HOUSE VOTE ON 20 WEEK BAN PUTS POLITICS ABOVE THE HEALTH OF YOUNG PEOPLE
CONTACT: Kate Londen 202-965-7700 x 115 klonden@urge.org Washington, DC May 12, 2015 — In response to the upcoming vote in the House of Representatives on a ban on abortion after 20 weeks, Kierra Johnson, Executive Director of URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, issued this statement: “Once again, anti-choice politicians are putting the country’s most pressing issues on the back burner to vote on yet another bill aimed at restricting access to basic healthcare. This ban on abortion after 20 weeks would be a dangerous law keeping young people from accessing the healthcare they need. Personal medical decisions like this are best left to the pregnant person in consultation with those they trust, not politicians. Young people, in particular, are more likely to face barriers to accessing safe abortion… Read more »
CHOICE USA CHANGES NAME TO URGE: UNITE FOR REPRODUCTIVE & GENDER EQUITY
July 11, 2014 Washington, DC – Choice USA announced today that the organization will be re-branded as URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. The new name highlights the diversity of work that the organization was already undertaking across the country. URGE’s mission will stay the same and the organization will continue to mobilize the diverse, upcoming generation of leaders. “For 22 years, the young people we work for and with have guided our organization, as they began to view pro-choice issues in a more complex way, so did we,” said Kierra Johnson, URGE Executive Director. “This name change reflects better symbolizes the kind of work we have been doing for years and the values we already hold.” URGE is the leading organization for young people advocating for reproductive rights, sexual… Read more »
SUPREME COURT DECISION ON CONTRACEPTION COVERAGE WILL HARM YOUNG PEOPLE
“Today’s decision will have far reaching consequences for young people who have benefited greatly from no-copay birth control coverage. For young people, who often face the greatest financial strain from healthcare costs, this decision will surely mean more will be unable to afford critical healthcare. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties have argued that this case was about religious freedom. In reality, this case is about preserving the religious freedom of employers at the expense of taking that freedom away from employees. This decision jeopardizes the birth-control coverage that millions of working women already rely on, especially for those who work in hourly positions at corporations like Hobby Lobby and may struggle to make ends meet. This fight is not over. We will continue to make sure that the people who would impose… Read more »
Choice Usa Celebrates Its 21st Birthday by Honoring Young Activists With Jessica Valenti and Gloria Steinem
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. — Choice USA, the leading youth-focused national reproductive justice organization, awarded outstanding young leaders in the field of reproductive rights and justice, and veteran activists who make their work possible. This year Choice USA also celebrated its 21st anniversary with special reflections on the history of the organization. “Young people bring passion and commitment to the fight for reproductive justice,” said Kierra Johnson, Choice USA’s executive director. “Whether by the lobbying in the statehouse, voting at the polls, blogging online, or organizing on campus – young people are living their pro-choice values and their progressives identities.” The event featured five awards, one to honor excellent work from a student chapter and four awards to individuals. Nicole Clark, social worker and writer, won the Excellence in… Read more »
Choice USA Launches “Bro-Choice” Week of Visibility
For Immediate Release Washington, D.C. — Choice USA has officially launched their newest campaign, titled Bro-Choice, which focuses on conversations about healthy masculinity within a reproductive justice framework. Bro-Choice aims to create a network of outspoken, actively-engaged men, disrupting the narrative that sexual health, reproductive rights and rape prevention are exclusively “women’s issues.” As part of National Sexual Assault Awareness month, Choice USA will be holding a week of visibility around rape culture and healthy masculinity on April 22-26, 2013. The program includes a pledge that men can sign to become “part of the solution” to fighting rape culture and sexual assault. Students in campus chapters in five states will spend next week be engaging their peers in conversations and collecting Bro-Choice pledges on their campuses. The pledge can also… Read more »
Kansas College Students Converge on State House to Lobby Against Omnibus Abortion Restriction Bill
For Immediate Release Topeka, KS – College students from across the state gathered today in the capital to speak to their state legislatures and show their support for reproductive rights. More than twenty students from four universities met with Kansas legislators to lobby against the reintroduction of the extreme Kansas Omnibus Abortion Restriction & Taxation Bill. The bill would not only create new tax penalties on families and businesses, but would also mean imposing extreme restrictions to accessing reproductive healthcare in Kansas. The students are all members of their campus chapter of Choice USA, the leading youth-led… Read more »
