Results tagged “activists” from Blog for Choice
NARAL Pro-Choice Montana brought together a diverse group of young leaders, from campus activists, to staff at the Blue Mountain clinic, to a candidate for the state legislature. We even had a fabulous student activist from the Flathead Valley Community College who traveled hours to join us.
The energy at the roundtable was fantastic. We learned from campus activists about their experiences talking to students about how being pro-choice means supporting women in all the decisions they make, including accessing contraception and abortion as well as having a healthy pregnancy.
Much like the conversation in Helena, we heard a lot about the need to give people space to process their views on choice and speak to their hearts.
We know that Millennials have grown up during a time when abortion has been legal. That means that the pre-Roe v. Wade stories about the dangers of illegal abortion may not connect with younger people because it's not their experience. One activist told us about how he speaks to friends who are anti-choice about what it would be like for women if abortion weren't legal. He said they had to think about the risks illegal abortion would pose to women.
Another participant advised us to look for ways to engage people outside the the context of threats to choice. She acknowledged that anti-choice legislators are attacking choice everywhere, but for some people, the legislative process is so far removed, and they're used to hearing about potential threats year after year. How can we better reach people who don't believe the legislative process affects their lives?
We had a great discussion, and there are many things we will continue to mull over. I left Missoula inspired by the thoughtful and creative advice we received from the 18 people who joined us yesterday.
Now, it is on to Livingston, where I will see my friend, Dr. Susan Wicklund, an especially amazing and heroic abortion provider.
TagsThe article from this week's edition of Newsweek, authored by Sarah Kliff, generated a lot of healthy discussion. All of these opinions have merit, all of these arguments are valid, and all deserve the space and time to marinate both online and offline.
Since I am included in this story, and NARAL Pro-Choice America's research on younger voters is referenced, I want to explain a bit more of the rationale behind this initiative.
Myriad blog posts have drawn significant attention to the issue of younger people's involvement in the pro-choice movement.For instance, this section of the article:
These leaders will retire in a decade or so. And what worries Keenan is that she just doesn't see a passion among the post-Roe generation--at least, not among those on her side. This past January, when Keenan's train pulled into Washington's Union Station, a few blocks from the Capitol, she was greeted by a swarm of anti-abortion-rights activists. It was the 37th annual March for Life, organized every year on Jan. 22, the anniversary of Roe. "I just thought, my gosh, they are so young," Keenan recalled. "There are so many of them, and they are so young." March for Life estimates it drew 400,000 activists to the Capitol this year. An anti-Stupak rally two months earlier had about 1,300 attendees.
Look - if I was a young reproductive-justice activist, I'd be really upset, too. I am not a young activist, and I don't like the way that paragraph comes off. I see the contributions young feminist activists are making everyday to the pro-choice movement, and I can only imagine how annoying it is for these young women and men to read over and over again about previous generations lamenting a lack of activism.
Like Jessica Valenti notes over at Feministing, young feminist activists are important and crucial players in everything we do, from the big events - like the 2004 March for Women's Lives, to much of the behind-the-scenes operations - like interning, volunteering, and using online tools for advocacy. Many of them are my colleagues here at NARAL Pro-Choice America (and more than half of my staff is under the age of 35).
Our whole purpose with the research project is to move the conversation forward. Our target audience wasn't the young people who already are engaged.
It's clear that many young people are already part of this movement, but there are some who may never attend a rally, post a pro-choice action on their Facebook page, or discuss the political implications of what kind of sex education they received in high school. Their level of involvement isn't as high, but we must remember that they are voters. As the political leader of the pro-choice movement, it's imperative for us to connect with these voters now.
The initial research (PDF) shows two primary findings:
- Younger people are solidly pro-choice;
- However, anti-choice younger voters are twice as likely to consider a candidate's position on abortion when voting then their pro-choice counterparts.
Our ability to effectively connect with voters who aren't necessarily activists is crucial if we are to close this intensity gap. That's why we're committed to initiatives like our research project that give us the ability to listen and learn from this influential bloc of voters. In short: we have to reach them where they are and bring them to us.
Keep in mind: this research was a start, not the end. We welcome any ideas, thoughts, and strategies on how we can strengthen our ties to this emerging electoral powerhouse. Take a moment to share your thoughts in the comments below, and thank you for your hard work. We would not be here without you.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, these conversations are healthy. I hope that we can all continue to have these discussions.
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