Along with her peer Reese Wiley, Laufgraben decided to launch a new group, IU Students for Reproductive Rights. In Indiana, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday announced an emergency legislative session in early July, likely to enact a . 

With that backdrop, IU Students for Reproductive Rights will support people on campus with uteruses, run voter registration drives and share information about ways to take action, such as a Monday in Bloomington, said Laufgraben.

On Saturday, the leaders created an for the new group. Just a few days since its founding, the account already has hundreds of followers. More than 80 students have reached out asking how they can get involved. 

鈥淲e were not expecting so many people to be coming to us, saying, 鈥業’m passionate, I want to help,鈥欌�� Laufgraben told 社区黑料.

The co-founders created a group chat for their new student members. A cascade of messages quickly began pouring in:

鈥淗ey guys,鈥� one student wrote, 鈥淚 just wanted to say to anyone on here, if you need support or love during this time, don’t hesitate to reach out.鈥�

鈥淚’m so grateful for the support because this is such an important issue that needs action immediately,鈥� added another.

The camaraderie and uplift after a Friday ruling that left her and others 鈥渉eartbroken,鈥� said Laufgraben, has been encouraging.

鈥淚t has been sparking so many conversations and it’s honestly really beautiful because people are finding support within this group,鈥� she said.

The response among Indiana University students is one of many examples of youth across the country rallying for reproductive rights in response to the Supreme Court鈥檚 Dobbs v. Jackson Women鈥檚 Organization decision.

鈥淵oung people who have not been previously involved in the abortion movement are feeling called to act,鈥� Tamara Marzouk told 社区黑料. 

Marzouk works with hundreds of youth advocates for reproductive rights as director of abortion access at the nonprofit . In the days since the Friday ruling, she鈥檚 seen a new wave of young people become galvanized over abortion access. 

In the 24 hours after the Supreme Court announced it was overturning Roe, more than 150 young people across the country 鈥� in states where abortion remains legal as well as where it is now banned 鈥� signed up to join the and work for reproductive rights in their communities, she said.

Since a leaked majority SCOTUS opinion came out in early May, youth advocates have been preparing for the possible overturn of Roe, including similar to what Laufgraben and her peers will pursue.

鈥淲e still need to be fighting for abortion policy, but in the meantime, young people are really taking care of one another,鈥� said Marzouk.

, a Gen Z-led organization working to help youth nationwide get involved in politics, issued a statement promising mobilization at the polls in response to the ruling.

鈥淸Friday鈥檚] decision makes clear that the Supreme Court does not represent Gen Z or the future we imagine for our country,鈥� the organization wrote. 鈥淲e must elect representatives who will protect us when the courts have failed. Our generation will not stop fighting for reproductive rights 鈥� for human rights.鈥�

Abortions are now illegal or heavily restricted in , and 12 other states have laws in place that could pave the way for similar bans. Still more, including Indiana, are expected to soon enact new laws outlawing the procedures.

In the past, Indiana University students seeking to terminate a pregnancy have been able to receive treatment at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bloomington, Indiana, said Laufgraben. But if the legislature criminalizes the procedures, young people would soon have to trek out of state to receive care 鈥� an option that will be difficult for students who don鈥檛 have access to transportation or can鈥檛 get permission to skip their classes and on-campus jobs.

In Arkansas, a near-total abortion ban is already in effect with . Ali Taylor, president and co-founder of the Arkansas Abortion Support Network, said the law will have a disproportionate impact on young people.

鈥淚t’s difficult for minors to travel,鈥� she told 社区黑料. 鈥淢ost minors will probably [now] have great difficulty in accessing abortion.鈥�

Taylor鈥檚 organization is based in Little Rock and the closest clinic now available is in Granite City, Illinois, a five hour drive away.

The fall of Roe 鈥渕ost adversely affects communities that are already marginalized,鈥� Marzouk emphasized. 鈥淭here are some people who might be able to travel across state lines. That may not be a burden as much for some people as it is for others.鈥�

Laufgraben, for her part, is still absorbing the possible implications on her Indiana campus. But she鈥檚 determined to continue to push for change.

鈥淩ight now is really scary,鈥� said the young organizer. But 鈥渢he fight isn鈥檛 over.鈥�

The Ohio Economic Experts Panel answered . The survey asked whether the economists agreed that prohibition of abortion in Ohio would reduce 鈥渨omen鈥檚 educational attainment in the state,鈥� would 鈥渞educe women鈥檚 labor force participation in the state,鈥� and would reduce 鈥渨omen鈥檚 earnings in the state.鈥�

The survey comes as Ohio awaits a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on an abortion ban case, after a was leaked indicating the court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade and with it, national abortion rights.

