2014 ANNUAL REPORT

A MESSAGE FROM
OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

n the wake of all the excitement from Sen. Wendy Davis filibuster in 2013, it is no surprise
that 2014 was an incredibly eventful year for reproductive freedom in Texas. It was a year
with many ups and downs, triumphs and challenges. There was the exhilaration of having so
many incredibly qualified candidates for office on the ballot, including a record number of
strong, pro-choice women. And we all felt the enthusiasm on the ground as so many members of the unruly mob were out block walking, phone banking, tabling at public events and
attending rallies and conventions. Many of you were out there, giving it your all, and although
election night didnt turn out as wed hoped, your efforts mattered.
2014 ended in disappointment, as many of the pro-choice candidates we fought so hard
for werent elected and we faced the reality of a staunchly anti-choice state leadership and
Legislature. While its easy to place blame or demand answers, the reality is that Texas needs
more than just one election to fix our dismal voter turnout rate.
But there were still gains. Our supporters became involved in ways we hadnt seen before.
And weve learned from the 2014 elections and are already looking forward to how we can
do better in 2016 and beyond. Last year wasnt the end, but just the beginning of a powerful
movement for change in Texas.
2014 was a difficult blow to abortion access. As HB 2 took effect, we saw the number of
clinics in the state dwindle to fewer than 20. Large swaths of the state were left without a
clinic, including east Texas, west Texas and south Texas. As litigation wound its way through
the courts, the last clinic in the Rio Grande Valley closed, re-opened, closed and re-opened
again. Its fate is in the hands of the courts, along with almost a dozen other clinics in danger
of closure.
Despite these setbacks, there is hope. When I started at NARAL Pro-Choice Texas in 2012, I
was the only full-time employee. But in 2014 we were able to grow into a small but mighty team
of six. First Emily Martin joined the team as our new program director and then Amelia Long
became our first development director in years. We had the capacity to grow our membership
and increase our program work, including putting on activist trainings around the state,
publishing an undercover expos of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers and participating in
film screenings, panel discussions and other events.
With Amelia on board, we built upon the growth of 2013 and increased our supporter base
to span 146 counties in Texas. We expanded our Men for Choice fundraiser to include events
in Austin and, for the first time, in Houston. We held our first fundraising event in Dallas in

NARAL Pro-Choice Texas

years, By Design By Choice. And our fall celebration in Austin was our most successful to
date!
By the end of the year, we added a communications coordinator, Zoey Lichtenheld, so we can
build relationships and change the biased way reproductive rights are portrayed in the media.
We brought on a talented digital communications manager, Drew Stanley, who has raised the
caliber of our graphic design and taken our online communications to the next level. And for
the first time, we added staff outside of Austin with a Houston organizer, Natalie San Luis.
We launched a new and improved website at prochoicetexas.org and after undercover
investigations into anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, launched txpregnancy.org, a
multi-media report on our findings at centers that mislead women about abortion and
contraception. We also exposed anti-abortion groups harassment tactics and began the
important work to change the culture and conversation around abortion care, always striving
to reach new audiences.
We have begun to fight smarter and stronger by teaming up with more like-minded groups,
including ACLU of Texas, Texas Freedom Network, Shift and Progress Texas. We found ways
to lift up the voices of other organizations like abortion funds, the Afiya Center and Medical
Students for Choice.
Our board of directors grew larger, stronger and more diverse, with representation from
Houston to El Paso and Dallas to the coastal bend. After 36 years of operation in Texas,
NARAL Pro-Choice Texas is truly becoming a statewide force for reproductive freedom.
Your contributions have been integral to this growth and you make the difference. Not only
does your support make our work possible, it ensures we can continue to grow and sustain
our organization for the long run. We have some big battles ahead of us and we are looking
at implementing a long-term strategy as we fight to win back reproductive health care access
for all Texans, regardless of age, socioeconomic status or geographic location. I know we can
count on you to continue supporting NARAL Pro-Choice Texas.
Thank you so much for being part of our amazing journey. I look forward to seeing you at our
events and trainings, hearing your feedback and getting to know you all better as we move
forward together to build a Texas where everyone can access the reproductive health care
they need.
Yours in the fight,

