A Vision to Win Begins in Big Sky Country

In the next 24 hours, I head to my home state of Montana. It will be great to breathe crystal-clear air and be wrapped in the arms of the Rocky Mountains.

I am looking forward to seeing friends who were colleagues and fellow political junkies. I will get to visit with some former classmates at our reunion. (Please, don't ask how what number this reunion is.) And I can't wait to float the North Fork of the Flathead River and watch a Big Sky Sunset.

But this isn't a regular homecoming. I am also there because Montana is the first stop in NARAL Pro-Choice America's multi-state Vision to Win tour, a partnership with state affiliates to further engage grassroots leaders and elected officials in the efforts to protect choice.

Please join us back here or on Twitter and Facebook, as I meet up with pro-choice leaders in Helena, Livingston, and Missoula.

What will we be talking about, exactly? What is the Vision to Win? Why are we starting in Montana? All of these questions are good ones, so let's start from the top.

The election of a pro-choice president and gains in Congress, the defeat of seven anti-choice ballot measures since 2005, and the advancement of multiple pro-choice policies have spurred an intense reaction from our opponents. As we face a galvanized anti-choice opposition, we are committed to strengthening our ties to our pro-choice activist base and inviting even more Americans to join our cause.

In particular, our vision includes focusing on the emerging Millennial Generation (those under 30). This generation is the largest and most diverse in our nation's history. We recently completed ground-breaking research on the attitudes of Millennials who aren't activists regarding abortion rights. That is the first step in an ongoing initiative to ensure that choice-related issues are relevant in their lives and that they connect how the political process affects their ability to make private health decisions or access the services they need. We already know that there are many young women and men actively engaged in protecting choice. The entire staff of NARAL Pro-Choice Montana is comprised of Millennials. We are partnering with the affiliate in meeting with additional young leaders in Big Sky Country.

Our focus on Millennials isn't a one- or two-year effort. It is part of a long-term vision. For example, Montana currently gets a grade of A- when it comes to protecting choice. We're proud of our strong constitutional protection of personal privacy. But, as my friends at NARAL Pro-Choice Montana will tell you, their legislature is evenly divided on choice. In the 20 years that the affiliate has been tracking choice-related votes at the Capitol, the 2009 Session brought the most anti-choice bills ever introduced. Plus, the anti-abortion forces aren't giving up on their quest to put a so-called "personhood" abortion ban on the ballot, even though they failed twice.

In the face of anti-choice opposition, the challenge is to keep Montana as an A- state or move it up to an A in the next five, 10, or 20 years. To do that, we have to listen to and learn from each other. Working together, we will build this roadmap to a pro-choice future and achieve our vision of winning for choice in Montana and across the country.