Teachers Protest NEA's Ties to Pro-Abortion March.(National Education Association)

By Liz Townsend

Teachers across the country were outraged - - but not surprised - - that the National Education Association (NEA) was a prominent supporter of the April 25 pro-abortion march in Washington, D.C. The union, which receives dues from millions of teachers, has a long history of pro-abortion advocacy.

NEA officials acknowledged that it was one of the groups officially supporting the "March for Women's Lives." "We're not a sponsor, in the sense we did not provide for the logistics of the march," NEA spokesman Michael Pons told the Deseret Morning News. "March coordinators contacted the NEA, asked if they could put NEA down as a supporter of the event, and we said yes."

The NEA's official position, first adopted in 1985 and renewed each year, is that it "supports family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom."

This position angers many teachers, who believe that the NEA should not be involved in the abortion debate. Organizations such as Teachers Saving Children (TSC) have been formed by teachers who oppose the union's pro-abortion position.

"We would prefer that the association have a position of silence on abortion," Connie Bancroft, TSC national executive director, told NRL News. "Abortion is a political issue, not an educational one."

In a statement released before the pro-abortion march, the NEA attempted to frame its position as one of supporting "choice." "The NEA supports current law," the statement read, according to Fox News. "It believes in freedom of choice - - for or against abortion. There should be no government limits."