It also comes as if the 1973 abortion legalization court case is overturned sits in the General Assembly awaiting committee meetings and possible passage.

In the survey, 22 of 24 economists in the state agreed that abortion bans would cause decreases in education and economic abilities. 

鈥淥f the 22 who agreed abortion prohibition would decrease wages, economists commented on the tradeoff women have between working and parenting,鈥� Scioto Analysis stated in their survey summary. 

Of all the responses received, 鈥渟trongly agree鈥� overwhelmingly surpassed any other response.

Individual responses came mostly from those that agreed with the statements.

鈥淭he empirical evidence is very clear about the negative impact of unplanned pregnancies on women鈥檚 educational attainment, especially when support services are unavailable or unaffordable,鈥� said Dr. Fadhel Kaboub, of Denison University.

Those that entered 鈥渟trongly disagree鈥� responses didn鈥檛 include elaboration through individual responses.

Dr. Jonathan Andreas, of Bluffton University, agreed that abortion prohibitions would reduce women鈥檚 earnings in the state, but he said abortion 鈥渨ill have a small effect on average income and education statistics鈥� because those most affected by prohibition are 鈥渢he poorest women who have the least opportunities.鈥�

鈥淢iddle-class and wealthy women just pay more money and get out-of-state abortions or pay illegal providers in the state,鈥� Andreas wrote.

Many of the comments focused on low-income communities and people of color as disparately impacted by an abortion ban in Ohio. 

鈥淓conomic research overwhelmingly indicates that abortion rights greatly affect the educational level, career opportunities, earning and wealth enhancement potential for women,鈥� said Dr. Diane Monaco, of Heidelberg University. 鈥淎bortion rights advantages are especially profound for historically marginalized women as well.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David DeWitt for questions: info@ohiocapitaljournal.com. Follow Ohio Capital Journal on and .

鈥淭his Supreme Court does not represent Gen Z or the future we imagine for our country,鈥� , the youth-led organization behind the protest, wrote in a press release signed by several other youth-powered groups including and the . 

鈥淵oung people are appalled and horrified by the leaked Supreme Court decision to strip all people who can become pregnant of their basic right to choose.鈥�

Hundreds of youth activists rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday evening denouncing the leaked majority opinion set to overturn the landmark 1973 decision, which guarantees federal constitutional protection of abortion rights. More protests are planned in cities across the country in the coming weeks, organizers said.

Eve Levenson, who emceed the Thursday event and is a senior at George Washington University, said the rally was meant to send a message to elected officials.

鈥淚t was really about making it clear to those in power 鈥� how much Generation Z cares about this issue,鈥� she told 社区黑料.

Generation Z includes individuals roughly born between 1997 to 2012, or those currently ages 10 to 25. A majority of abortion patients nationwide are , and 37% are 24 or younger.

Organizers estimate that there may have been nearly 1,000 young protesters outside the Supreme Court, Levenson said, some who traveled from as far as New York state. Another 40,000 viewers watched the stream on Twitter and 80,000 watched on TikTok. Many youth who could not make the trek to the nation鈥檚 capital are now planning their own local demonstrations, she said.

The rally was 鈥�100% Gen Z led,鈥� Levenson explained, including many high school-age organizers. On the evening of May 2, when the leaked draft majority opinion published by revealed that the Supreme Court appears poised to reverse Roe, her group chat of youth organizers exploded, she said. Someone suggested the idea of a rally in front of the Supreme Court and 鈥渋t kind of just came together really quickly from there,鈥� said the college senior.

鈥淲e all felt so galvanized,鈥� added Levenson. 鈥淸Young people] are for bodily autonomy, we are for access to abortion, we are for reproductive health care and people are really pissed off to see those things taken away.鈥�

Speaker Soraya Bata, a student at Georgetown University, pointed out that over a dozen states have trigger laws set to immediately ban abortions should Roe fall. Her home state of Florida in April passed a law banning the medical procedures just 15 weeks into pregnancy, replacing a previous rule that allowed abortions within the first 24 weeks. States including Oklahoma and Texas have recently passed similar restrictions.

鈥淪ome people won’t even know that they are pregnant at that stage,鈥� said the young leader. 鈥淭hese laws mean that the only people who will have access to abortions are wealthy Americans who can afford to travel out of state.鈥�

Nearly half, 49%, of those who had abortions in 2014, the most recent year for which data are available, were . Another 26% made less than twice the level, meaning 3 in 4 people seeking abortions had little, if any, disposable income.

Addressing the crowd Thursday, Sofia Ongele, a youth activist with , took aim at the underlying logic put forward in the leaked Supreme Court draft.

