We’re rebuilding Pro-Choice Maryland.
Here’s what you should know about our organization, reproductive freedom, and reproductive justice if you’d like to join us in this process.
Where We Started
Founded in 1981, Pro-Choice Maryland (PCM) was originally named “NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland” and was the Maryland affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
The national NARAL institution is one of the nation’s oldest reproductive rights organizations and has led national efforts on abortion rights, birth control, paid leave, and other “reproductive freedom” issues.
NARAL Pro-Choice America disaffiliated from its state chapters, including this one, in 2021. This is why we’re now just called “Pro-Choice Maryland.”
Our Vision
We’re currently called “Pro-Choice Maryland,” but it’s not enough to just be “pro-choice.” We are pro-abortion — because accessible abortion care is good for our selves, our families, and our futures. Abortion care helps people. Abortion is good.
Abortion access has always been part of our mission, and it always will be. So will contraceptive access, paid leave, birth justice, incarcerated people’s rights, and all of the issue areas we’ve worked on so far. But abortion access isn’t the only issue we work on, so Pro-Choice Maryland is due for a rebrand.
We’re developing a new name, mission, and vision because we believe that the old-guard, whitewashed, cisgender approach to reproductive rights cannot meet our communities’ needs for reproductive justice (RJ). Our goal is to rebuild this organization with an RJ lens — supporting our human rights to have children, not have children, and to parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.*
*Defined by SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. For more information on reproductive justice and issues under the RJ umbrella, visit @sistersong_woc on Instagram or sistersong.net.
Equity and Accountability
The “reproductive freedom” movement often silos itself from racial justice, queer liberation, and economic justice in order to appeal to as many cisgender white women as possible.
Pro-Choice Maryland wasn’t an exception to this trend — PCM has had very few people of color on staff, with even fewer in leadership positions. PCM has also held on to language that excludes transgender people out of fear of offending donors. That’s unacceptable.
As our new team rebuilds and restructures this organization, it’s our responsibility to ensure that PCM’s future does not reflect its harmful past, that we share decision-making power rather than hoarding it, and that ALL workers we hire, including interns, are paid living wages.
Current Leadership and Next Steps
Our current team is multi-racial, multi-gender, and multi-generational. Our day jobs are in education, reproductive health, government, policy & law, and abortion funding.
As we search for new board members, we’re not setting out to find people who are connected with politicians and wealth. We’re looking for fellow reproductive justice advocates — people who believe that our reproductive rights are incomplete without racial justice, economic justice, climate justice, and queer liberation — and are energized to advocate for that vision.
After bringing new members onto our board, we will collaboratively establish a new version of Pro-Choice Maryland with a new name and new branding, as well as improved values, goals, and leadership/governance structures.
We’re also re-introducing ourselves to organizations and community members we’ve worked with in the past, but haven’t maintained relationships with during our leadership changes.
Interested in applying? We’ve extended the application deadline!
Applications are open until Sunday, July 16.
For more details about eligibility, requirements, and an approximate application/interview timeline, click the link to the application below.
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