Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity (URGE) is a national youth-led reproductive rights and justice non-profit organization in the United States based in Washington, D.C. that began as Choice USA in 1992. [1] Choice USA changed its name to URGE in July 2014. [2]
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URGE was founded in 1992 by activists Gloria Steinem, Julie Burton, and Kristina Kiehl. [3] The organization's first projects analyzed the activities of the religious right in elections and promoted electoral participation by women, young people, and people of color.
URGE provides multiple ways for young people and students to get involved in their organization, including internships. [4] The Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute (RJLI) is provided by URGE for students and young adults to become fully educated on the matters of activism. Through the training classes provided, students are able to ask questions and connect to the causes that they are passionate about. There are also URGE chapters on college campuses that allow students to be activists on their own campus. URGE currently has five chapters on college campuses throughout the state of Alabama. These campuses include: The University of Alabama, The University of Montevallo, Alabama State University, Troy University, and The University of Alabama at Birmingham. [5]
In recent years, the organization has focused its efforts on mobilizing people under 30, on and off college campuses, in support of abortion rights, comprehensive sex education, and access to sexual health and wellness services. [6] [7] Specifically, URGE has partnered with other organizations including with All* Above All to "proclaim abortion access as a public good" and overturn the Hyde Amendment, which excludes abortions from covered Medicaid services [8] All* Above All's mission is to remove the bans that keep people from receiving coverage for their abortion care. They have multiple partner organizations that help them educate policymakers on the negative effects that the Hyde Amendment has not only on women in general, but specifically on women of color. [9]
In 2004, URGE led the March for Women's Lives youth contingent, one of the biggest demonstrations in U.S. history.
In 2005, URGE focused on defeating California Proposition 73, which would have amended the California Constitution to ban performance of abortions on minors until 48 hours after the minor's parent or guardian was notified by a physician. [10]
In 2006, URGE and the Latina Institute for Reproductive Health hosted the Young Women's Collaborative training, the first training for what would later become the Southwest Partnership, in Tucson, Arizona. [11] The Latina Institute for Reproductive Health partners with multiple reproductive health organizations, including All* Above All, which is a mutual partnership with URGE. The Latina Institute for Reproductive Health focuses on the rights of Latinas and immigrants. [9]
In 2013, the "Bro-Choice" project was launched to involve men in the reproductive justice and anti-sexual assault movement. [12]
In 2015, to educate and organize young people, URGE launched an integrated voters engagement program.
URGE was a co-sponsor of the 2017 Women's March. [13] [14]
In 2020, URGE brought justCARE into the organization, giving themselves a better opportunity to help more students across America. JustCARE stands for Campus Action for Reproductive Equity and its mission is to make the abortion pill more easily accessible at student health centers in public universities. In 2019, before joining URGE, justCARE partnered with local legal teams to help pass California's Senate Bill 24 (SB 24). This bill made sure that all student health centers at public universities in California needed to provide the abortion pill for their students. After partnering with URGE, justCARE has access to make changes at more universities all over the United States. [15]
The United States abortion-rights movement is a sociopolitical movement in the United States supporting the view that a woman should have the legal right to an elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy, and is part of a broader global abortion-rights movement. The movement consists of a variety of organizations, with no single centralized decision-making body.
The March for Women's Lives was a protest demonstration held on April 25, 2004 at the National Mall in Washington, D. C. There was approximately 1.3 million participants. The demonstration was led by seven groups; National Organization for Women, American Civil Liberties Union, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Feminist Majority, NARAL Pro Choice America, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The march was intended to address topics such as abortion rights, reproductive health care, women's rights, and others. Originally named the March for Freedom, the march was renamed in an effort to expand the message of "pro-choice" to include the right to have children, access to pre and post natal care, as well as sex education that were not always accessible for women of color.
Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:
Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.
Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, health care, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual well-being during all stages of their life.
