By Rita McInerney

Pamela Maraldo, chief executive officer of the National League for Nursing, has been named new president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She succeeds Faye Wattleton, who resigned in April after 14 years with the federation. Dr. Maraldo will assume leadership Feb. 1.

Several newspaper and wire service articles identified the new president as a Roman Catholic. She is quoted by the Associated Press as saying, "I think like most Catholics in America. I support the right to use contraceptives and the right to choose ... I would hope for the ability to speak reasonable and rationally on these issues with representatives of the church."

Dr. Maraldo led the National League for Nursing, a coalition of individual and agency members that promotes quality health care since 1983. She writes and lectures on nursing and health care issues.

She told USA Today that Planned Parenthood "is anxious to create a broader health and social policy agenda. While we're not going to relinquish our pro-choice emphasis ... a single issue never really serves an organization well."

In Atlanta, Peggy Sinanian, head of the Pro-Life Office of the archdiocese, commented on Dr. Maraldo's intent to widen the scope of Planned Parenthood.

"The new president is planing to move the organization away from its major emphasis on abortion-on-demand to concentrate on health care and child care. If this proposal is sincere, I would suggest that the new president look for inspiration to an institution which has a 2,000 year history of aiding the orphan, the abandoned, widows and children and is still performing these tasks."

Mrs. Sinanian recommended that the new leader "look to the church in which she was baptized to find a model of bringing hope and compassion ... next to the federal government, Catholic Charities, USA is the single largest provider of services to men, women and children. The dollar outlay each year exceeds $1.5 billion."

Mrs. Sinanian said she believes that after 20 years of abortion on demand, which brought the "right" of abortion during nine months of pregnancy "for any reason," leading polls show that the majority of American women "are still pro-life."

"After reviewing these polls and after conducting expensive public relations and advertising campaigns, Planned Parenthood appears to have reached the opinion that the right to abortion doesn't sell too well any more. For instance, polls have shown that while women demand fair wages for equal jobs performed, the demand for unrestricted availability is not high on American women's wish list."

"Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortion in the world and has been able to obscure the fundamental fact that for each abortion performed, a baby's life is destroyed," Mrs. Sinanian said. "Their new campaign will no doubt further bury their basic advocacy of abortion. The new president could not be less representative of practicing Catholic women who are by overwhelming majority pro-life."

Dr. Maraldo, a native of Kennett Square, PA, received a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Adelphi University and a master's degree and doctor of philosophy in nursing from New York University. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and of the New York Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Maraldo's religion was not mentioned in a press release from Planned Parenthood announcing her selection. She is quoted in the New York Times article as saying, "Like most Catholics, as shown by one survey after another, I believe in the use of contraception and am pro-choice. I go to church on Sunday but do not subscribe to many of the tenets of the church. That doesn't mean I am any less a Catholic."