Peggy Simonsen
An Enduring Legacy for Change
Since EMILY’s List was founded in 1985, our members have profoundly changed the face of Congress, governors’ mansions, and state legislatures across the country with their commitment to electing Democratic pro-choice women. However, our work together is far from done. That’s why Peggy Simonsen, an EMILY’s List supporter for over a decade, made the decision to leave a gift to the EMILY’s List Legacy Fund.
For over 50 years, Peggy has supported women’s issues, reproductive rights, and Democratic politics. She tells this story: “When I was about to be married, my doctor refused to prescribe birth control because he was a Catholic. So I found a new doctor who was a volunteer with Planned Parenthood and one of the researchers of the pill. I have been an advocate for choice and reproductive rights ever since.”
After a health scare caused her to update her estate plans, Peggy knew that leaving a gift to the Legacy Fund was an opportunity to ensure that her commitment to the work of EMILY’s List would live on. “EMILY’s List is the organization that does the best work in the political arena for women’s reproductive rights. Getting the right people elected makes a difference.”
Peggy’s belief that American women and families benefit from the strong leadership that Democratic pro-choice women bring has led her to support candidates through EMILY’s List since 2003.
“The work that EMILY’s List does to recruit, train, and elect Democratic pro-choice women, as well as communicating the experience of these candidates to the public, helps us defeat anti-choice, anti-women Republicans at the polls.”
Peggy is leaving a gift to the EMILY’s List Legacy Fund to ensure that her legacy reflects the causes she championed during her lifetime and that future generations of American women and families will benefit from EMILY’s List’s work. We are profoundly grateful to Peggy for her longstanding dedication to electing Democratic pro-choice women and for establishing an enduring legacy. Thank you, Peggy!