Alabama College Students Speak Out about Abortion Bill
“Some Alabama college students packed the state house to speak out against a new abortion bill. The students are part of Urge, or Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. They came to meet with their lawmakers about the fetal heartbeat bill. The bill would ban abortions after a heartbeat has been detected, which some argue would completely ban the procedure.”
CSULB Catholics Bring Pro-Life Advocates to Campus
“The signs and photos are graphically detailed with the intentions of getting students’ attention, said Christopher Page, vice president of the CNC. “Human beings… are killed and then sucked out in pieces… and its perfectly legal…” Page said. “We have to get everyone’s attention, and these signs are appropriate.” URGE plans to protest the Genocide Awareness Campaign for as long as they choose to stay at CSULB. “Our goal is to get them banned from campus because of how uncomfortable it makes people feel,” said Karina Sarabia, a sophomore English education major and board member for URGE.”
Let’s Just Get Rid of the Hyde Amendment
“Pro-choice activists are starting to look harder at getting rid of the Hyde Amendment too. URGE, a group that works to mobilize younger Americans around reproductive issues, has been running campaigns to make people aware of the issue. URGE has held rallies in twenty cities, and delivered petitions to members of Congress urging them to stop renewing Hyde. “A lot of people didn’t even know what the amendment was, and that so many low-income women are affected. People were, one, surprised, and two, pissed off,” Kierra Johnson, the group’s executive director, told me. “It’s been under the radar for so long that congressional members haven’t had to do anything about it. We’re no longer going to let Hyde pass year after year, as if that’s just the way it should… Read more »
The Long History Behind The Abortion Measure That Caused The Latest Round Of Political Gridlock
“Over the past several years, as Republicans swept state legislatures and enacted a record-breaking number of new abortion restrictions, the impact of Hyde has come into even sharper focus. According to the members of All Above All, a grassroots coalition of reproductive justice groups working to build support for repealing the Hyde Amendment, the recent legislative push has created a “perfect storm” that illustrates exactly how unaffordable abortion services can be. People are getting angry. Activists working in this space say that young Americans in particular are starting to think about Hyde-style restrictions in the context of economic and racial justice. “I think, often, Americans don’t know how far-reaching this policy goes,” Kierra Johnson, the executive director for URGE, one of the national groups involved with All Above All, told ThinkProgress last fall. “What is so exciting about… Read more »
Advocacy day teaches civil action to students, inspires
“A group of twenty-five students participated in Advocacy Day. They underwent an hour-long training on what advocacy means and why it’s done. The training was preceded by the introduction of state representatives. Participants where then given the opportunity to highlight specific pieces of legislation, while voicing personal opinions and concerns on governmental affairs. Six students of the University and members of the campus organization Feminist Organization Raising Conciseness and Empowerment participated in the program. FORCE also acts as the University’s on-campus chapter of URGE. FORCE member and Advocacy Day participant Emily Philibert said the program provided students with a sense of self-worth. “The biggest thing that I took away from Advocacy Day was that individuals can make a difference,” Philibert said. “Actually talking to a representative helped me to realize… Read more »
Anti-choice senators playing an underhanded game
“Those of us that work with women and young people of all genders know that good, honest information and access to safe health care is what survivors of violence need. They need our full support. They do not need further restrictions on their access to reproductive health care. For trafficking survivors, the need is especially dire. They commonly experience rape and sexual abuse. In one survey of sex trafficking survivors, they reported being forced to have sex with 13 “buyers” a day, and three out of four women had at least one pregnancy while trafficked. According to Amnesty International, six in ten women or girls who cross the border into the U.S. are raped. It is nothing short of cruel to turn around and deny someone in this situation the means to end… Read more »
Harry Reid: Human Trafficking Bill Doomed Unless GOP Removes Anti-Abortion Language
“Advocacy groups that support the human trafficking legislation are now also urging the removal of the abortion language. Darla Bardine, executive director of the National Network for Youth, wrote a letter Wednesday to Cornyn asking him to “remove the partisan piece of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.” “Human trafficking is a bipartisan and nonpartisan issue,” wrote Bardine. “Together, we stand united against modern day slavery, including both sex and labor trafficking. Presently, we are at an important moment in the Senate with both parties unified to take a strong stand against human trafficking, from prevention to law enforcement, and service provision to survivors… This legislation is desperately needed and we cannot let this moment pass us by because of the addition of partisan and divisive provisions.” “No woman… Read more »
College students question opt-in bill for sex education
“Williams, a student at Emporia State University, said the pending legislation threatened to build a barrier between young people and age-appropriate sex education. “Sex education is better if we have the public education system teach it,” Williams said. “I think it’s sort of a common-sense decision.” Sigler and Williams were at the Capitol with students from several other college campuses involved with United for Reproductive and Gender Equity, formerly known as Choice USA. The organization promotes “sexual and reproductive justice” by training and mobilizing leadership around a youth-driven agenda.”
On the 42nd Anniversary of Roe, Time to Listen to Women Born After It
“When it came to our issues in the midterm election, young women often felt left in the cold. While we are a generation saddled with student debt, the skyrocketing costs of education were barely mentioned on the campaign trail. And conservative candidates vowed to dismantle the Affordable Care Act—the law that has allowed many of us to stay on our parents’ insurance as we continue school or search for work in today’s still-tight job market. We need candidates who will affirm the right for everyone to have full control over their own futures, and thus understand the importance that abortion can play in our economic, personal and educational opportunities. Young people want leaders who will roll back the tide of abortion restrictions and make the promise of Roe a reality… Read more »
URGE Executive Director Kierra Johnson Talks 42nd Anniversary of Roe v. Wade and What It Means To Young People
“Young people are among the most people who know what the barriers are to abortion, in addition to the stigma around sex and sexuality including abortion. Young people are often the folks that can’t afford to pay for an abortion out of pocket. They’re also less likely to have insurance, and given the number of clinics that have closed across the country, geography has become an even bigger barrier for young people who might not have a license or don’t have a car or ways to get hundreds of miles away to the closest clinic. On top of that, there are 38 states that require parental involvement before having an abortion. No, it’s not the 1970s, but young people are uniquely versed in the many barriers to accessing abortion services…. Read more »
