New Campaign To Protect Young People’s Access To Abortion

Washington, DC – Today, Advocates for Youth will launch Abortion Out Loud, a new campaign dedicated to highlighting the work of youth activists in protecting abortion access and elevating the stories of young people who have experienced abortion. The launch kicks off with a week of action highlighting the importance of ending abortion stigma. Over 100 campuses will host events where students share abortion stories and ask the question:  “Why do you say Abortion out Loud?”

Students across the nation will host Abortion Out Loud events, among them:

• Kaylan Tanner, Junior at Dillard University: “My Abortion Out Loud event centers Black women and the LGBTQ+ community at Dillard University. On my campus and in the state, abortion is almost never talked about. I am using this campaign to fight for reproductive rights and freedom for women in Louisiana, especially women of color in marginalized communities. I want to spread knowledge and create awareness about the reproductive injustices we are facing.”
• Bex Whitehead, Junior at Orange Coast College: “I plan to use my Abortion Out Loud event to counter an event put on by an organization on my campus that will feature an anti-abortion and medically inaccurate movie. This is extremely dangerous to my school because we are trying to shift the culture on campus to one that is understanding that abortions are health care. This campaign is important to me because it is inclusive of the identities of all young people having abortions. Abortion Out Loud is a campaign that recognizes that marginalized identities need to be uplifted in abortion access advocacy in order for their specific barriers to be addressed in the fight for true abortion access.”
• Veronika Granado, Sophomore, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley: “My Abortion Out Loud event is focused on self managed abortion in the Rio Grande Valley. I will be speaking about abortion barriers, common misconceptions, and how our political climate might affect some of these things. This is very important to me because we need to be talking about these issues especially when our political climate can affect our choices. People fear being detained and might self-manage their abortion, and should be able to do that without being criminalized. It’s important that people are aware about these things so that they don’t spread misinformation and continue to have stigma turn into policy.”

Abortion Out Loud evolves from the 1 in 3 Campaign, a national storytelling campaign which radically changed the face of the abortion access movement. Founded in 2011, 1 in 3 activists collected over 1500 abortion stories and shared them with thousands of people around the country through art and activism events. Now, in the current political climate, we know that young people are the most impacted by harsh restrictions, blatantly unconstitutional bans, and the inaccurate and antagonistic rhetoric propagated by anti-abortion extremists.

“The young people who are part of the Abortion Out Loud campaign are dedicated to ensuring youth are not left behind as attacks on abortion access intensify. they’re sharing their own abortion stories with their community and with policy makers. They’re working on initiatives like SB 24, the California bill that would require campus health centers to offer medication abortion. They’re enlisting their fellow students in the fight.  They won’t remain silent as our abortion access is stripped away – and they’re not afraid to say ‘Abortion out Loud,’” said Debra Hauser, President, Advocates for Youth.

“No one, least of all young people, should be forced to carry a pregnancy they did not plan and do not want to term. Youth will not sit idly by while their basic rights and self-determination are trampled. They are fighting back every day – leading protests, sharing their abortion stories and organizing to protect abortion access. They are moving this country forward, not backward, and we need to follow their lead,” said Hauser.

Visit the Abortion Out Loud campaign at: https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/abortion-out-loud/ 

For Immediate Release

Contact: Emily Bridges, emily@advocatesforyouth.org

October 22, 2019

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Advocates for Youth partners with youth leaders, adult allies, and youth-serving organizations to advocate for policies and champion programs that recognize young people’s rights to honest sexual health information; accessible, confidential, and affordable sexual health services; and the resources and opportunities necessary to create sexual health equity for all youth.