鈥淛ustice Alito鈥檚 core argument is that abortion is 鈥榥ot deeply rooted in this nation鈥檚 history and traditions,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淥ur nation鈥檚 history is marked by genocide, slavery [and] classism. 鈥� We owe it to our ancestors to fight for a better world than they had.鈥�

Contraception, the young speaker explained, saved her life. In 2018, she received an emergency blood transfusion after her periods caused extreme anemia. Since then, she has used hormonal birth control to regulate her cycle.

鈥淭o stay alive, I had to have complete control over my body,鈥� said Ongele. 鈥淪hould anyone infringe on those rights, my health and safety would immediately be threatened.鈥�

Though many of the organizations behind the rally self-identify as nonpartisan, several speakers implied there would be political ramifications for officials who oppose policy measures to protect reproductive rights, along with other issues such as addressing climate change, LBGTQ rights and health equity. The young protesters were by Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who 鈥嬧�媔s running for re-election in a Georgia race that could determine whether Democrats maintain control of the Senate.

鈥淥ur politicians work for us,鈥� said Melissa Altschiller, an organizer with March for Our Lives. 鈥淚f they continue to make decisions about our bodies, we will continue to make decisions about their jobs.鈥�

Roughly two-thirds of 18- to 24-year old voters in the 2020 presidential election voted for Joe Biden, NBC revealed 鈥� 11 percentage points more than any other age group. Between Generation Z and Millennials, who on many social issues, are eligible to vote in the 2022 election cycle.聽

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to see young people continuing to organize around this going forward,鈥� said Levenson.

Exactly half have no mandate that schools teach sex education, from the Institute reveals, and only four of the 26 require curricula to cover the topic of contraception. Twenty-three allow districts to skip over consent entirely.

Restricting abortion access in a country that already limits young people鈥檚 resources for learning about sexual health is 鈥渁 horrifying picture,鈥� said Cassandra Corrado, a sex educator who works with high school and college students in Florida, where an abortion ban now is expected.

鈥淲e’re going to have a lot of people being afraid of their own bodies and we’re going to have a lot of people turning to unreliable sources of information,鈥� she told 社区黑料.

Teens who receive comprehensive sex education are significantly less likely to have unwanted pregnancies than those who don鈥檛 get lessons on the topic or receive abstinence-only teachings, show. The five states with the 鈥� Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Alabama 鈥� are also among those set to outlaw abortion if Roe is overturned.

Nationwide, only 29 states and Washington, D.C. require public school students to receive any form of sex education and just 18 require such teachings to be medically accurate.

With the map of U.S. sex ed laws patchy at best, a published by Politico on Monday evening revealed that the Supreme Court appears poised to reverse the 1973 Roe decision, which guarantees federal constitutional protection of abortion rights. Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed Tuesday that the .

鈥�Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,鈥� writes Justice Samuel Alito on behalf of the majority. 鈥淚t is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people鈥檚 elected representatives.鈥�

If the 50-year-old ruling falls, 22 states have laws that will immediately take effect outlawing abortion, including trigger bans and clauses in their state constitutions. Analysts expect four more to ban the procedures legislatively.

Matisse Laufgraben is a rising sophomore at Indiana University Bloomington where she works as student leader promoting sexual well-being on campus with the organization . Attending school in a state that has enacted 55 abortion restrictions and bans in the past decade, paving the way for a comprehensive ban should Roe be struck down, she鈥檚 hyper-aware of the fallout for her and her peers.

鈥淚f you get pregnant, you [will] have to deal with the consequences. There’s no escape,鈥� she told 社区黑料. 鈥淚t takes away that freedom for women.鈥�

Despite Laufgraben鈥檚 work to inform peers about consent and healthy relationships, there鈥檚 still a 鈥溾�嬧�媠cary amount of sexual assault cases and sexual violence鈥� on campus, she said. The prospect of abortion access rolling back in her state amplifies such fears, she explained, especially for female-identifying students who are more likely to be assault victims.

鈥淚t feels like we don’t have control over what happens to our bodies. 鈥� We don’t have control over whether or not we get sexually assaulted. And then we don’t have control over whether or not we want to have the baby,鈥� said the college student. 鈥淚t really just feels like everything is turned against us.鈥�

The state abortion bans have an inverse relationship with rules requiring comprehensive sex ed. Of the 26 states expected to enact abortion bans in the coming months, only Iowa, Tennessee and Utah mandate sexual education in school and require that lessons be medically accurate. South Carolina is the sole state among the 26 that orders schools teach sex education and also requires lessons on consent.