Heather Busby
Executive Director

2014 Annual Report

OUR 2014 PROGRAMS

NARAL Pro-Choice Texas is connecting advocates for

reproductive freedom in a growing, statewide network.
The 146 Texas counties where our current members
and supporters live are shown in orange.
Our Legislative Program is NARAL Pro-Choice
Texas key strategy for defending reproductive
freedom in Texas. In 2014, we developed a
proactive legislative agenda that promotes access to
contraception, challenges existing abortion restrictions and
builds support for the full range of reproductive options.
The Next Generation program provides training and
development for Texans between the ages of 18 and 35 to foster
Millennial engagement and connect future leaders in a statewide network.
Our Activist Trainings are day-long workshops to deepen advocates engagement with
reproductive rights and educate them on topics like the history of abortion restrictions in
Texas and ways to engage with government.
In 2014, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas Crisis Pregnancy Center Investigations grew. We
investigated 16 Texas crisis pregnancy centers across
the state and caught their staff on tape using scare
tactics and misinformation to prevent visitors from
seeking abortion care. We published our findings on
a multimedia website, txpregnancy.org.
Our ongoing campaign continues to expose CPCs
and hold lawmakers who support state funding for
CPCs to account.
Through Regional Organizing, we are building a
connected, statewide network, with a dedicated
organizer in Houston and a South Texas Engagement
Project in the Rio Grande Valley. In 2014, we worked
with more than 50 organizations and participated in almost 100 panel discussions, film
screenings and other events across Texas.

NARAL Pro-Choice Texas

A YEAR IN PICTURES

2014 Annual Report

NARAL Pro-Choice
Texas activist trainings
in Austin.

Whole Womans Health

receiving the Fighting
Spirit award at our Fall
Celebration.

NARAL Pro-Choice
Texas activist trainings
in Houston.

Austin Mayor Steve

Adler, Senator Kirk
Watson and Deece
Eckstein at Austin Men
for Choice.

Senator Kirk Watson

and a supporter at
Austin Men for Choice.

Heather Busby and Lize

Burr at Austin Men for
Choice.

Dan Mowery, Dan

Brown, Senator Kirk
Watson and Heather
Busby at Austin Men
for Choice.

Heather Busby, Senator

Kirk Watson and
Amelia Long at Austin
Men for Choice.

Richard Jenkins and

Susan Hays at our Fall
Celebration.

Lize Burr and Brenda

Collier at our Fall
Celebration.

Imani Gandy
delivering her keynote
speech at our Fall
Celebration.

Heather Busby speaks

outside of Whole
Womans Health of
McAllen after the 5th
Circuit forced it to
close.

(left to right) Andrea

Ferrigno, Amy
Hagstrom Miller,
Imani Gandy, Katherine
Miller, Susy Hemphill,
Linsday Rodriguez and
Nan Kirkpatrick at our
Fall Celebration!

(left to right) Pat

OConnell, Dian Ruud,
Chris Ruud, Jan Soifer.

Katherine Miller and

Julie Gillis outside
of the federal district
court in Austin during
the first hearing of
Whole Womans Health
v. Lakey.

(left to right) Drew

Stanley, Samantha
Riemer, Fatimah Gifford
and Stephen Perry.

(left to right) Bill Brice,

Lucas Bifano and
Jessica Brice at Our
Lives by Design by
Choice in Dallas.

Supporters stand
outside of the Capitol
in Austin for an action
in July.

Supporters and
members of UTSW
Medical Students for
Choice at our Dallas
event.

Amelia Long and Zoey

Lichtenheld at a rally in
Austin during election
season.

NARAL Pro-Choice Texas

OUR STAFF

Heather Busby Executive Director

Heather joined NARAL Pro-Choice Texas as executive director in November 2012. Before that, Heather was an
Assistant Travis County Attorney, procuring protective orders for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and
stalking. A longtime supporter of womens rights, Heather co-founded the Lilith Fund and served on the boards
of the National Network of Abortion Funds and Law Students for Reproductive Justice. While she was earning her
bachelors degree in anthropology at the University of Texas, she helped start a pro-choice student organization.
Heather earned her JD from South Texas College of Law in Houston, where she was president of the schools ACLU
chapter, co-founder of the LSRJ chapter, and winner of the LBJ Civil Rights Award for her work helping victims of
human trafficking with the South Texas Civil Rights Project. Heather loves volunteering in her community and has
provided pro bono legal assistance and taught ESL to immigrants, served as a mentor to middle school students,
and worked the hotlines at a domestic violence shelter.

