Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights (GRR, also known as Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights Education Fund) is a Maine-based nonprofit organization that advocates pro-abortion measures and other pieces of left-of-center reproductive health legislation. It also lobbies on behalf of government funding of contraception. ¹

The organization consists of women between their sixties and eighties. It was originally founded in Maine has now spread all over the country with chapters and activists located in 46 states. ² GRR gained a national audience after its founder posted a picture with her granddaughters in a left-wing Facebook group wearing GRR t-shirts, which led to the organization’s expansion. ³

GRR advocates for pro-abortion policies on the federal level. It is a member of a coalition of pro-abortion organizations that support the repeal of federal restrictions on taxpayer-funded abortions. ⁴

The organization is affiliated with Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights Action Fund. ⁵

Organization Founding

GRR was founded in February 2013 in Maine by a group of grandmothers who organized in support of expanded access to abortion and government-funded family-planning services. ⁶

At its start, GRR made yellow t-shirts featuring its name and logo which its members wore across Maine. In April 2013, the organization made its first public appearance when it went to the Maine state capitol to lobby legislators. The organization’s members first met with Planned Parenthood lobbyists in the capitol before setting out for their own lobbying work. GRR then hosted conversations with individual state lawmakers before sponsoring a bipartisan lunch for female members of the Maine legislature. ⁷

Shortly after, GRR lobbied on behalf of legislation in Maine to expand taxpayer-funded family planning services to those making 200% of the poverty level or less. ⁸ Former Maine State Representative Leila Percy (D-Phippsburg) arranged the meeting. Percy now works for Pathfinder International, which was founded by GRR founder Judy Kahrl’s father. ⁹

Also in 2013, the organization worked with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Maine Choice Coalition to oppose legislation which sought to restrict abortion access in Maine. ¹⁰ Following the campaign, GRR organized postcard and lobbying campaigns in support of pro-abortion legislation in Maine. ¹¹

In 2014, GRR member and State Representative Jay McCreight (D-Brunswick) ran for the Maine legislature and won. She passed a bill in 2015 that expanded Medicaid coverage for reproductive services, including contraception. ¹²

In 2017, members of the organization marched in one of the left-wing Women’s March offshoot marches in Augusta, the state capital of Maine. ¹³ Members of the organization have also marched in the annual Women’s March in Washington, D.C.. ¹⁴

Expansion Outside Maine

GRR was largely focused on Maine until January 2017. Until that point, the group was not a registered nonprofit. ¹⁵

That year, Kahrl posted a picture of herself and two of her granddaughters wearing GRR T-shirts in the left-of-center Facebook group Pantsuit Nation. The message had the caption “My grandmother fights for my rights. GRR!”¹⁶ The post generated 17,000 likes and more than 400 comments. Many of the comments came from women all over the country who asked how to form a GRR chapter in their hometowns. ¹⁷

GRR’s leaders then began work to expand across the country. In 2017, GRR officially registered as a nonprofit organization and began writing by-laws in order to expand the organization nationwide. ¹⁸ By 2019, it had expanded to include chapters in 46 states. ¹⁹

GRR expanded outside of Maine to combat laws enacted in other states aimed at restricting access to abortion. GRR also cited fears that the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn its decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in every state. ²⁰

GRR is also a member of the All Above All network, a left-of-center coalition that calls for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds to directly pay for abortions in almost all cases. ²¹

Leadership

Judy Kahrl is the founder and chairwoman of GRR. Her father was New York gynecologist Clarence Gamble, who founded the pro-abortion and family planning organization Pathfinder International. Gamble was friends with Planned Parenthood founder and eugenicist Margaret Sanger. Kahrl founded GRR in 2013 and has led the group ever since. ²²

Denise Mill Parker is the vice-chair of GRR. She formerly worked in health care. ²³

Deborah De Witt is the treasurer of GRR. She is a former board member at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Guttmacher Institute, Ipas, and Pathfinder International. ²⁴

Retired attorney Joanna Jacobs is the GRR secretary. ²⁵

Finances

GRR was recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2020 and has not filed a public tax return as of 2021. ²⁶

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