YOUNG ACTIVISTS LAUNCH NATIONAL #ABORTIONPOSITIVE CAMPUS TOUR
Tour Will Encourage Students to Protect and Expand Abortion Access in Their CommunitiesKate Londen
klonden@urge.org
202-965-7700 x115
Washington, DC April 1, 2016 — URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity and All* Above All announced a National #AbortionPositive campus tour to build support for abortion access for all. The tour, visiting 10 campuses in 5 states, will allow students to learn about restrictions in their state and take action to improve abortion access in their communities. Specifically, participants will show their support to end bans on abortion coverage for low-income people nationwide.
This tour comes at a critical time for the reproductive justice movement. Recently, the Supreme Court heard Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the most consequential abortion case since the 1990s, and a decision is expected in June. More broadly, 1,024 abortion restrictions have been created since Roe v. Wade, with 25% of those bills enacted in the last five years. And, unfortunately inflammatory displays by opponents of abortion, like the Genocide Awareness Project, have become a regular presence on college campuses.
“While anti-abortion activists use gruesome and insensitive imagery to reach college students, we believe an empowering, honest, abortion positive approach is more motivating to young people, said Kierra Johnson, Executive Director of URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. “Young people support access to abortion and they are energized to start turning back the tide of anti-choice restrictions on our bodies and our choices.”
The #AbortionPositive tour is building support for abortion coverage across the country one campus at a time. Since the passage of the Hyde amendment in 1976, Congress has withheld coverage for abortion services from those insured through the Medicaid program—now numbering nine million women of reproductive age. And with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, policymakers in 25 states have enacted additional restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion in state marketplaces and private plans.
The events will bring together URGE campus chapters with students, staff of local clinics, advocacy organizations, and others. Each tour stop will include a rally, selfie stations, food, and individuals sharing abortion stories. By starting proactive conversations on campus, students hope to break down some of the stigma around abortion.
The Abortion Positive Campus tour schedule:
4/5 University of Alabama
4/5 Bowling Green State University
4/7 University of Alabama at Huntsville
4/7 Ohio University
4/19 University of Kansas
4/19 Georgia Southern University
4/21 Kansas State University
4/21 University of Georgia
4/26 University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley
4/28 University of Texas El Paso
For more additional details on each stop please visit: https://urge.org/story/the-national-abortionpositive-tour/
BACKGROUND:
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity envisions a world where all people have agency over their own bodies and relationships and the power, knowledge and tools to exercise that agency. URGE builds this vision by engaging young people in creating and leading the way to sexual and reproductive justice for all by providing training, field mobilization and national leadership for a youth-driven agenda. Formerly known as Choice USA.
All* Above All unites organizations and individuals to build support for lifting bans that deny abortion coverage. Our vision is to restore public insurance coverage so that every woman, however much she makes, can get affordable, safe abortion care when she needs it. www.allaboveall.org.
