The Association to Repeal Abortion Laws, 1966-1973

Patricia Theresa Maginnis, the founder and president of the Society for Humane Abortion, began her "elective abortion" activities in 1961 while attending San Jose State College. In 1962 she founded the Citizens Committee for Humane Abortion Laws (CCHAL) and spoke in panel discussions and committee hearings. In 1963, CCHAL conducted the first of a series of public opinion polls. That same year PM moved to San Francisco, taking her organization with her. Once established there, CCHAL actively opposed the Bielenson Bill, or "Humane Abortion Act," which became California law in 1963. After meeting PM in 1963, Rowena Gurner helped organize her efforts; in 1964 they changed CCHAL's name to the Society for Humane Abortion (SHA).

SHA was incorporated in California as a non-profit educational organization in 1965. Its members endorsed "elective abortion," believing that every woman seeking an abortion is entitled to proper medical care without harassment; SHA supported the repeal, rather than the reform, of all abortion laws. The Society sought to educate the public by sponsoring symposia on abortion procedures for physicians; providing speakers and literature to libraries, medical schools, physicians, family planning agencies, and individuals; and publishing a quarterly newsletter. In 1968 and 1968, SHA maintained a free Post-Abortion Care Center (PACC), which was sponsored by the American Humanist Association. SHA disbanded in 1975, two years after the Supreme Court voided California'a 1963 "Humane Abortion Act."

In order to safeguard SHA's tax-free educational status, PM set up a parallel organization, the Association to Repeal Abortion Laws (ARAL), in 1966 to carry on underground activities: making referrals to abortion specialists; preparing and disseminating printed material about specialists and about self-induced abortion; and holding classes on abortion-related laws, Mexican abortion specialists, and self-induced abortion techniques. For a small donation, pregnant women received a kit prepared by ARAL containing annotated lists of abortion specialists in Mexico, Japan, Puerto Rico, and other countries, instructions for going through customs, an evaluation form to be returned to ARAL after completion of the abortion, summaries of laws, and directions for self-induced abortion. The evaluations were used to update the list, and many specialists were visited by a member of ARAL before they were listed.