Fran Avallone

Avallone, Fran
Founder/Director of the abortion rights group New Jersey Right to Choose and prominent reproductive rights advocate, died of lung cancer on Wednesday, December 10 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 66. The wife of the late novelist Michael Avallone, she was born Frances Janet Weinstein in Brooklyn and they moved to Old Bridge, New Jersey in 1963. Fran very quickly became involved in local politics and helped start the Old Bridge Public Library. She served as Treasurer for the library from 1965-68. In 1975, she founded New Jersey Right to Choose, a pro-choice advocacy group, along with the Right to Choose Education Fund and Right to Choose Political Action Committee. With Ms. Avallone as the sole staff member, these organizations provided pro-choice programs for schools, organizations, groups, clubs and individuals and vigorously lobbied the New Jersey Legislature regarding choice issues until her retirement in 1993. She devoted her energy, passion and expertise to defending and protecting every woman's right to reproductive freedom, regardless of age, financial or marital status, through comprehensive education and tireless political activism. She maintained close working relationships with both public figures, health educators and pro-choice activists throughout the state. In 1976, Right to Choose challenged the tax-exempt status of New Jersey Right to Life in a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Among Ms. Avallone's accomplishments was the establishment of an annual full-page signature ad in the New York Times to mark the anniversary of Roe v Wade, a tradition which continues today. She wrote the pro-choice literature distributed by the organizations and created a collection of personal stories entitled "New Jersey Women Speak Out", now in its 5th printing. The collection holds the stories of women who experienced the horror of abortion when it was illegal, either in their own lives or those of friends or family. As Director of Right To Choose, Ms. Avallone spearheaded the landmark case of Right To Choose v Byrne, which, in 1982, after a seven-year battle, established the constitutionality of Medicaid payments for abortions for indigent women in New Jersey. Her contributions to the pro-choice movement and the pro-choice community in New Jersey remain vital and visible today. She was more than a committed activist, she was a force of nature. In her position as State Coordinator, she was the prominent voice for women's reproductive rights in her community for more than 20 years. Devoted to education and honest presentation of the facts, she enthusiastically debated her opponents in the anti-abortion movement in high schools and other public forums at every opportunity. Additionally, she joined the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Middlesex County in 1974 serving three years as President starting in 1979. Over the years, she received several honors, including an award in 1987, from the Giraffe Project, a national organization that honors those who stick their necks out for the common good; the 1992 Women of Achievement Award, given by Douglass College and the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs; and the 1993 Mary Philbroke Award, given by the New Jersey Women's Political caucus. Her article, "Parental Consent and Notification Laws," was published in 1992 in the college textbook "Taking Sides." A former dancer, she also edited the 1978 book "On Tap Dancing," a collection of essays by famed tap dancer Paul Draper. In 1995, Fran and Michael Avallone moved to Los Angeles to be with their children, and became very active in their community at Park La Brea. Since Michael's death in 1999, she worked for the 2000 census and as a beloved caretaker for children and the elderly. Though she called herself "Rent-A-Mom," most who knew her considered her their "West Coast Grandma." She is survived by her father Pincus Weinstein and sister Arlene Gerber, both of Florida; her daughter Susan, a writer; son David, a filmmaker; stepson Stephen; and son-in-law Carr D'Angelo, a producer. An inform1010