Nancy Keenan

NARAL Pro-Choice America

Nancy Keenan began her tenure as president of NARAL Pro-Choice America in December 2004. Committed to working on behalf of America’s pro-choice majority, Nancy took the reigns of the organization pledging to protect and defend the American values of freedom, privacy and personal responsibility.

Before coming to NARAL Pro-Choice America, Nancy served as a Montana state legislator and State Superintendent of Public Instruction and ran a strong campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000. Nancy’s commitment to public service was shaped early in life as one of five children born into an Irish-Catholic family in Anaconda, Montana, a small copper smelter town in the western part of this "red" state. Nancy earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Montana State University and a master’s degree in Education Administration from the University of Montana. Before seeking elected office, Nancy taught children with disabilities in her hometown.

Nancy Keenan is a frequent commentator on reproductive health issues. Her list of appearances includes NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, The Brit Hume Report on FOX, CNN and NPR.

Hypocrisy on EC

Republican presidential candidates claim to want to reduce instances of abortion, but they often oppose access to emergency contraception, too.

New Right-Wing Holiday: “Abstinence Day”

Today, groups like the Family Research Council (FRC) are holding "Abstinence Day" on Capitol Hill. They are trying to overwhelm lawmakers to get them to support ineffective and medically inaccurate abstinence-only programs.

Honoring Women’s Lives

Three years ago we marched for women's lives; what better day to flood Congress with calls in support of the Freedom of Choice Act. Anti-abortion activists are poised to act... are you ready to defend Roe v. Wade?

Anti-Choice Congressmen Trying to Distract Voters

Nancy Keenan is the President of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Editorial Note: The US House of Representatives approved this bill with a minor amendment, meaning that it will likely sit in the doldrums until next year's new Congress comes to town. (aka "pure political stunt")

Tomorrow, the House is set to vote on a divisive and dangerous bill: the so-called "Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act" (CIANA). CIANA is a desperate political ploy that shows that anti-choice congressional leadership is out of step with Americans' priorities. This divisive and controversial anti-choice bill would virtually eliminate young women's right to choose through a crazy quilt of rules and regulations with no exceptions to protect young women's health.

Plan C for Plan B®

Nancy Keenan is the President of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

The Food and Drug Administration, after more than three years of unprecedented political interference, finally agreed with its medical and scientific experts to allow women to purchase the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B® over-the-counter.

NARAL Pro-Choice America, along with other women's health advocates, rightly celebrated this decision as a victory for sound science and women's health over the Bush administration's attempts to block women's access to this safe, effective form of birth control.

Election 2006: Advantage Pro-Choice Candidates

Nancy Keenan is the President of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Editor's Note: Our coverage this week has been dedicated to the Tornto AIDS Conference, but this poll, released this morning from NARAL Pro-Choice America, is important news we want to bring to our readers. In doing so we also note the increasing importance and interconnectedness of reproductive health, choice, contracpetion and disease prevention efforts in the public dialogue in America today.

On the reproductive rights front, the message is clear: Americans are tired of divisive attacks on a woman's right to choose and in November's election, they are ready to vote for a positive change.

NARAL Pro-Choice America just released a poll that shows pro-choice candidates have an opportunity to capitalize on the public's support for commonsense solutions to prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion. Nearly 77 percent of voters polled agree that the government and politicians should stay out of a woman's personal and private decision about whether or not to have an abortion.