Draft:Julie F. Kay
American attorney and author
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julie F. Kay is an American human rights attorney, author, and nonprofit executive. She is the founder and CEO of Reproductive Futures,[1] a legal advocacy organization focused on reproductive health care access, telemedicine law, and public policy in the United States. She is also co-author of Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom[2] (Hachette Books, 2021, revised paperback ed. 2024).
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Kay's legal career includes strategic reproductive rights litigation and advocacy both internationally and domestically, including legal reform efforts concerning restrictive abortion laws and policies in the United States and Ireland.
Early life and education
Kay earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women's Studies and Social Studies from Harvard University and a J.D. in Public Interest Law from Brooklyn Law School. Following graduation, she served as a law clerk to United States District Judge Mark L. Wolf.[3][failed verification]
Legal career
Kay began her legal career as a staff attorney[4] at the Center for Reproductive Rights, where she litigated reproductive rights cases on behalf of individuals and health care providers in the United States.
She later served in senior legal and policy roles at Legal Momentum (formerly the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund), where she designed and launched the Sexuality and Family Rights Program.[5]
International Litigation: Ireland
Kay served as lead counsel for the Irish Family Planning Association[6] in A, B and C v. Ireland,[7] a case brought before the European Court of Human Rights challenging Ireland's near-total prohibition on abortion. In the 2010 judgment, the court found that Ireland violated the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to provide an accessible procedure for determining eligibility for a legal abortion in circumstances where a woman's life was at risk. Kay's legal work in this case is credited with contributing to subsequent abortion law reform[8] debates in Ireland.
Parents Leaving Fundamentalist Religions Advocacy
Kay has worked to protect the parenting rights of people leaving ultra-religious communities through her legal reform[9] work with the non-profit organization Footsteps. As the organization's first Senior Legal Strategist, she designed Footsteps' legal reform initiative to protect the parenting rights and help preserve children's relationships. Her work on behalf of the Footsteps has been featured in the New Yorker,[10] the New York Times,[11] and other outlets.
Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Kay co-founded the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine (ACT),[12] serving as its executive director. ACT worked to expand legal and advocacy frameworks for telemedicine abortion care across the United States and provide support to telemedicine practitioners.
Reproductive Futures
In 2025, Kay founded Reproductive Futures, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization focused on expanding access[13] to telemedicine reproductive health care and related legal frameworks. The organization engages in strategic legal, policy, and advocacy initiatives to protect and expand access to reproductive health care services. This included telemedicine abortion access and post-abortion care.
Public engagement and media coverage
Kay has been featured as a legal expert on reproductive rights, abortion law, and gender equity in expert directories and media profiles, including listings in the Women's Media Center SheSource[4] expert network. Her commentary has appeared in national[14] and international media[15] outlets discussing reproductive health law,[16] telemedicine,[17] and legal advocacy strategies.
Additionally, she has had coverage and interviews in broadcasts like CBS Morning,[18] Australian Broadcast News,[19] MSNBC,[20] and Fox 7 Austin.[21]
Publications
Kay is co-author, with Kathryn Kolbert, of Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom, a book discussing abortion rights, legal reform strategies, and reproductive freedom.
She has also written articles on platforms such as The Hill,[22] New York Times,[23] and Time Magazine.[24]
Professional affiliations and recognition
Kay has served in leadership roles[25] with nonprofit organizations focused on human rights, reproductive law, and gender equity. She served as a founding president of Women's Link Worldwide and as a long-time board member for the Center for Constitutional Rights.
Additionally, she has been awarded the WMC Progressive Women's Voices IMPACT Award in 2026[26].