Skip to content

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/

Menu

  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships
    • From the Collection

      Changing Child Care

      Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
      • As climate change worsens hurricane season in Louisiana, doulas are ensuring parents can safely feed their babies

        Jessica Kutz · May 5
      • Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito argued abortion isn’t an economic issue. But is that true?

        Chabeli Carrazana · May 4
      • Pregnant people are at 'greater risk' in states hit hard by wildfire smoke, air pollution, new report shows

        Jessica Kutz · April 20
    • From the Collection

      Next-Gen GOP

      Illustration of a woman riding an elephant
      • A banner year for Republican women

        Amanda Becker · November 11
      • Republican women could double representation in the U.S. House

        Amanda Becker · November 4
      • U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik wants to elect more Republican women into office

        Barbara Rodriguez · August 13
    • From the Collection

      On The Rise

      Illustration of three women marching
      • Jessica Cisneros takes on the last anti-abortion U.S. House Democrat

        Amanda Becker · February 25
      • Meet J. Michelle Childs, South Carolina judge and possible Supreme Court contender

        Candice Norwood · February 18
      • ‘The bench is loaded’: A record number of Latinas are running for governor

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 11
    • From the Collection

      Pandemic Within a Pandemic

      Illustration of four people marching for Black Lives Matter with coronavirus as the backdrop
      • Some LGBTQ+ people worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect HIV medication. It won’t.

        Orion Rummler · November 23
      • Why are more men dying from COVID? It’s a complicated story of nature vs. nurture, researchers say

        Mariel Padilla · September 22
      • Few incarcerated women were released during COVID. The ones who remain have struggled.

        Candice Norwood · August 17
    • From the Collection

      Portraits of a Pandemic

      Illustration of a woman wearing a mask and holding up the coronavirus
      • For family caregivers, COVID is a mental health crisis in the making

        Shefali Luthra · October 8
      • A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender

        Shefali Luthra · September 15
      • Pregnant in a pandemic: The 'perfect storm for a crisis'

        Shefali Luthra · August 25
    • From the Collection

      The 19th Explains

      People walking from many articles to one article where they can get the context they need on an issue.
      • The 19th Explains: The governor’s races we’re watching in 2022

        Barbara Rodriguez · May 3
      • The 19th Explains: What to know about Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing

        Candice Norwood, Terri Rupar · March 21
      • The 19th Explains: Colleges are dropping the SAT in admissions. That’s a good thing for most girls.

        Nadra Nittle · March 3
    • From the Collection

      The Electability Myth

      Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
      • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

        Mariel Padilla · May 24
      • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

        Barbara Rodriguez · January 11
      • Girls are being socialized to lose political ambition — and it starts younger than we realized

        Barbara Rodriguez · September 23
    • From the Collection

      The Impact of Aging

      A number of older people walking down a path of information.
      • Woman alleges that an assisted living facility denied her admission because she is transgender

        Sara Luterman · November 8
      • LGBTQ+ seniors fear having to go back in closet for the care they need

        Sara Luterman · October 12
      • The pandemic continues to strain nursing homes. What happens if a lot of them close?

        Mariel Padilla · September 9
    • From the Collection

      Voting Rights

      A series of hands reaching for ballots.
      • Florida’s redistricting fight continues. The head of the state League of Women Voters talks about what’s at stake.

        Barbara Rodriguez · April 19
      • Women have been sounding the alarm ahead of Texas’ first-in-the-nation primary

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 28
      • LGBTQ+ people of color are at risk from rising voter restrictions as federal protections falter in the Senate, advocates say

        Orion Rummler · January 19

    View all collections

  • Explore by Topic

    • Abortion
    • Business & Economy
    • Caregiving
    • Coronavirus
    • Education
    • Election 2020
    • Elections 2022
    • Environment & Climate
    • Health
    • Immigration
    • Inside The 19th
    • Justice
    • LGBTQ+
    • Politics
    • Race
    • Sports
    • Technology

    View All Topics

Home
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

News Fellowships

HBCU alums, become a fellow in our newsroom

Apply Today

Donate to support our fellows

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Mini Timmaraju speaks on stage.
Mini Timmaraju in 2016, when she led strategic efforts for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign with a focus on reaching women voters. (Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Abortion

‘I don’t think we can be alarmist enough’: NARAL’s new leader steps in as abortion rights look increasingly endangered

NARAL Pro-Choice America announced its new president: Mini Timmaraju, former adviser to the Hillary Clinton campaign and the first woman of color to lead the organization.

Mariel Padilla

General Assignment Reporter

Mariel Padilla portrait

Published

2021-11-04 07:00
7:00
November 4, 2021
am

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

When Texas passed a law that banned abortions as early as six weeks — before many people know they’re pregnant — Mini Timmaraju knew it was time to return to her home state and get back to the reproductive rights movement. 