Amelia Long Deputy Director

Amelia has been working for abortion access in Texas for five and a half years. She joined the staff at NARAL ProChoice Texas in March of 2014, and before that served as the treasurer and later president of the board of directors
of the Lilith Fund. Amelia holds a bachelors degree in government from Wesleyan University and a masters degree
in political sociology from the London School of Economics. In her free time, Amelia enjoys watching basketball and
volunteers at her local animal shelter walking dogs.

Emily Martin Program Director

Emily started as an intern in June of 2013 and was hired as program coordinator in August of 2013. Emily holds a
bachelors degree in psychology from the University of Texas and a masters degree in public health from New York
University. With a background in program, education, and training work, Emily oversees NARAL Pro-Choice Texas
CPC investigations, county-by-county reproductive healthcare reporting, activist trainings, interns, volunteers and
Next Generation millennial leadership program.

Drew Stanley Digital Communications Manager

Drew started during election week in 2014, and was previously the Social Media Manager at Whole Womans Health in
Austin. Drew holds a bachelors degree in radio/TV production from the University of Montana School of Journalism in
Missoula, MT, and has a background in television production, media arts and digital communications. During college,
Drew helped start a campus organization that advocated for Montanas first LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinance in
Missoula. In his free time, Drew enjoys running, cycling, going to shows and being an honarary Texan.

Zoey Lichtenheld Communications Coordinator

Zoey started as an intern with NARAL Pro-Choice Texas in June of 2013 and was hired as part-time program
associate in January 2014. In May of 2014, Zoeys responsibilities were expanded and she became the full time
program and development associate and then took over communications for the organization. Zoey has a
bachelors degree in journalism and gender studies from the University of Texas and assists with NARAL Pro-Choice
Texas program, fundraising and public relations.

Natalie San Luis Houston Field Organizer

Natalie attended the University of Texas at Austin for her bachelors degree, where she majored in Plan II Honors, womens and gender studies, and English. During her time as an undergraduate, Natalie volunteered as a high school
debate coach, a community outreach volunteer for Planned Parenthood, and a healthy sexuality peer educator. She
graduated summa cum laude in 2013 as one of ten Plan II distinguished graduates. Following graduation, Natalie
worked as a freelance writer and marketing associate, which brought her to Houston in 2014. Natalie joined NARAL
Pro-Choice Texas in January 2015 as the Houston field organizer, where she is working to mobilize Houston pro-choice
activists in the fight to protect reproductive rights. Currently, she is planning a stakeholders summit for the summer that
will bring grasstops leaders together with elected officials to discuss ways to protect reproductive freedom in Houston.

Sharmeen Aly Development Assistant

Sharmeen graduated with a bachelors degree in political science from Southern Methodist University in 2014 and
worked on a state representative campaign until November 2014. She has been at NARAL Pro-Choice Texas since
June of 2015 assisting with fundraising and event planning responsibilities. In her spare time, Sharmeen likes reading
and watching basketball.

2014 Annual Report

GET INVOLVED
Your voice counts! Heres how you can do even more.
DONATE
Set up a recurring gift. As a monthly donor, youll help protect Texans reproductive rights each and
every month. Contribute at npctex.as/sustainers or call 512-462-1661.
Become a member. Your membership gift of $35 or more will support our hard-hitting political
efforts to preserve reproductive rights. Contribute at npctex.as/membergift.
Leave a pro-choice legacy. Consider adding NARAL Pro-Choice Texas to your will or living trust. Call
512-462-1661 for assistance.

ADVOCATE
Attend a training. We offer educational trainings around the state on pro-choice communication,
activism and community organizing. Check our website for further details.
Stay up to date. Sign up for email updates, follow @naraltx on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Spread the word. Have conversations about reproductive freedom and the importance of political
engagement. Your voice can make a difference.

VOLUNTEER
Help out at a fundraising event. Volunteers make our events possible were always looking for
help with Men For Choice in the spring and our Fall Celebration.
Put in some hours at the office. Administrative volunteers assist with mailings and other office tasks.
Join the Legislative Action Team. Sign up for our rapid-response email team at npctex.as/naraltxlege
and be the first to know about advocacy opportunities.

512.462.1661

info@prochoicetexas.org

/prochoicetexas

@naraltx

NARAL Pro-Choice Texas PO Box 684602 Austin, TX 78768

www.prochoicetexas.org

NARAL Pro-Choice Texas