Virginia Bulkley Whitehill is a Dallas-area civic activist and women's rights advocate, best known for presenting oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court during the Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...

 court case that confirmed the legality of abortion.

Personal history

Her mother, Myrtle Bales Bulkley, marched for women's suffrage as a young woman and remained a vocal supporter of women's rights until her death in 1990. A native of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, Virginia Whitehill graduated from Mount Holyoke College

Mount Holyoke College

Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...

 in 1950 with a bachelor's degree in history. She moved to Dallas in 1960 with her late husband, James. She is the mother of two daughters and is a grandmother.

Advocacy for women's right to abortion

On January 13, 1970 Whitehill spoke at a meeting of the Women's Alliance of Dallas' First Unitarian Church. At the meeting she argued that recent cases on abortion that had gone before the US Supreme Court suggested that legislative change in the field would be easier to accomplish through the medium of the courts.

In an interview in 2005, Whitehill said "There's nothing more important to a woman then controlling her own fertility. The vote and birth control are the cornerstones of the emancipation of women."

Links to organisations

In 1969, Virginia Whitehill founded the Dallas Committee to Study Abortion. She was also the Texas Citizens for Abortion Education (TCAE) state coordinator in 1974.

As a member of the Dallas Junior League, Whitehill also helped found Family Place, a refuge for women escaping domestic violence. Whitehill noted there was some resistance to the idea, however she argued "...it wasn't about women's rights. It was about fighting crime, and gosh, maybe it would be good to be safe from crime in your own home."

Whitehill is a co-founder of the Dallas Women's Coalition, Women's Issues Network, Dallas Women's Foundation, Women's Southwest Federal Credit Union, Dallas Women's Political Caucus, Veteran Feminist of America (Dallas) and the Women's Equality Action League. She continues to promote women's issues and is a supporter of The Women's Museum

The Women's Museum

The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future is a museum located inside Fair Park in Dallas, Texas , covering the subject of American women's history...

: An Institute for the Future.

Awards

Whitehill has been honored with such awards as Profiles in Leadership from Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...

 Women’s Symposium, Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...

's Champion of Choice Award, the Women's Council of Dallas County Distinguished Service Award and the Women Helping Women Maura Award of the Women's Center of Dallas. She was named a Mount Holyoke College Distinguished Alumna and was awarded the Myrtle Bulkley Award for Outstanding Service from the League of Women Voters

League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...

of Dallas, and the Texas Women of Courage Award from the Association of Women Journalists.

Virginia Whitehill was nominated for the 10th Annual Texas Trailblazer Award.