I am pro-choice. My mother was a lifelong feminist and pro-choice activist. Throughout my life, NARAL has been an organization that was held in high regard.
I am sorry to say that NARAL now means something different to me. I live in New Hampshire. I am proud to be a supporter of the Bernie Sanders campaign. (My mother would be too, if she were still alive.) Every day this week, NARAL has stuffed our mailboxes with multiple copies of different mailings for each day: oversized sheets of cardstock exhorting us to “Vote for Hillary!”
This would be one thing if one candidate were pro-choice and the other one were not. But this is not the case. An honest disagreement can be had with NARAL’s endorsement. Personally I am convinced that Bernie (and the movement his campaign is awakening) is likely to accomplish more for the health of women than Hillary’s presidency would. I know not everyone feels this way, but I come by my conviction honestly, and it would be nice to feel that my position is respected.
Meantime, every time I open the mailbox and see this pile of mailings, I am appalled by what is obviously a great deal of money that NARAL is spending to influence the NH primary. I will always support NARAL in their pro-choice efforts, but this is plainly a political effort, and my nose is being rubbed daily in the understanding that when it comes to electoral politics, NARAL has taken sides against someone that many of us feel is the best pro-choice candidate.
Thus NARAL joins “Emily’s list” in my catalog of organizations that talk a good line but strangely sometimes take sides against someone I consider the better candidate. Why do such organizations feel they need to try to influence a primary where both candidates are pro-choice? I can think of answers, but they are not happy ones.
Anyway, NARAL, I am sad every day when I see your name on these mailings piling up on my kitchen table, and I hope you will think twice about such endorsements in the future.
Thank you for listening. Now I am going back out to go door to door for Bernie.