Young People Like Me Are Wondering: What Is the Path Forward for Abortion Rights?

Op/Ed from URGE’s Georgia State Organizer, Kaelea Lucas (she/her).

“What many people might not still realize is that Roe v. Wade itself was never enough. A young person living in a state like California—with expansive abortion laws—can face just as many barriers in accessing care as a young person living in states like Texas or Florida, where abortion is now banned at six weeks. Roe provided limited protections for white people, but didn’t consider the systemic racism built into the health-care and justice systems of this country; it was never enough to provide unquestionable abortion access—no matter one’s race, ZIP code, financial status, or gender. From Roe v. Wade to current abortion bans, racism has always lied at the core of abortion policy in this country. Without charting a new path, we risk repeating old mistakes, and communities like mine will be caught in the crosshairs.”