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NARAL Pro-Choice America (pronounced "Nay-ral") is a United States group that favors the right to legal abortions and engages in political action to oppose restrictions on what it portrays as womens' right to abort. NARAL is often used as a short form of the name; the group was founded as the National Abortion Rights Action League and first changed to the National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League, then dropped the long form entirely. The acronym, right now, stands for nothing officially.
NARAL uses numerous tactics to lobby for increased reproductive freedom, both in the U.S. and overseas. It engages in lawsuits, donates money to friendly politicians through its political action committee, and organizes its members (especially through Internet advertising and email) to contact members of Congress and urge them to support NARAL's positions. In addition, NARAL sponsors special events, most notably the March for Women's Lives in 2004. NARAL's longtime leader was Kate Michelman; however, she announced her retirement in 2004 as well. Today Elizabeth Cavendish, the group's legal director from 1998-2003, and before that a member of the Office of Legal Counsel under former Attorney-General Janet Reno, serves as NARAL's interim president.
NARAL has been criticized by some political activists who fully support reproductive freedoms, including members of the Green Party, for supporting conservative Democratic politicians on the basis of their (sometimes marginal) pro-choice affiliation. In 2000, NARAL paid for a number of ads blasting then-Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, claiming that "Voting for Ralph Nader helps elect George W. Bush" ([1] (http://www.gwu.edu/~action/ads2/naralth.html)).
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