Catholics for Choice

Catholics for Choice was founded in 1973 as Catholics for a Free Choice, "to serve as a voice for Catholics who believe that the Catholic tradition supports a woman’s moral and legal right to follow her conscience in matters of sexuality and reproductive health." Headquartered in Washington, DC, the group works with sister organizations throughout Latin America and maintains a presence in the European parliament and throughout Europe, working closely with Catholic and reproductive health colleagues there. Catholics for Choice is an ECOSOC-accredited NGO in the UN system and has participated in many UN conferences and forums. CFC has an annual budget of $3,000,000.

Personnel

Board of Directors

2003

As at 2003, the following served on the board:

• Marysa Navarro-Aranguren, Ph.D., Chair
• Sheila Briggs, M.A.
• Patricia Carbine, B.A.
• Barbara DeConcini, Ph.D.
• Susan A. Farrell, Ph.D.
• Ofelia Garcia, M.F.A.
• Eileen Moran, Ph.D.
• Rosemary Radford Ruether, Ph.D.
• Marian Stewart Titus, M.A.
• Peter Wilderotter
• Susan Wysocki, Ph.D., B.S.N., N.P.
• Giles Milhaven, S.T.D., Honorary Board Member

2011

As at 2011, the following served on the board:

• Susan Wysocki, BSN, NP, Chair
• Sheila Briggs, MA
• Neil Corkery
• Barbara DeConcini, Ph.D.
• Daniel A. Dombrowski, Ph.D.
• Susan A. Farrell, Ph.D.
• Cheryl Francisconi, MSW/MPH
• Ofelia Garcia, MFA
• John Lesch, J.D.
• Eileen Moran, Ph.D.
• Marysa Navarro-Aranguren, Ph.D.
• Anthony Padovano, S.T.D., Ph.D.
• Denise Shannon
• Rosemary Radford Ruether, Ph.D. (Emerita)

Staff

2003

As at 2003, the following worked for the group:

• Frances Kissling, President

2011

As at 2011, the following worked for the group:

• Jon O'Brien, President
• Sara Morello, Executive Vice President
• Sara Hutchinson
• David J. Nolan
• Jacqueline Nolley Echegaray
• Kyle Peppers
• Kim Puchir
• Sarah Raleigh-Halsing
• Meghan Smith
• Marissa Valeri

Conscience magazine

Catholics for Choice publishes a magazine entitled "Conscience." As at July 2012, the following were working for the magazine:

• Jon O'Brien, Executive Editor
• David J. Nolan, Editor
• Sara Morello, Contributing Editor
• Rosemary Radford Ruether, Editorial Adviser
• Kim Puchir, Editorial Associate

Coalition for Liberty & Justice

The Coalition for Liberty & Justice is "a broad alliance of faith-based, secular and other organizations that works to ensure that public policy protects the religious liberty of individuals of all faiths and no faith and to oppose public policies that impose one religious viewpoint on all." The coalition is co-convened by Catholics for Choice and the National Council of Jewish Women. Coalition member organizations include:

• Advocates for Youth
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• American Humanist Association
• Americans for Religious Liberty
• Americans United for Separation of Church and State
• Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP)
• B’nai B’rith International
• Call To Action
• Compassion & Choices
• Center for Inquiry
• Center for Reproductive Rights
• Coalition of Labor Union Women
• Concerned Clergy for Choice
• CORPUS
• DignityUSA
• Equally Blessed
• Faith Aloud
• Gay Men's Health Crisis
• Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America
• Human Rights Campaign
• Ibis Reproductive Health
• Institute for Science and Human Values
• Interfaith Alliance
• Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
• Jewish Women International Keshet
• Medical Students for Choice
• Methodist Federation for Social Action
• Muslims for Progressive Values
• National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
• National Center for Lesbian Rights
• National Council of Women's Organizations
• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
• National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
• National Organization for Women
• National Women's Health Network/Raising Women's Voices
• New Ways Ministry
• Nursing Students for Choice
• Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
• Religious Institute
• Reproductive Health Technologies Project
• Republicans for Choice
• Secular Coalition for America
• Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS)
• Society for Humanistic Judaism
• United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
• Women of Reform Judaism
• Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual
• Women's League for Conservative Judaism
• Women's Ordination Conference

Events

2012 International AIDS Conference

Leaders of Catholics for Choice spoke at the following plenaries at the 2012 International AIDS Conference:

• The Politics of Condoms: Cock-ups, Controversies and Cucumbers, July 22
  • Jon O'Brien, president, CFC
  • Panel organized by the IPPF

• Accountability for Public Funding of HIV/AIDS Programs: Taking Action to End Funding for Discriminatory Programs, July 25
  • Jonas Bagas, The Library Foundation
  • Pia Engstrand, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
  • Angeline Jackson, Women for Women Jamaica
  • Asa Regner, Riksforbundet For Sexuell Upplysning]] (RFSU)
  • Jacqueline Nolley Echegaray, Catholics for Choice (moderator)

• Good Catholics Use Condoms: Answering the Tough Questions that Come up When Discussing HIV/AIDS Prevention and Religion, July 25
  • Rabbi Dennis Ross, Concerned Clergy for Choice
  • Imam Daayiee Abdullah, Muslims for Progressive Values
  • Rev. Vincent Lachina, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest
  • Magdalena Lopez, Catholics for Choice
  • David J. Nolan, Catholics for Choice

• Faith Zone in the Global Village: Religion, Stigma and HIV, July 26
  • Rev. Vincent Lachina, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest
  • Imam Daayiee Abdullah, Muslims for Progressive Values
  • Magdalena Lopez, Catholics for Choice
  • Organized by the Global Interfaith & Secular Alliance (GISA)

Grants

The following groups have made grants to the organization:

• Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
• Educational Foundation of America