Diverse Communities Come Together to Resist Trump Administration’s Attacks on Abortion Access

WASHINGTON – The 1 in 3 Campaign will host its 2018 Speakout, “Justice for Jane,” to bring together a diverse group of storytellers who will share their personal abortion stories. This is part of its work to shatter the stigma around abortion care and put real faces on an issue that touches millions of women across the country. This year’s Speakout is dedicated to all of the Jane Does, Poes, and Roes—the undocumented minors recently attacked by the Trump Administration’s attempts to deny them legal, needed reproductive health care.

“The fight for reproductive health, rights and justice is intertwined with the fight for safety and freedom for marginalized communities,” said Debra Hauser, president of Advocates for Youth, parent organization of the 1 in 3 Campaign. “While the Trump Administration and this Congress brazenly abuse their power, young people are stepping up and leading a movement—and they’re bringing everyone forward in the fight to control their own bodies and health.”

The Trump Administration’s attempt to deny these young immigrant women the abortion care they need highlights the intersection of reproductive rights with racial, economic, and immigrant justice. For the fourth year in a row, the 1 in 3 Campaign will host the abortion Speakout as political attacks continue to escalate.

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Among the participants in the 2018 1 in 3 Speakout are:

• Stephanie Loraine of Orlando, Florida experienced some of what the Janes have gone through: “As a young person, when I needed an abortion I couldn’t tell my parents. Like Jane, due to parental notification laws in my state I had to navigate a judicial bypass to obtain an abortion. Everyone’s experience with abortion is different and we should affirm, validate and respect the spectrum of these experiences.”
• Jennifer Ferris of Chapel Hill, NC, is sharing her story for the first time: “I am participating in the speakout and lobby day because my two abortions changed my life for the better. In fact, my life is so much better that I have the privilege of being able to speak openly about a procedure that is secretive and stigmatized for so many. I wouldn’t have my two beautiful sons, college degree, or career without the compassionate abortion care I received, and there’s no reason everyone shouldn’t have the same opportunities I have had.”
• Kush Thompson from Chicago, Illinois, needed abortion care as a teen: “There are people in power who want to control the ways that fifteen-going-on-sixteen year olds across the country take ownership of their lives. And I’m thinking about the histories of women reclaiming their lives by any means necessary and, often, at their own expense. I fought hard for my life and I believe the same to be true of women whose paths are meeting state-sanctioned roadblocks. We all have the right to our stories.”
• Stephanie Bertels of Illinois, connects her story to the generations of women before and after her. “I look at my daughter and see not just what might have been but what is and what could be; I feel an obligation to make the world safer, healthier, kinder, and more just — for her, for her friends, for others. Abortion is incredibly common and undeserving of the stigma and shame with which it is so often associated.”

The Speakout honors all the Janes: the undocumented young women whose reproductive rights are being attacked. Movement leaders and social media influencers empowering youth and raising social justice issues will participate, including:

• Marina Watanabe, host of Feminist Fridays
• Prisca Dorcas, Founder/Owner of Latina Rebels
• Representative Park Cannon, Georgia House Representative
• Brigitte Amiri, ACLU
• Yamani Hernandez, Executive Director, National Network of Abortion Funds
• Antonia Hylton, Vice News

The 1 in 3 Campaign’s “Justice for Jane” Speakout will occur in concert with the 1 in 3 Lobby Day on Capitol Hill, where abortion storytellers will share their stories with members of Congress to ensure legislators hear from real people as they make decisions that impact all of our lives.

EVENT DETAILS:

Speakout

• What: “Justice for Jane” 1 in 3 Campaign 2018 Speakout
• When: 3:00 pm ET February 27, 2018
• Where: Livestream: http://www.1in3campaign.org/ ; #1in3Speaks

Lobby Day

• What:1 in 3 Campaign Lobby Day
• When/Where: February 27, 2018

For more information about the Speakout and Lobby Day or to connect with storytellers or the 1 in 3 Campaign for interviews, please contact Kayla Ermanni, kayla.ermanni@berlinrosen.com, 202-800-7408.

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About the 1 in 3 Campaign:

The 1 in 3 campaign builds on the success of prior social change movements, harnessing the power of storytelling to engage and inspire action and strengthen support for abortion access. By encouraging people who have had abortions to end their silence, share their stories, and start a new and more personal conversation about abortion in our society, the 1 in 3 Campaign will help create a more enabling cultural environment for the policy and legal work of the abortion rights movement.

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Kayla Ermanni, kayla.ermanni@berlinrosen.com, 202-800-7408