Many state legislatures all over the country have been putting restrictions on abortions since Roe v. Wade. They have put restrictions on how late in the pregnancy abortion can be done. Some states even require doctors to tell women COMPLETELY false information. Donald Trump has said women should be “punished” for having them.
The organization URGE (United For Reproductive And Gender Equity) is helping students become more “abortion positive.” They are hoping to dispel the stigma surrounding women getting abortions with their national tour. They have gotten students and speakers from local women’s health clinics to join the movement.
They are countering the gruesome imagery that the pro-lifers are spreading. The movement is providing an honest, empowering approach to reach more young people. We don’t want to see the nasty pictures of aborted fetuses. Scare tactics are not a good way to get people to side with you.
Young people are supporting abortion access and are excited to try and get some of these restrictions overturned. The tour kicked off April 5 at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. They showed up just in time to get support for the EACH Woman Act that will provide insurance coverage for women on federal insurance needing abortions.
Iowa actually passed a law allowing women to sue their abortion providers if they regret the decision. If the woman got the procedure willingly, then the doctor is not to blame. We need to put the blame on people that are piling up the stigma surrounding a woman’s right to choose.
Dr. Willie Parker, an outspoken abortion provider, had this to say at the Alabama tour stop:
“We have to deal with the reality that one in three women will have an abortion in her lifetime. Almost 50 percent of all pregnancies are unplanned. And unplanned doesn’t mean unwanted, but it means that when a woman has an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy, she has to have access to services.”
All women need to be #AbortionPositive; no woman should be forced to carry a baby that she does not want.
Featured image by Steenaire via flickr, available under Creative Commons 2.0 license.
