The Quickie: Billboards Share Words of Encouragement For Abortion Seekers
For Immediate Release: Oct. 16, 2023
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: Billboards along interstate I-55 uplifting abortion seekers and the exclusion of queer students in sex education.
BILLBOARDS SHARE WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR ABORTION SEEKERS ALONG THE INTERSTATE: Billboards reading “God’s plan includes abortion”,“Abortion is okay”, and “Abortion is normal, you are loved” are lining Interstate 55 from eastern Arkansas to southern Illinois, marking the path many abortion seekers have to take to access care in the nearest state without a ban, which is Illinois. The billboards, paid for by abortion rights group Shout Your Abortion, aim to destigmatize abortion and combat the messages of other anti-abortion billboards along I-55.
Even in states where abortion is severely limited, abortion rights activists are working to support abortion seekers who must travel for care. "We're handing out gas cards," Ashley Coffield, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, told NPR. "We're making hotel arrangements. We're buying plane tickets, train tickets, bus tickets, whatever works best for the individual. We're meeting them where they are."
Read more in NPR.
SEX ED CONTINUES TO EXCLUDE QUEER STUDENTS: Recent reports show that a majority of LGBTQ+ students feel that their sex education classes are not representing them. When it comes to issues of exploring queer identities, building healthy relationships, and relevant sexual health tips, students often have to turn to the internet for guidance, where they may have trouble distinguishing misinformation from facts.
Though experts continue to stress the importance of inclusive, comprehensive sex education, many states are continuing to pass laws banning any discussion of sexuality or gender identity from school curriculums. The current Texas curriculum requires students to be taught that homosexuality is ‘unacceptable.’ Florida recently made headlines for its “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was passed last year, which has prompted copycat attempts in 14 other states.
As this education gap worsens, the Planned Parenthood Generation Action program is working to try and mitigate the damage by providing students with reputable and inclusive resources. “We all have to make large decisions for ourselves about our sexuality and reproductive health,” said Stella Gage, a PPGen member at Wichita State University. “Those decisions should be grounded in knowledge.”
Read more in AP and see Planned Parenthood’s sex education resources here