We are overworked, underpaid, and indebted students and workers who have long been fighting for our livelihood, and we refuse to stand by and watch as our rights to bodily autonomy and basic healthcare are revoked undemocratically. These attacks on bodily autonomy are yet another example of the class war that is being waged against working people and those of marginalized identities.
It’s time to stand up and fight back. On October 6th, students and workers across over 50 campuses in 30 states are walking out of classes and rallying for reproductive justice alongside members of the Graduate Student Action Network (GSAN).
Across the country, we demand on the national level that:
- That Roe v Wade be preserved and that Congress enshrines abortion rights by ending the filibuster and passing the Women’s Health Protection Act.
- That Biden add 4 pro-choice justices to the Supreme Court, expanding it from 9 to 13 members — while arguing that this alone is not enough to secure abortion rights and trans rights, and that the court is inherently undemocratic.
- That Medicare for All be passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law, and that essential components of this legislation be both free abortion, on demand, without apology, and free gender-affirming healthcare.
- That policies including but not limited to free universal childcare, paid family leave, living wages, and affordable housing be signed into law in order to enable people to have children and raise them in a healthy environment.
We have also signed onto the GSAN’s letters to Congress and Biden, which can be read here.
Locally, we are demanding that our schools and representatives protect our rights to:
- Safe, legal, and accessible abortion
- Gender-affirming healthcare
- Free contraception of all varieties
- Federally mandated sex education, including standardized curriculum on STI and pregnancy prevention as well as consent.
Join us to build a better world in which we have access to comprehensive care. Get involved in the fight by:
- Organizing an event for our national day of action on October 6th.
- Review the RSVP forms for all schools organizing below and sign up for the action if you see yours! If your school does not yet have an action planned but you would like to organize one, sign up your school here.
- Read our chapter toolkit to learn step-by-step how to plan an event for the 6th.
- If you’re a chapter leader or in the process of forming a chapter at your school, join our reproductive justice campaign cohort to coordinate your campaign with other chapter leaders across the country.
- Pledge to strike on October 6th.
- Joining YDSA! The fight doesn’t end on October 6th, and we need you to keep fighting until we win all of our demands.