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It is the largest feminist organization in the United States with around 500,000 members. NOW is regarded as one of the main liberal feminist organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for gender equality within the existing political system. NOW campaigns for constitutional equality, economic justice, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights and racial justice, and against violence against women.
Reproductive justice is a critical feminist framework that was invented as a response to United States reproductive politics. The three core values of reproductive justice are the right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the right to parent a child or children in safe and healthy environments. The framework moves women's reproductive rights past a legal and political debate to incorporate the economic, social, and health factors that impact women's reproductive choices and decision-making ability.
The Dominican Republic is one of 24 countries in the world and one of six in Latin America that has a complete ban on abortion. This complete ban includes situations in which a pregnant person’s life is at risk.
The National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN) was founded in 1969 by Margaret Traxler and Audrey Kopp. The organization is known for its advocacy for women's rights, support for the Equal Rights Amendment, opposition to the Catholic Church hierarchy, including Pope Francis, as well as its positions on abortion, LGBT rights, and women's ordination.
The Feminist Women's Health Center of Atlanta is a feminist health center that provides comprehensive gynecological health care, engages in community outreach, and advocates for reproductive justice. Kwajelyn Jackson has been executive director since 2018.
Abortion is the termination of human pregnancy, often performed in the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. In 1973, the United States Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade recognized a constitutional right to obtain an abortion without excessive government restriction, and in 1992 the Court in Planned Parenthood v. Casey invalidated restrictions that create an undue burden on people seeking abortions. Since then, there has continued to be an abortion debate in the United States, and some states have passed laws in the form of regulation of abortions but which have the purpose or effect of restricting its provision. The proponents of such laws argue they do not create an undue burden. Some state laws that impact the availability of abortions have been upheld by courts. In 2022, Roe and Casey were overturned by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, meaning that states may now regulate abortion in ways that were not previously permitted.
Jackson Women's Health Organization was an abortion clinic located in a bright pink building in Jackson, Mississippi's Fondren neighborhood. It was the only abortion clinic in Mississippi since the other one closed in 2006. The JWHO closed its doors on July 6, 2022, following the Supreme Court of the United States' decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, and the day before Mississippi's near-complete abortion ban went into effect.
Loretta J. Ross is an American academic, feminist, and activist who advocates for reproductive justice, especially among women of color. As an activist, Ross has written on reproductive justice activism and the history of African American women.
Akila Radhakrishnan is a human rights lawyer and the President of the Global Justice Center (GJC). Prior to her work with the Global Justice Center, Radhakrishnan worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, as well as with DPK Consulting and Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP.
Monica Simpson is a queer Black activist, artist, and executive director of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, the United States' largest organization dedicated to reproductive justice for women of color.
The SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, also known as SisterSong, is a national activist organization dedicated to reproductive justice for women of color.
Latina Roundtable on Health and Reproductive Rights (LRHRR) was a Latina reproductive rights organization based in New York City.
Abortion in Alabama is illegal. Under section 26-23H-4 of the Code of Alabama in the U.S. state of Alabama, it is unlawful for an abortion to be performed unless it is deemed absolutely necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk to the pregnant woman. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.
Abortion in California is legal up to the point of fetal viability. An abortion ban was in place by 1900, and by 1950, it was a criminal offense for a woman to have an abortion. In 1962, the American Law Institute published their model penal code as it applied to abortions, with three circumstances where they believed a physician could justifiably perform an abortion, and California adopted a version of this code. In 2002, California passed a law guaranteeing women the right to have an abortion "prior to viability of the fetus, or when the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman." In 2022, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1, which amended the Constitution of California to explicitly protect the right to abortion and contraception by a margin of 33.76%.
The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice is a health and reproductive rights organization representing the Latina community living in the United States. Previously the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, the organization started as The Latina Initiative, which was created in direct response to the lack of Latina visibility on reproductive rights and health issues. Its mission is to ensure the fundamental human right to reproductive health for Latinas, their families and their communities through education, advocacy and coalition building.
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