Remembering Attorney General Reno
As we mourn her loss, NAF member Carole Joffe shares her memory of former Attorney General Janet Reno:
In more than 25 years of attending NAF annual meetings, one of the most powerful (and wonderful) memories I have is of Janet Reno addressing NAF members at the 1999 meeting in A
tlanta.
After she spoke eloquently of her commitment to protect abortion providers, and the floor was open for questions, the event quickly changed from a conventional Q&A with a speaker to what can only be described as a church-like “testifying.” One by one, NAF members from different parts of the country rose to say how grateful they were for the protection she had offered them—mainly by sending federal marshals—when they were under siege.
After the session formally came to a close, it was expected that Reno would simply exit the stage in the company of her security. Instead, I saw (from my front row seat) a twinkle in her eye and she marched off the stage directly into the audience, made a beeline for Dr. George Tiller and, towering over him, gave him a big hug that nearly lifted him off the ground.