by Esmeralda, Pro-Choice North Carolina social work student intern
College is a place for learning, development, opportunity, and community. College students all over North Carolina pursue knowledge in hopes for a better future. But politicians who want to strip people with reproductive capabilities from being able to hold tight to their bodily autonomy and ethical medical decision making are putting that future in danger. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, many states have faced total abortion bans and misguided ideologies continue to plague the narrative surrounding reproductive rights and abortion access.
As a student of social work, it is important for me and others to promote education, learning, and the love of learning. A little about myself: I come from a family that is mainly made up of women and people with reproductive capabilities. I have three sisters, three nieces, four aunts, and of course, my mother and two grandmothers as well as many female cousins. I grew up in a time when my mother and aunts had more rights over their bodily autonomy than my grandmothers did, and where my sisters and I had more rights than our mother and aunts. Now, we are in an unprecedented time and my nieces are being raised in a society where their legal rights over their bodily autonomy and privacy are being challenged and taken away.
I cannot imagine a future where not only my nieces, but all people capable of becoming pregnant in the United States, are still facing challenges and barriers to quality, safe, and accessible healthcare. College is a great place for us to properly educate our future leaders about the benefits of reproductive rights and cultivate environments of knowledge attainment, understanding, growth, and compassion. Many college students need access to lifesaving, pertinent medical services and resources and should be speaking out against the anti-abortion leaders who are causing confusion and harm.
Our college students are our future leaders, scholars, healthcare professionals, politicians, and social workers. Taking an interest and learning about meaningful topics that will shape our futures and the futures of those who come after us is imperative. College students must be educated on reproductive health, reproductive rights, and reproductive justice to further promote social justice and equity for all. Education brings knowledge that allows our future leaders to speak out against injustices, speak truth against lies, and foster an environment of anti-oppression, improving the world we live in today for a better tomorrow.
Countering false narratives currently guiding discussions related to abortion care and reproductive health is one way we can truly advocate for meaningful change. These misguided ideologies do not represent a safe, factual, nor equitable environment for our students or their families and friends. Students in college are seeking to gain a higher education, and they are in the perfect environment to find and spread truths. When they have the knowledge they need to make better informed decisions, they will also make sure their families, friends, acquaintances, and peers are also informed.
Advocacy is the best way for college students to join with community members to achieve sustainable change for their futures. Advocacy is not just about being self-informed or informing those we interact with on a regular basis; it is also about action, and what better place than a college campus for students to act? Students can actively participate in school clubs related to politics, gender equality, women’s rights, abortion rights, and social justice. If your school doesn’t have a group, form one! Get together with like-minded students and faculty to spread truths and fight for justice. Building a community is a great experience that makes lasting change in our students. Students can also volunteer as clinic escorts for real abortion clinics or host action parties.
The important thing is college students need to stay informed, so they can stay involved. Our college students have strength in numbers and the ability to have their voices heard across the state. Students should never be afraid to make their voices heard for social justice, and that calls for strong, educated, and dedicated advocates. Get familiar with your elected officials and contact them on matters related to reproductive rights and abortion access protections. Remember, we are their constituents, and they work for us! Whatever you decide to do, you can make a difference. Together, our North Carolina college and university communities can truly have a positive impact on the future of reproductive health care and abortion access!
