Texan Joins Major Reproductive Rights Group

The new Executive Director of one of the largest reproductive advocacy nonprofits in the country has a strong connection to Texas

It’s taken some strategizing to get on the phone with Yvonne Gutierrez, which is a bit fitting given she was recently the Chief Strategy Officer for Reproductive Freedom For All. Gutierrez’s schedule is quite busy, and at the moment she’s navigating a convoluted traveling process to get back to Texas, a state she’s quite familiar with to attend TribFest. 

Gutierrez was recently named the Executive Director of Reproductive Freedom For All, which was previously known as NARAL Pro-Choice America, but rebranded in 2023. Gutierrez will be the first Latina to serve as the organization’s Executive Director, one of the largest reproductive advocacy nonprofits in the country. 

Though Reproductive Freedom For All is focused on work throughout the country, there’s been a lot of emphasis placed on Texas, which is not surprising since this state has essentially been the epicenter of curtailing abortion access. Months before Roe v. Wade was overturned at the Supreme Court, Texas was under a de facto abortion ban after Senate Bill 8 went into effect in September 2021.

And Gutierrez is an expert on the topic of reproductive rights in the lone star state. After graduating from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Gutierrez spent over a decade at various reproductive rights organizations including Planned Parenthood South Texas, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, and Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, where she was the Executive Director from 2014-2019.

As she begins her new role at Reproductive Freedom For All, Gutierrez considers her background in Texas to be an asset. “I was in Texas to see really every attack on access to abortion and reproductive rights,” she told Texas Signal in an interview. She witnessed first-hand everything from parental consent laws to Wendy Davis’s thirteen-hour filibuster to the large-scale abortion bans the Texas legislature introduced in 2019.

In 2022, Gutierrez relocated to Washington D.C. Cecile Richards, the longtime former president of Planned Parenthood (and the daughter of Texas governor Ann Richards) asked her to join the leadership team of Supermajority, an organization that trains and mobilizes women to harness their voting energy. In 2021, Gutierrez then became the Managing Director of Latino Victory Fund, a political action committee that backs progressive Latino candidates running for office. 

Returning to the reproductive rights field feels right to Gutierrez. “It’s the fight of our lives,” she says. In the wake of the Dobbs ruling, 21 states have either banned or severely restricted abortion access. Organizations like Reproductive Freedom For All have had to tailor their campaigns to keep abortion accessible in states where it is legal, and to potentially restore rights in states like Texas. “There’s no better place to get your training than Texas.”

As she thinks of her future with Reproductive Freedom For All, Gutierrez is often looking back at advice she received from Cecile Richards, who passed away earlier this year. Richards was always adamant that the reproductive rights movement must center the women who are most impacted by anti-abortion laws and a lack of access to reproductive healthcare. That means communities like those in the Rio Grande Valley. Well before SB8 took effect, women and families were already struggling to access reproductive healthcare. 

Another thing that Gutierrez is very mindful of is keeping abortion as a central political issue. In the wake of the 2024 presidential election, a host of political autopsies claimed Democrats lost because they campaigned too much on abortion. And some Democratic thought leaders like Ezra Klein are advocating for the party to de-center abortion as a campaign issue. Gutierrez believes that’s a mistake. “While abortion is not the only issue, it should always be a part of the conversation,” she says. “It is the backbone of bodily autonomy and freedom.”

Reproductive Freedom For All commissioned several exit polls after the 2025 Election. In Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania nearly two-thirds of voters strongly supported “more reproductive healthcare protections.” This has motivated the organization’s efforts to continue advocating for protecting abortion access.

Gutierrez believes there’s a role for abortion storytelling, especially as more stories emerge of Texas women dying after not being able to receive abortion care.

“The Texas story is a national story, because everything that happens in Texas we eventually see elsewhere,” notes Gutierrez. She also understands that the role for Texas in the reproductive landscape is tough, but worth pursuing. “The road is long, but Texas taught me how to walk it—and we’re ready.