Susan Berke Fogel directs the Reproductive Health and Justice Programs at the National Health Law Program. Based in the Los Angeles offices, Fogel develops and implements initiatives to advance reproductive justice and health access for low-income women and adolescents with a particular focus on how Medicaid policies can be utilized to increase access to abortion, family planning, and pregnancy care.
Susan began her legal career at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. She subsequently served as the legal director and acting executive director at the California Women’s Law Center, where she directed projects to improve access to health care for women and girls with a particular focus on reproductive health and rights, women of color, and low-income women. She has also consulted on health care policy for a number of organizations, including the Los Angeles County Office of Women’s Health, Catholics for Choice, the Ford Foundation, and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Susan serves on several nonprofit boards. She is the President of the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, the Vice-President of the City of Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women, the co-founder of the Pro-Choice Alliance for Responsible Research (PCARR), a coalition that works to ensure that women’s health and reproductive choices are protected in the context of emerging bio-technologies.
Susan is nationally known for her work on religious restrictions in health care and has advanced reproductive rights in both the legislatures and the courts. She is the co-author of several papers and articles, including National Health Law Program’s groundbreaking report, “Health Care Refusals: Undermining Quality Care for Women,” which considers the serious impact of religious restrictions on medical standards of care in reproductive health. She received her B.A. in Art History from UCLA and her J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
Susan has a pet snake named Curlie and collects beads from around the world and makes jewelry.
