Its founding members included the obstetrician-gynecologists Alan F. Guttmacher (then president of Planned Parenthood) and Robert E. Hall, who served as the organization's initial chairman.
It initially took a conservative approach to the reform of abortion law, though it later embraced the more radical cause of repeal, and provided support to the attorneys who argued the landmark Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade in 1973.
[6] Some states such as New Hampshire, New York, and California had seen attempts to reform their statute to increase access, for example, by adding allowances to preserve the physical or mental health of the mother, or for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, but none had yet succeeded.
Some members who disagreed with this approach would go on to found the more radical National Association for Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL) in 1969, including Lawrence Lader and Ruth Proskauer Smith.
In particular, they connected the lawyers arguing the case with experts such as Harriet Pilpel, and helped coordinate the submission of 42 amicus curiae briefs from sympathetic organizations.