FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 4, 2022
PRESS CONTACT:
Carmel Pryor
press@allianceforyouthaction.org
STATEMENT: Alliance for Youth Action Calls for Congress to Take Action to Protect Abortion Access
WASHINGTON — The Alliance for Youth Action network demands elected leaders in Washington take action to protect abortion access. The leaked draft of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey is rooted in anti-Black racism and white supremacy. This affront to our fundamental rights should be a challenge to every member of Congress to take swift action.
We call on Congress to enact the will of the people and end the filibuster in order to codify the fundamental right to abortion. According to a study done this year by Hart Research Associates, 70% of adults under 30 years old believed abortion should be legal in “all” or “most” cases. The fight for the freedom to access abortion can’t wait for the official Supreme Court ruling. Congress must act now.
We are outraged. Gen-Zers and Millennials have never known a world without federal constitutional protection of abortion rights and this Supreme Court has shown it will bow down to white supremacists and block people who need abortions in this nation. This draft ruling targets Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, young people, people with disabilities, people in rural areas, undocumented people, LGBTQ people, and those having difficulty making ends meet who are disproportionately impacted by discriminatory obstacles to health care.
The Alliance for Youth Action network of youth-led local organizations has been at the forefront of protecting abortion access in their states. From Mississippi to Texas, Colorado to Kansas, youth organizers continue to fight for our fundamental right to decide what we do with our own bodies. Should the Court overrule Roe, nearly half of the states in the U.S. will try to severely restrict or ban abortion. With this decision, even more people across the country will soon be forced to travel hundreds of miles out of state or carry pregnancies to term against their will. The Alliance demands federal action because a state-by-state patchwork of laws cannot stand.
In 2020, it was youth organizers who turned out half of young voters to cast a ballot and propel President Biden and Democrats to victory. It is time for Democrats to show the strength of their governing trifecta by taking action now because abortion access is not an issue that can wait for the ballot box this November.
Youth organizers in the Alliance Network will continue to be bold in the struggle for abortion justice and will not stand silently by while our rights are taken away, but we need Congress to match our energy. We demand Congress fight until every person, no matter where we live, how much money we make, or what we look like, has the freedom to make our own decisions about our lives and futures.
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The Alliance for Youth Action grows progressive people power across America by empowering local young people’s organizations to strengthen our democracy, fix our economy, and correct injustices through on-the-ground organizing.