would like to thank the King County Council for standing up for women’s health.” Pro-choice activists quickly responded to the proposed family planning budget cuts and made sure they were heard by the Council: - NARAL Pro-Choice Washington volunteers sent over 850 letters to members of the King County Council urging them not to cut healthcare funding for the county’s most vulnerable women and teens.
- Pro-choice activists made phone calls and submitted email messages to the Council, arguing in support of continued family planning funding.
- Karen Cooper, Sasha Cousineau (NARAL Pro-Choice Washington’s director of volunteer and youth programs), and three NARAL volunteers testified in support of family planning funding at the November 10th budget hearing.
“The sheer volume of comments submitted from the pro-choice community, and the fact that family planning funding saves money over the long run, helped keep King County’s family planning clinics open and running for women and teens in need of low-cost and free services,” Cooper added. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington will continue to mobilize grassroots activists to lobby for family planning funding during the upcoming legislative session. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the leading grassroots pro-choice advocacy organization in Washington State. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington works to protect every woman’s right to access the full range of reproductive health options, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the state affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America. ###
| 
