Being Adult Companions to Young People
season 2, episode 25
January 4, 2022
Illustration by Emily Carpenter
Links:
"What's An Abortion, Anyway" Book by Carly Manes & Emulsify
Episode 17 of Abortion, with Love: "What's An Abortion, Anyway?" A Children's Book about Abortion
Youth Organisations:
Advocates for Youth: Abortion Out Loud
YouAct: A European Youth Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights
Youth Coalition: an international organization of young people committed to promoting adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive rights at the national, regional and international levels
YANAA (the Young Activist Network for Abortion Advocacy), is an international network by and for young people that focuses on activism and advocacy in relation to safe abortion.
Young people face specific barriers to accessing abortion services, and we need to be providing abortion services that are tailored to the specific needs of young people. So how do we provide abortion services and abortion support to young people in a way that recognises the diversity of young people's experiences?
On today’s episode Carly and I talk about providing abortion services to young people, and how we can do better in being adult companions and supporting young people in their abortion experiences. We talk about adultcentrism in abortion work, how abortion movement work and services are often led by and tailored to adults and as a result, we risk infantilising young people and assuming certain things about their reproductive lives and decision making capacity based on their age.
Carly Manes (she/her) is a white, queer, Jewish full-spectrum doula from New York, USA. She has always believed that young people deserve transparency when it comes to information about their sexual health and bodies. Carly has been a practicing abortion doula for over six years, supporting more than 2,000 individuals during their in-clinic procedures. She loves the beach, chicken tenders, and her communities. She lives with her partner Mo and their playful pitbull Mickey.
