Marjorie Dannenfelser

Marjorie Dannenfelser
Born Marjorie Jones
Greenville, North Carolina
Occupation President of the Susan B. Anthony List

Marjorie Jones Dannenfelser is President of the Susan B. Anthony List, an American political organization that seeks to advance pro-life women in politics.[1] She was brought into the organization as its executive director in 1993, shortly after its founding.[2]

Activism

Ardently pro-choice as a college student, Marjorie Jones was the "pro-choice chair" of the Duke University College Republicans. While spending a summer interning with the Heritage Foundation, Jones roomed with several other interns. She became pro-life after a "bitter schism" in the house over the destruction of an "inappropriate" pornographic video between the libertarians and social conservatives in the house. Dannenfelser has said, "It made me choose sides", and she left the house with the social conservatives. The "domestic dispute began the gradual transformation that led Dannenfelser to her current antiabortion crusade, her conversion to Catholicism and" SBA List, according to a 2010 Washington Post profile.[3]

Prior to joining the Susan B. Anthony List, Dannenfelser was the staff director of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus[1] and worked for U.S. House Representative Alan Mollohan (D-WV), whom the SBA List later worked to defeat in the 2010 Democratic primary.[3] Mollohan was defeated in the primary by the pro-life Mike Oliverio.

She began running the SBA List in 1993 out of her home in Arlington, Virginia, after SBA List founder Rachel MacNair brought her on board as the first experienced political activist to join the group.[2][4] Dannenfelser was soon joined by Jane Abraham and the two led SBA List from 1993 to 2006 when Dannenfelser assumed both the chairman and president positions. The organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., lobbies lawmakers and spends millions of dollars per year supporting candidates.

In August 2013 Newsmax magazine named Dannenfelser one of the "25 Most Influential Republican Women", citing her work as SBA List president.[5]

Personal life

Marjorie Jones was born and raised in Greenville, North Carolina.[6] She grew up as an Episcopalian and attended Duke University. She later converted to Roman Catholicism.[6] She says her conversion was partly motivated by the Catholic Church's emphasis on the Virgin Mary and the "feminine genius" she represents.[7]

She and her husband, Marty Dannenfelser, live in Arlington, Virginia with their five children.[1][8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Susan B. Anthony List website
  2. 1 2 Crisis (Brownson Institute) 15 (1): 30–33. 1997. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. 1 2 Horowitz, Jason, "Woman who supported abortion rights experienced evolution that changed her mind", Washington Post, May 14, 2010.
  4. ↑ History of SBA List
  5. ↑ Meyers, Jim. "Newsmax Exclusive: The 25 Influential Women of the GOP". Newsmax. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  6. 1 2 Washington Post, quoted in Get Religion
  7. ↑ Miller, Lisa, "A feminine face for the anti-abortion movement", Washington Post, November 2, 2011.
  8. ↑ Ertelt, S., John McCain Gains Support From Prominent Catholic Pro-Life Advocates, LifeNews.com, March 10, 2008
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