by Julia Reticker-Flynn, Manager, Youth Activist Network. To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, this blog is part of a series profiling a new generation of activists working to destigmatize abortion and ensure access to safe, affordable abortion care. Published in partnership with RH Reality Check.

Nearly two years ago, I was sitting in our conference room, and I was frustrated. We all were. We were discussing the unprecedented number of anti-abortion bills being proposed—and passed—in state legislatures around the country: waiting periods designed to harass women, unnecessary clinic regulations, parental notification laws, among others. We were watching anti-choice legislation replicate from state to state in real time, knowing that these laws would have harmful consequences in the lives of real people, especially young people.

We were tired of only playing defense. We had to find a way to meet this challenge head on.

We wanted a new approach to activism on abortion issues that was pro-active and on our own terms. We wanted something that would make young activists visible, within the movement and beyond. We wanted to hear about the experiences of the people who had been a part of this movement for decades. We wanted to find a way to give voice to contemporary experiences with abortion. And we wanted to honor the complexity of people’s lives. Ultimately, we wanted a new conversation—one that didn’t focus on the politicized debate around abortion, but focused on people.

Our answer was the 1 in 3 Campaign.

Storytelling has always been a powerful tool for social change. In fact, young activists in a variety of movements were already sharing their personal stories as a large scale organizing strategy. From Dreamers working on immigration issues, to survivors of sexual assault, to LGBT activists fighting for equality, young people were speaking their truths and sharing their lived experiences as a way of shifting how the public understands often polarizing social issues. By sharing their stories, these young people were creating spaces where we as a society could think about issues in terms of people’s realities and not political debates.

by Debra Hauser, President

Today, I am proud to announce the release of the book 1 in 3: These Are Our Stories.

I remained silent about my own abortion for 15 years. Now, as I share my story around the country, more often than not, other women offer up theirs in response. Some are family and friends whom I have known for years; others are complete strangers. The result is a bond, stronger than the anti-abortion rhetoric or the fear of retaliation or violence that too often finds its way into the political debate. In its place is empathy for the complexity of our lives, for the commonalities that bind us, for the need to keep abortion care safe and available.

Created to mark the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, 1 in 3 :These Are Our Stories highlights the voices of forty women. Each story is different - and each is critical to the conversation about abortion.

One in three women in the U.S. will have an abortion in her lifetime – it’s a fact of life. It is essential that people hear these stories, to put faces to the statistics and to understand that women who seek abortions are sisters, mothers and daughters. Advocates for Youth launched the 1 in 3 Campaign in 2011 to begin a new cultural narrative about abortion, and I am honored to share the amazing collection of stories that has grown from it.

Start changing the conversation. Order 1 in 3 today in softcover or ebook – then read it, talk about it, and share it with a friend.

by Sulava Gautam-Adhikary, Program Coordinator, Health and Social Equity

Today’s young people have never known a world without HIV. The path to ending the epidemic is long and challenging. But there is one step you can take that's easy, yet very valuable:

Call on President Obama to recognize the National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day!

Thousands of youth activists have called for a National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day - a nationwide call to action for our communities, schools and government to invest in young people’s health, education, and leadership in the fight against HIV & AIDS.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Join us on the journey toward ending AIDS.

Take action now for a National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day!

by Deb Hauser, President

Last week, Doug Kirby, a giant in the field of adolescent sexual health, passed away from a heart attack while climbing a volcano in Ecuador. Doug was only 69. According to those who were with him, just before he died, Doug sat down to rest, looked out over the landscape and said, “Isn’t life great!” Anyone who knew Doug would not be surprised that these were his last words. Doug was just that kind of man—full of life and full of wonderment at the great gifts and challenges the world has to offer.

Doug served as Director of Research at Advocates for Youth, back in the organization's earliest days. His tenure stretched from 1983 to 1988. He left the organization a few years before I got here, but his legacy was clear. His research on school-based health centers, sex education and youth sexual risk taking has guided the field for the last thirty years. To those of us just starting out, he was a giant even then, but he was always available to explain the implications of a piece of research, to talk strategy, or to debate the issues of the day.

I last saw Doug at a CDC meeting in March of 2012 during which he passionately argued for greater political resources to meet the HIV prevention needs of youth in this country. Doug had always been a reasoned voice for evidence-informed sex education. At this meeting he argued forcefully for young people’s rights to sexual health information.

I was lucky enough to sit next to him at dinner that night. We talked about our children, Advocates’ 1 in 3 Campaign, and the international work that he was doing in Uganda. His empathy for those with whom he was working and the depth of his commitment to help alleviate the impact of HIV and AIDS on communities in Africa is what I will remember most from the conversation - along with his devotion to his family. Doug will be greatly missed.

Doug Kirby's obituary