This is one in a series of profiles marking the 60th anniversary of the ACLU of Kentucky’s founding. Each week through December 2015 we will highlight the story of one member, client, case, board or staff member that has been an integral part of our organization’s rich history.
RFP Founders Committee
Mary C. Bingham, Sallie Bingham, Laura Lee Brown, Mrs. W.L. Lyons Brown, Ginny Copenhefer, Linda Hawpe, Jessica Loving, Eleanor Bingham Miller, Suzy Post, Dona Wells
In 1989, after the Supreme Court ruled in the Webster decision that states could employ greater restrictions to abortion access, the ACLU-KY founded the Reproductive Freedom Project (RFP.) While the ACLU-KY had been working to defend reproductive rights for some time before the Webster decision, Suzy Post, then executive director of the ACLU of Kentucky, recognized the need to dedicate more resources to the fight for reproductive rights, and spearheaded the effort.
Suzy Post, in only the way Suzy can, wrangled a group of donors, community activists and women dedicated to protecting reproductive freedom in the Commonwealth to put together the necessary funds to hire the first person in Kentucky dedicated to advocating for reproductive rights in the legislature. To that end, Suzy Post hired Tina Hester as the first Reproductive Freedom Project Director and charged her with acting as a full time lobbyist advocating for reproductive freedom in the Kentucky General Assembly, serving as an educational advocate for greater access to abortion, birth control, and other reproductive health care.
As with much of the ACLU of Kentucky’s work, a bold leader and dedicated group of volunteers found an issue that no other organization was addressing and put in the time and resources to expand civil liberties in Kentucky. Because of their commitment, Kentucky has been able to stave off the worst of repeated attempts to chip away at reproductive rights and maintains one of only eight state affiliates with staff dedicated to preserving reproductive freedom.