2013 NDWN Woman of the Year

2013 WOMAN OF THE YEAR

​Karla Rose Hanson

The North Dakota Women’s Network was proud to award our 2013 Woman of the Year to Karla Rose Hanson on October 19, 2013.  Over the course of the past several years Karla’s passion for women’s rights has truly blossomed. She has selflessly and generously worked to improve life for women and families in North Dakota with her efforts extending into political advocacy and reproductive justice.

Karla is co-founder and chair of the North Dakota Coalition for Privacy in Health Care. This coalition, which works to protect women’s private medical decisions, became a powerhouse at the North Dakota legislature in large part because of Karla’s time, expertise, and commitment to women’s rights.  Karla focused her time on the formation of the coalition because she recognized the need to educate North Dakotans on the negative impact of “personhood” legislation. Personhood efforts attempts to create legal human rights for fertilized human eggs and the 2013 session brought three separate attempts! Two were defeated and one, an amendment to the North Dakota Constitution, passed and will go in front of voters in November of 2014 - Karla’s work is far from over.

When Karla isn’t attending to her communication business or cheering on her two boys at hockey or soccer games you will find her door knocking for political candidates who are committed to representing women’s voices. Karla’s drive to ensure public policy protects women and families, and is a model for others to emulate.

Congratulations, Karla Rose Hanson!