NARAL president to step down

Ilyse Hogue, an abortion rights activist who helped lead the fight against former President Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, will step down as president of NARAL, the organization announced Monday. 

Hogue, who has led NARAL for eight years, did not state what her next career move would be, but her departure comes as Democrats hold unified control of Congress and the White House for the first time in since 2011.

“Because of Ilyse’s leadership, NARAL could not be in a better position to take advantage of Democratic control of Washington to make reproductive freedom a reality for every body. I, and the whole board, are beyond grateful for all that she has done for the organization and our members,” said Anna Burger, chairwoman of NARAL’s board of directors.

Hogue will officially step down in late May but will oversee the transition of the group’s next president, who has not yet been named. 

During Hogue’s tenure at NARAL, the group fought against abortion restrictions at the state and federal levels and worked to elect abortion rights supporters to Congress, state legislatures and the White House. 

Hogue served on the Democratic Platform Committee in both years, helping secure opposition to the Hyde Amendment — a federal ban on abortion funding — for the first time ever. 

During Hogue’s tenure, membership in the organization increased from 500,000 to 2.5 million and the annual budget shot up from $9 million to $34 million. 

Her time at NARAL also saw the election of Trump, who nominated three Supreme Court justices, securing a conservative majority for years to come and threatening abortion rights in the process, she argued.

In an interview with the New York Times, Hogue framed the current moment as a chance for Democrats to follow through on their promises to protect abortion rights. 

“I’m getting every indication that they’re going to move forward the legislation that puts us on the path to progress,” she said, asked if Democrats in Congress will codify Roe v. Wade into federal law. 

“The peril to Roe, the peril to reproductive freedom comes from the courts,” she added.