NEWS FROM POWER TO DECIDE
 


New Research on Abortion Access

Compelling new data and interactive maps from Power to Decide’s Abortion Finder—a comprehensive resource of verified abortion providers—illustrates the impact of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The new maps provide a powerful overview of the new and awful chapter for abortion access we’ve seen unfold over the past several months. 

Only 48 hours after the ruling, abortion care providers stopped providing care across nine states. The following months were filled with legal confusion and uncertainty, as abortion bans and restrictions were variously implemented, challenged, enforced and/or lifted in states across the country. As a result, 14 states are now without a health center that offers any abortion care, impacting more than 72 million people, including more than 15 million people who could become pregnant.

Our New Mission 

We are delighted to report an organizational milestone, our revised mission statement. We remain committed to ensuring that everyone has the ability to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child. Our new mission better reflects the work we have been doing in recent years and—more importantly—it serves as a guide to our work ahead. 



Calling HBCU Students: Apply Today!

Power to Decide has launched a sexual and reproductive well-being ambassadorship for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Student ambassadors will work with a buddy on campus to launch an awareness campaign to increase knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and increase access to free-or-low-cost birth control methods on their campus. With training and support from our team, ambassadors will work to relay critical information and resources that will empower their peers and promote reproductive well-being within their community. 

To apply, submit one application per team by Friday, February 24, 2023. 

Learn more and watch a recording of our Virtual Information Session, which was held on January 25.  



Our Newest Power Player

We’re committed to uplifting the many individuals supporting young people’s reproductive well-being. This month’s Power Player is Nurse Practitioner at Plan A Health, Kimberly Campbell. Read her story.

New Research Hub on PowerToDecide.org

We encourage you to visit our new research and data online portal. The site highlights our research work, including contraceptive deserts, the abortion access data noted earlier, our ongoing Survey Says series, recent staff-authored publications, and much more. The new research hub is the latest in a series of improvements we’ve made over the last year to better serve the needs of everyone who visits our site. If you have a suggestion for how else we can continue to improve your experience, email [email protected]. 



16 & Pregnant: A Novel

An educational partnership between MTV Books and Power to Decide, 16 & Pregnant: A Novel honestly and openly explores pregnancy through the eyes of two young Black teens in modern-day Nevada. Author LaLa Thomas combines personal insights, heartfelt dialogue, and authentic emotions in this powerful portrait of American teen life.

Power to Decide and MTV have been working in partnership for 25 years to help ensure that all young people have the support they need to make informed decisions and to talk openly about sex, love, relationships, and the power to decide their futures. 

By sparking important conversations, our collaboration on MTV’s iconic series Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant helped accelerate the historic decline in teen pregnancy rate.

We are proud to work together on this next chapter! We hope you will use the discussion questions in our resource guide to get the conversation started. 

Starting the Conversation About Pregnancy Desire

Power to Decide’s One Key Question^® (OKQ), is an online, interactive training that helps providers initiate conversations about if, when, and under what circumstances people want to get pregnant and have a child. The notion behind OKQ is simple—it provides a framework for health care providers, social service providers, and champions to routinely ask: “Would You Like to Become Pregnant in the Next Year?”. OKQ meets people where they are, by offering four responses: Yes, No, Ok Either Way, Unsure. This person-centered approach is non-judgmental and equally supports those who want to become pregnant, those who do not, and those who are ambivalent. Learn more about training and certification today!