Since its founding, NLHO has maintained a high profile on the topic of reproductive rights for Latinas and pro-actively seeks to influence program developers, educators and policy makers to ensure their responsiveness to Latinas' concerns; and to ensure that special outreach and educational needs are addressed. The NLHO has been instrumental in bringing the Latina voice to the national reproductive rights debate and expanding the focus beyond abortion. The NLHO has taken a leadership role in advocating for the protection of women against the punitive, coercive or racially motivated use of Norplant and Depo-Provera. In fulfilling this role, NLHO leaders participate in national and local boards, panels, workshops, conferences, radio and television interviews; and other public forums to ensure that a Latina perspective is heard on a wide range of health issues. The organization develops position and educational papers and reports on health issues that impact on Latinas such as ANational Welfare Reform: An Analysis of Its Impact on Latinas and Latina Health Issues. Listed below are some public policy and education highlights:

	The NLHO was a founding member of the Women of Color Coalition for Reproductive Health Rights (WOCCRHR) that advocated for the reproductive rights of women of color. The coalition was very successful in bringing attention to several issues at the national and international level.
	In 1994, the WOCCRHR brought together twenty women of color from across the nation to develop a position paper entitled AStatement on Poverty, Development and Population. The paper was prepared by the U.S. Women of Color Delegation to the International Conference on Population and Development in September 1994. The paper was used to lobby delegates at the Conference in Cairo, Egypt. At the international level, the coalition was instrumental in changing the language of the Cairo Population and developed a document that reflected the inclusion of marginalized women in developed countries. That was the first time that women not living in a developing countries were included in the dialogue and intent of any United Nations international conference. This language was also included in the 1995 Beijing Women's Conference.
	The NLHO was granted Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status for the 1995 United Nations Fourth International Women's Conference in Beijing, China traveled as a representative of the WOCCRHR. The NLHO was selected by other U.S. Latina NGO organizations to represent the U.S. Latina perspective to U.S. official delegates.
	The NLHO was the lead agency in a coalition report on Latinas, Health, Immigration and Violence that has also been disseminated to policy makers. The report was presented internationally at the United Nations Fourth International Women's Conference in Beijing, China.
	The bilingual AIntergenerational Communication on Reproductive Health: A Celebration of Latinas Coming of Age Conference at UC Berkeley in April, 1999; and at Hunter College in New York in October, 2000.
	The NLHO was represented at the Durban, South Africa Conference Against Racism and presented on the status of reproductive health of Latinas in the U.S. An article on Latina health was also presented through the publication, Time To Rise from the Women of Color Resource Center.
	The NLHO is an original member of a coalition of women of color organizations Adedicated to the enlightenment of our communities as to the need for reproductive health awareness and the affects of RTIs on women of color, and through our women, the effects on our communities. Within SisterSong, the NLHO project is the Intergenerational Latina Health Leadership Project. The entire coalition was originally funded by the Ford Foundation.

Locally we have health and reproductive health curriculums at middle schools and high schools. In New York we are starting our third year at Hunter College with our collaborative course, ARedefining Latina Health: Body, Mind and Spirit that also includes reproductive health. The course curriculum was developed with a Latina perspective and a focus on the intersections of political-decision making and the status of Latina health; and its real life impact on Latinas. It is an activist perspective that teaches social change through individual change. As you can see, my organization has been able to impact policy through bringing the Latina voice to many policy circles and to academia from middle school through the university. What is critical is that programs locally and in New York, and national coalition work, keep staff informed as to the current health issues for Latina women diverse in age and ethnicity.

The NLHO was the first Latina organization that advocated for abortion rights and brought it out of the closet, so to speak. In its early years, it worked towards diversifying the mainstream women’s organizations and broadening their focus beyond abortion, to other reproductive rights. The organization continues in its efforts to incorporate a human rights approach; and a focus on the intersections of race, racism, class, gender, identity, political decision making, the status of Latina health; and its ‘real life’ impact on Latinas and other women of color. The NLHO has been able to destroy the myth that Latinas do not believe in reproductive rights, do not have abortions, do not practice birth control; and are all good Catholic girls.

The organization is very much involved in coalition building at the national level through its work with SisterSong and Cancion Latina. It serves as the fiscal sponsor for both coalitions and serves on the Management Circle of SisterSong. The NLHO actively works in recruiting organizations and individuals to become full partners in both coalitions. It is involved in developing national reproductive rights agendas and is a sponsoring participant in the Women of Color Reproductive Health Conference scheduled for November, 2003 at Spellman College in Atlanta, Georgia.