“I couldn’t come up with a reason not to do it,” Timmaraju told The 19th. “I wanted to be back in the fight, and I felt like I had something unique to offer.” 

NARAL Pro-Choice America, an advocacy group that opposes restrictions to abortion, on Thursday announced that Timmaraju would be the first woman of color to helm the decades-old organization as president. In an exclusive interview with The 19th, Timmaraju spoke about her vision for the future of the organization, which has 2.5 million members nationwide. Timmaraju, an Indian American, also emphasized the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. 

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Over the course of her career, Timmaraju said she has worked at the intersection of race and gender, a unique perspective that is core to her leadership strategy. Previously, Timmaraju led diversity efforts for the Comcast Corporation, held leadership roles with Planned Parenthood and served as the director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. In the political sphere, she led strategic efforts for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign with a focus on reaching women voters. And under the Biden administration, she served as the senior adviser to the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. 

The United States hasn’t seen this level of abortion restrictions since 1973, Timmaraju said.

“Attacks on reproductive freedom have been a steady drip since Roe v. Wade,” said Timmaraju, who was born shortly after the Supreme Court issued the 1973 decision that upheld the right to abortion. “Now, almost 50 years later, we’re back to some of the same fundamental attacks.”

A newsletter you can relate to

Storytelling that represents you, delivered to your inbox.

You have been subscribed!

Submitting…

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

The Supreme Court heard two challenges to Texas’ six-week abortion ban on Monday and decisions on how to proceed with these cases could come within days. There is a very real possibility that the landmark decision is overturned, Timmaraju noted. If that happens, it is likely that more than half the country will quickly ban abortion, she said. 

At least 21 states have laws or constitutional amendments in place that would ban the procedure if Roe v. Wade was overturned. According to the Guttmacher Institute, before the end of the year, there will be nine states that have abortion bans at the ready from before Roe; 12 states with trigger laws, which would go into effect if Roe is overturned; 12 states with a six-week ban; one state with an eight-week ban; and four states whose constitutions would ban the procedure altogether. 

“We can’t be naive,” Timmaraju said. “We have to understand that this is going to be devastating, in particular to the most underserved groups, including people of color, immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community.” 

People of color constitute the majority of abortion procedures, according to recent data. Black women and Latinas, in particular, experience higher rates of unintended pregnancy. And yet, women of color are more likely to experience barriers to reproductive and maternal health services, according to the Center for American Progress.

  • Read Next:
    Abortion activists and anti-abortion demonstrators rally in front of the Supreme Court.
  • Read Next: The Supreme Court appears likely to allow challenges to Texas’ six-week abortion law. Here’s what that means.

Legal experts anticipate the court will allow the challenges from Texas abortion providers to continue through lower courts. Next month, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case addressing the constitutionality of Mississippi’s law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. 

In the interim, the protections granted by Roe hang in the balance.

“I know there’s been criticism about being too alarmist, but to be frank, I don’t think we can be alarmist enough,” Timmaraju said. 

But she is still hopeful. Tough times and collective trauma can yield innovation, she said. 

The anti-abortion movement has implemented a “very sophisticated, long-game and coordinated attack” at local and state levels, and Timmaraju said she plans to do the same. In her new role, she hopes to use her previous experience to reach people and leverage data to ensure that voters understand what’s at stake. Working with the Clinton campaign, Timmaraju learned about the challenges and pitfalls of regarding women as a cohesive voting bloc. 

“It bears repeating: we’re expecting a lot of challenging outcomes from SCOTUS, yet I’m still optimistic,” Timmaraju said. “The movement needs to be optimistic. I am inspired by our young people and people of color organizing on the ground. We’re seeing incredible leaders rise up.”

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

News Fellowships

HBCU alums, become a fellow in our newsroom

Apply Today

Donate to support our fellows

From the Collection

On The Rise

Illustration of three women marching
  • Jessica Cisneros takes on the last anti-abortion U.S. House Democrat

    Amanda Becker · February 25
  • Meet J. Michelle Childs, South Carolina judge and possible Supreme Court contender

    Candice Norwood · February 18
  • ‘The bench is loaded’: A record number of Latinas are running for governor

    Barbara Rodriguez · February 11

Up Next

Glenn Younkin speaks to the media at a farmer's market.

Politics

What Republican wins in Virginia could mean for state — and maybe national — politics

Republicans’ sweep of key statewide and legislative offices has broad implications for education, abortion, LGTBQ+ rights and voting.

Read the Story

The 19th
The 19th is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our stories are free to republish in accordance with these guidelines.

  • Donate
  • Subscribe to the Newsletter
  • Attend an Event
  • Jobs
  • Fellowships
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Community Guidelines
  • Membership
  • Membership FAQ
  • Major Gifts
  • Sponsorship
  • Privacy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram