The Abortion Education Project

A pilot project (led by Dopo and funded by inroads) developing inclusive lessons and resources to support educators and young people to learn, teach + talk about abortion. 

Background

Despite multiple international studies supporting the society-wide benefits of comprehensive sex and relationships education for young people, many countries and education authorities still aren’t meeting the comprehensive needs of the young people in their communities.

Since our launch last March, we’ve received multiple requests from teachers asking us to go into their school and debate anti-abortion folks in front of their classes, which we’ve refused to do as this is not an effective way to educate around abortion or challenge stigma. To tackle this, we’ve been awarded a small grant from inroads to develop lessons and educational resources through a Reproductive Justice lens for young people between the ages of 13 to 18 years old.

The learnings, lessons, and resources from this initial pilot project will then be shared with the international Dopo and inroads community to be adapted by educators and young people around the world.

Why is abortion education important?

We often see the phrase ‘Everyone loves someone who has had an abortion’ and this is true for all of us - including young people. Some of them may have had an abortion already, others will in the future. Many will one day have friends, partners, parents, colleagues, or even children who access abortion care.

Through this project, we hope to break the silence and stigma around abortion by supporting conversations around bodily autonomy, Reproductive Justice, accessing healthcare, and also how other forms of care (community, social and self-) intersect with this too. Having access to this information in their formative years can help younger generations better care for themselves and others should the need arise. This in turn helps end stigma, breaks silence, and improves well-being across communities.