About Us
NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina Mailing Address: 514 Daniels Street, Box 142; Raleigh, NC 27605 Phone (919) 829-9779 Our Mission is to promote policies to ensure that all women have the ability to make responsible and informed choices about their reproductive health, irrespective of race, ethnicity, socieconomic status, education, religion, age or language. History Staffing
HistoryNARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina first advocated for the reproductive rights of all North Carolinians in the mid-1980s. Following the 1992 election of a pro-choice U.S. President, NARAL activists received a major boost in the White House and in 1993 NARAL NC led the charge and passed a bill to protect access to abortion clinics for women before the federal government passed a similar measure. Then many NARAL supporters throughout the country became complacent; several NARAL affiliates experienced a lack of support and were forced to close. NARAL Pro-Choice NC met this fate in 1997, when it dissolved after years of victories in the NC legislature, securing and safeguarding reproductive choice for North Carolinians. In December of 2001, after recognizing North Carolina’s importance in the battle for reproductive freedom and finding an interested group of pro-choice North Carolinians, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Inc. and NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation began investing significant resources to re-establish a NARAL Pro-Choice presence in the state. These efforts paid off in 2004, when the newly reorganized NARAL Pro-Choice NC hired its first Executive Director, Melissa Reed. In April 2004, the organization sent over 5,000 North Carolinians to the March for Women’s Lives in Washington, DC. During the 2004 elections, NARAL Pro-Choice NC endorsed 44 candidates for statewide office, 88% of whom were elected. Also in 2004, NARAL Pro-Choice NC, in coalition with NC Women United, Planned Parenthood, Ipas, and the NC Coalition against Sexual Assault, surveyed all emergency rooms in NC to determine whether or not they were dispensing emergency contraception on site to victims of sexual assault. The results of this survey can be found at www.ncwu.org/2004/ecer. Finally, in August of 2004, NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina was granted full affiliate status. Since that time, NARAL Pro-Choice NC has taken the lead in advocating for reproductive choice in North Carolina. In 2006, the organization released a study, called "Choosing Lies and Deception: Crisis Pregnancy Centers in North Carolina," exposing Crisis Pregnancy Centers as dishonest in communicating their intentions to dissuade women from having abortions. A survey undertaken by NARAL Pro-Choice NC in 2007 found limited access to Plan B®, a brand of emergency contraception, in NC pharmacies. The results of this survey can be found here. A subsequent NARAL NC campaign led to a major chain pharmacy in the state stocking Plan B®. In 2008 we hired an organizer in Charlotte, NC. In November of 2007, NARAL Pro-Choice NC launched the first-ever door-to-door pro-choice canvass in the South. It lasted until March of 2009 and was very successful in increasing our visibility, grassroots power and number of donors. Throughout its existence, NARAL Pro-Choice NC has also been a leader in pushing for legislation allowing students access to comprehensive sex education in NC public schools. In 2009, victory was achieved with the signing into law of the Healthy Youth Act. Invigorated by these accomplishments and aware of the continued threats to reproductive choice, NARAL Pro-Choice NC continues to advocate for the reproductive rights of all North Carolinians.
Staffing
Below are NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina's staff.  Carey Pope, Executive Director, is a native of Raleigh who joins NARAL after living in Washington, DC and Houston, TX for the past six years. Most recently, she served for three years in Houston as Manager of Resource Development for Bering Omega Community Services, a non-profit HIV/AIDS service organization that provides free healthcare and social services. At Bering Omega, Carey was responsible for fundraising, community relations, public affairs, and volunteer management. Prior to her tenure there, she worked for the Mental Health Association of Greater Houston and the Academy for Educational Development and served as a lobbyist for the American Association of University Women. Carey received her master's degree in public policy and women's studies from The George Washington University and holds a BA from North Carolina State University in English and women's studies. Carey is a long-time advocate of reproductive rights who volunteered with NARAL during her undergraduate studies. Erica Scott, Civic Engagement Coordinator, joins NARAL after receiving her MA in Medical Anthropology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and her BA in Anthropology and Language Citation in Spanish from Harvard University. She is experienced in the domestic violence, sexual assault, and substance abuse fields, particularly in American Indian and Latino communities. Erica is dedicated to improving access to health resources and education throughout the state; she currently serves as Co-Coordinator for the Native Health Initiative of North Carolina, which strives to link medical practitioners and students with underserved tribes in NC. Erica has received several awards in recognition of her academic and social justice work, including the 2006 Harvard Committee on Ethnic Studies Senior Thesis Prize and the 2004 Harvard Foundation for Intercultural & Race Relations Certificate of Commendation. She is excited to reach out to and partner with diverse communities across the state and is enthusiastic to advocate for and protect reproductive rights.
 Deann Butler, Charlotte Field Organizer, joined NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina in December 2008. She graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelors and Masters in Health Education and Promotion with an emphasis on Community Health. Upon graduation she worked with Planned Parenthood Health Systems, Inc. in Charlotte, NC where she helped start their successful teen mentoring program, Teens Taking Action, and coordinate all education events in the Charlotte and Asheville area. She has also worked for the American Cancer Society and spends eight weeks of her summer coordinating a reading program for k-12 graders in the Lancaster SC area. She believes there is great potential for NARAL in the Charlotte area and looks forward to advocating for reproductive issues in the state.
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