A former president of the first Planned Parenthood in the Southeast will discuss the organization during a Monday evening meeting of Democrats.
Elizabeth Peelle helped organize and then served as president and volunteer executive director from 1969 to 1970 for Planned Parenthood of the Southern Mountains, the first Planned Parenthood in the Southeast, serving health care needs of women in Anderson County and surrounding Appalachian counties, a press release said. She drafted the first proposal for outside funding that led to a professional staff for the agency.
Peelle then organized Tennesseans for Choice in 1989 because Planned Parenthood could not lobby for the pro-choice view, and she served as its president for the first eight years, the press release said.
On Monday, Peelle will discuss the early years of Planned Parenthood of the Southern Mountains, in light of Planned Parenthood’s recent campaign to oppose Amendment 1, the release said. The amendment passed in November, making it easier for legislators to restrict women’s access to abortion.
Peelle will be the guest speaker at a meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club at 6 p.m. Monday, January 26. The group will meet in the Club Room of the Clinton Community Center at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.
The press release said Peelle’s volunteer activities have spanned social, environmental, and educational concerns. Her commitment to these causes has earned her recognition from many organizations, including being named one of 10 Women of Impact in Oak Ridge History by the American Association of University Women. She received the Community Service Award from the Greater Knoxville YWCA in 1998 during the YWCA Women of Achievement awards
The meeting will include a spaghetti dinner at $5 per person. No reservations are required. For more information, e-mail Ann Mostoller at amostoller@msw-law.com or call Mary Matheny at (865) 483-8937.
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