The Post-Roe Generation

An article in New York Times Magazine calls attention (once again) to the generational divide in the reproductive rights movement -- in this instance, the difficulty of finding millennials willing to fight for access to abortion.

The story spotlights the "the menopausal militia": women in Congress and lobbying organizations, such as NARAL, who are trying to ensure that abortion rights aren't lost in the midst of the battle for health care reform. While leaders such as Nancy Keenan, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Representative Louise M. Slaughter, among others, are fighting vigorously against pro-life advocates, they are finding that support from millennials is hard to find.

It's not that younger women are more likely to be pro-life.

It's not that younger women are having fewer abortions.

It's not that younger women are apathetic and not politically active.

However, engaged young women often see a "deeper threat in climate change or banning gay marriage or the Darfur genocide than in any rollback of reproductive rights." The problem, when it comes right down to it, is that women who are 37 or younger grew up in a post-Roe era.

I am 25 and very involved with women's rights. But when I was in high school, I fit the New York Times' description exactly. I cared about opposing sweatshop labor, protesting the war in Iraq, learning about the implications of the war on drugs, solving problems with immigration -- nearly everything but fighting for access to abortion.

So what finally got me engaged in the fight for reproductive health? Several things. Reacting to the Bush Administration. The 2008 election. Fellow activists. Personal experiences. Growing up. Understanding my own body. Reading books like "Manifesta" and the "Feminine Mystique" (neither of which were required reading in high school, sadly). Learning about those who fought for women's rights before I was even born and realizing that I had to speak out in order to protect these same rights for my generation.

The question now is: What if we lose the Stupak battle in health care reform because we can't galvanize young women fast enough? What if access to reproductive health is pushed back to pre-Roe v. Wade days? Will it take an incredible political and personal loss for millennials to wake up and realize what is at stake?

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Reminder: You can fight for your right to reproductive health and participate in a National Day of Action this Wednesday, December 2nd in Washington, DC. Learn more here.

Photo credit: UCanReed2 Flickr