Title: National Abortion Rights Action League Records, 1981-1994

ID: OGLMC1308

Primary Creator: National Abortion Rights Action League (1969-)

Extent: 2.0 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 06/19/1995

Subjects: Health and Medicine - Abortion, Women's History - Women's Organizations

Languages: English

The NARAL records are arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically. Most materials are from the early 1990s. A significant amount concerns the political sphere, with files on individual North Dakota congressmen, elections and conventions, election questionnaires, endorsement/support questionnaires and voter's guides.

The collection also contains information on the North Dakota chapter, its members, meeting information, and minutes (1990-1994). Included are pamphlets, correspondence, newspaper clippings, Planned Parenthood Newsletters (1989-1992), Reproductive Rights Publications (1989-1992), and Washington Memo Newsletters (1992-1994).

The National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), a non-partisan grass-roots political organization was founded in 1969. It educates Americans, helps elect pro-choice candidates, and works for policies that enable women and men to make responsible decisions about sexuality, contraception, pregnancy, childbirth, and abortion.

The North Dakota Chapter of NARAL began in Fargo in the early 1980s, when it formed a board and began having regular meetings. However, due to diminishing funds, the chapter soon decided to elect a president instead of a paid director. Lynn Gifford served as its first president. During her term, Fargo Women's Health was embroiled in controversy. Anti-abortionists chained themselves to radiators, laid down on the clinic driveway, and noisily disrupted the clinic's work. So much of the chapter’s regular monthly meetings were taken up with the clinic's legal battles and legislation that it was unable to complete the original paperwork needed for the national organization.

The National Abortion Rights Action League continued to extend the deadlines, but in the early 1990s, finally asked the North Dakota Chapter to disaffiliate. Activists in North Dakota were few, and it was too difficult to maintain the organization with little support. After disbandment, the Chapter's treasury was distributed to the Women's Network of the Red River Valley, the YWCA Shelter, and to the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center.

Health and Medicine - Abortion
Women's History - Women's Organizations

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Acquisition Source: Gini Duval, Fargo, North Dakota

Acquisition Method: Donation; 95-2022

Separated Materials: The 1991 and 1992 editions of: Who Decides? A State-by State Review of Abortion Rights, published by the NARAL Foundation have been separated and cataloged for in the Special Collections Stacks.

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). National Abortion Rights Action League Records. OGLMC 1308, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid added to Archon in April 2014.