Marjorie Dannenfelser
| Marjorie Dannenfelser | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marjorie Jones Greenville, North Carolina |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | President of the Susan B. Anthony List |
Marjorie Jones Dannenfelser is President and Chairman of the Board of the Susan B. Anthony List, an American political organization that seeks to advance pro-life women in politics.[1] She was brought into the organization as its executive director in 1993, shortly after its founding.[2]
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[edit] Activism
Ardently pro-choice as a college student, Marjorie Jones was the "pro-choice chair" of the Duke University College Republicans. While spending a summer interning with the Heritage Foundation, Jones roomed with several other interns. She became pro-life after a "bitter schism" in the house over the destruction of an "inappropriate" pornographic video between the libertarians and social conservatives in the house. Dannenfelser has said, "It made me choose sides", and she left the house with the social conservatives. The "domestic dispute began the gradual transformation that led Dannenfelser to her current antiabortion crusade, her conversion to Catholicism and" SBA List, according to a 2010 Washington Post profile.[3]
Prior to joining the Susan B. Anthony List, Dannenfelser was the staff director of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus[1] and worked for U.S. House Representative Alan Mollohan (D-WV), whom the SBA List later worked to defeat in the 2010 Democratic primary.[3] Mollohan was defeated in the primary by the pro-life Mike Oliverio.
She began running the SBA List in 1993 out of her home in Arlington, Virginia, after SBA List founder Rachel MacNair brought her on board as the first experienced political activist to join the group.[2][4] Dannenfelser was soon joined by Jane Abraham and the two led SBA List from 1993 to 2006 when Dannenfelser assumed both the chairman and president positions. The organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., lobbies lawmakers and spends millions of dollars per year supporting candidates.
[edit] Personal life
Marjorie Jones was born and raised in Greenville, North Carolina.[5] She grew up as an Episcopalian and attended Duke University. She later converted to Roman Catholicism.[5] She says her conversion was partly motivated by the Catholic Church's emphasis on the Virgin Mary and the "feminine genius" she represents.[6]
She married Martin Dannenfelser, then chief of staff to Rep. Chris Smith (R, NJ),[3] a former Family Research Council vice president, and currently senior policy advisor and director of coalitions for the House Energy and Commerce Committee,[7] in 1991.[3] She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband and their five children[1][8] and is a parishioner of St. Ann Catholic Church in Arlington.[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Susan B. Anthony List website
- ^ a b Crisis (Brownson Institute) 15 (1): 30–33. 1997.
- ^ a b c d Horowitz, Jason, "Woman who supported abortion rights experienced evolution that changed her mind", Washington Post, May 14, 2010.
- ^ History of SBA List
- ^ a b Washington Post, quoted in Get Religion
- ^ Miller, Lisa, "A feminine face for the anti-abortion movement", Washington Post, November 2, 2011.
- ^ Upton Names Senior Staff for Energy and Commerce Committee
- ^ Ertelt, S., John McCain Gains Support From Prominent Catholic Pro-Life Advocates, LifeNews.com, March 10, 2008
- ^ Lifelong problem-solver fights for the unborn, catholicherald.com.
