Pro-Choice Elected Officials and Community Members Salute Karen Cooper
NARAL Pro-Choice Washington’s Power of Choice Luncheon honors achievements of retiring executive director and introduces new leader. SEATTLE – Over 400 hundred pro-choice elected officials, political leaders, and community members joined NARAL Pro-Choice Washington to commemorate long-time executive director Karen Cooper’s leadership and achievements at today’s Power of Choice Luncheon. NARAL members also had the opportunity to meet the new director, Lauren B. Simonds, M.S.W. The event featured prominent pro-choice leaders: Governor Chris Gregoire, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, former Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn, and NARAL Pro-Choice New York president Kelli Conlin, as well as taped comments from Sen. Patty Murray and Reps. Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott. The speakers applauded Cooper’s commitment to a woman’s right to choose and the policy and political victories she worked to secure, and spoke to the enduring pro-choice movement she helped to build in Washington. “Having Karen Cooper retire is like having the entire 2001 Seattle Mariners team retire. She operates in rarified company. She is amongst the savviest, most shrewd and well-organized political operatives this state has ever seen,” said Senn. Senn and Cooper have known each other for many years, and Cooper consulted on several of Senn’s campaigns. "I have always supported the right to privacy and the right to choose. This is fundamental. And I want to give my best wishes to Karen Cooper, a dynamic force in Washington state politics known for her activism, commitment, and organizing talent," added Mayor Nickels. Governor Gregoire, who recently signed legislation requiring any funding the state seeks for sex education to be for programs that are effective, medically accurate and proven to work, said, “Karen Cooper is an icon in Washington state. Through Karen’s leadership, not only have women’s rights been protected, but she’s been instrumental in achieving important gains.” Kelli Conlin, president of NARAL Pro-Choice New York and the National Institute for Reproductive Health, spoke to Cooper’s leadership in expanding the Washington affiliate. “I know firsthand how challenging running an affiliate can be, and have been impressed and inspired by the leadership Karen has shown at NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. Over the last 15 years, Karen has built a strong foundation for the organization, meaning pro-choice action and activism will continue here in Washington well into the future." Cooper accepted the Power of Choice Award for her tireless dedication to reproductive rights and individual liberty, and passed the torch to Simonds, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington’s new executive director. Addressing the guests, Simonds said that she will carry Cooper’s legacy forward and “lead the staff, volunteers and supporters with the same passion, dedication and zeal that is the trademark of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington.” Simonds outlined several of the areas in which NARAL is working to expand reproductive freedom: advocating for a pro-choice Supreme Court nominee, instituting comprehensive and medically accurate sexual health education across the state, saving funding for birth control and other family planning care, and ensuring a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington has established the Karen S. Cooper Leadership Fund in honor of Cooper’s efforts to strengthen the pro-choice movement through leadership development. All proceeds from the Power of Choice event support NARAL Pro-Choice Washington’s programs to protect and promote a woman’s right to choose. 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. ###
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