You Sacked Keroack!

March 30, 2007

NOW activists are a powerful force! We were the first to call for grassroots action to oust Eric Keroack, who had been installed by the Bush administration as the head of our nation's family planning program, despite his opposition to contraceptive use, when we launched our "Sack Keroack" campaign last November. On Thursday we achieved a victory when he submitted his resignation! Together we sent over 24,000 petitions to Secretary Mike Leavitt at Health and Human Services and an additional 16,000 emails and letters to select members of Congress, delivering the message that an anti-birth control and "abstinence only" fanatic like Keroack must not be allowed to oversee Title X, this country's family planning program. Thanks to your dedication to women's rights, Eric Keroack is on his way out!

Keroack is leaving with a cloud over his head -- he faces Medicaid fraud charges from his former job in Massachusetts and his ill-suited appointment as Deputy Assistant Secretary to Population Affairs was exposed through public outcry. He was not the right person for this job; his credentials were never vetted, and our concerns about his competency were proven correct.

Now, after we celebrate with a collective high five, we must be vigilant about the process and the politics for appointing Keroack's successor. With your continued support and the hard work of our grassroots activists and leaders, coalition partners, and friends in Congress, we can keep the pressure on this administration to do the right thing for the girls and women of this nation. Funding for medically-accurate information and access to contraceptive services and supplies for low-income women is essential in promoting reproductive health for all. If we continue to work together, we can ensure that another Keroack never threatens women, girls and families again!