Meanwhile, were filed in U.S. statehouses during the first three months of 2022, including 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay鈥� laws and bans on trans-related books in school. Many of the laws would bar educators from discussing or providing students with materials involving sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the .

鈥淚t’s not a coincidence that 鈥� state abortion restrictions are getting tighter at the same time as we’re seeing more restrictions on sex education, more restrictions on trans youth and how they can engage in schools,鈥� said Corrado.

With laws stipulating what schools staff can and can鈥檛 discuss in Florida classrooms, many of her colleagues have to walk a 鈥渇ine line,鈥� she said, in order to deliver the information that youth 鈥� especially those who identify as queer, trans or nonbinary 鈥� need for their sexual well-being.

鈥淎s sex educators, one of the conversations that we’re having all the time right now is 鈥楬ow can we 鈥� protect our careers and also still be giving people the information that they need,鈥� 鈥� said Corrado.

Even though schools in her state legally must provide lessons on sex education, she said, they often give students an incomplete or even false picture. According to state law, curricula need not be medically accurate, may promote religion and must stress the importance of abstinence.

鈥淲e shouldn’t assume that students are getting [accurate] information in schools right now, because they might not be,鈥� said Corrado.

Since Sept. 1, the country鈥檚 most restrictive ban on abortion has prevented Texans from accessing care if their pregnancy is beyond six weeks. 

Two weeks after the law鈥檚 signing, then-high school senior Paxton Smith went viral for swapping her pre-approved valedictorian address to speak out against the legislation in her home state. 

Since giving the speech, Smith says her life has taken a 鈥渕assive shift.鈥� Now a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, she balances full-time school with beginning a music career and expanding her activism. 

Smith is leading A War on My Body; A War on My Rights, a featuring contributors across generations, from medical professionals to reproductive rights activists and prominent women鈥檚 rights attorneys and . The book鈥檚 title references of her valedictory address.   

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Her activist work, it seems, is just beginning. Smith also serves on advisory boards for two nonprofits: , which uses art and storytelling to end abortion stigmas and shame, and the , which helps individuals access safe abortions and contraceptives across the country. And on Sept. 30, she delivered another speech at Power of Women event, ending with a call to action: 

鈥淎nd if you can鈥檛 do it for me, and if you can鈥檛 do it for yourself, then do it for every girl who comes after us, every young person who comes after us. Because they are counting on you. So what will you do?鈥�

It鈥檚 unclear when Smith and others Texans will regain access to legal abortions. Though a to the conservative Fifth Circuit. The Supreme Court did not delay or prevent the law from taking effect, refusing to act on an emergency appeal made by abortion providers in early September. will likely not pass the Senate. 

President Biden has openly the Texas ban, issuing a statement that it 鈥渨ill significantly impair women’s access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes.鈥�

Health care providers, lawyers and activists await December 1, when the Supreme Court will hear a Mississippi case challenging the state鈥檚 ban on most abortions after 15 weeks. Their decision may upend or solidify Roe v. Wade鈥檚 protection of the right to choose prior to 鈥渧iability,鈥� typically around 24 weeks.

社区黑料 spoke with Paxton Smith to get a pulse on how she feels given federal moves and why she鈥檚 decided to continue her activism through the collaborative book. 

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

What spurred your personal activism 鈥� was it in any way connected to or motivated by your education experiences? 

My personal activism really sparked with the speech. In giving the speech, really what I wanted was for people to understand how it felt, what it really meant for a piece of legislation like this to go into effect and understand that having a pregnancy can have life-changing effects. Nobody else should have the right to make that life-changing decision than me. I am the person that’s going to live that future and I should be the one making those decisions. I wanted people to understand 鈥� what it felt like for the decision to be taken out of my hands and put into the hands of a stranger.

I know you鈥檝e mentioned before that your family has often had open conversations on politics and other controversial issues at home even though you sometimes disagree 鈥� did you have that openness to talk and explore these issues during the school day as well? 

Sometimes. I think in high school, a lot of times you find a niche group, where they carry a lot of the same perspectives, the same ideas. I didn鈥檛 necessarily have the exact same opportunity at school, where people might have had very different opinions than I do. But we definitely did have conversations about politics and things surrounding general human rights.  

Why did you decide to continue your activism through a bigger project? How did you choose a collaborative book, and what impact do you hope that model of storytelling might have? 

One of the things that this book is going to do is try and highlight the different perspectives around abortion that people don鈥檛 talk about. It鈥檚 going to highlight the racial disparities in being able to access health care. It鈥檚 going to address what it鈥檚 like being gender queer and being in a situation where you can get pregnant. It鈥檚 going to address the LGBTQ+ experience, the experience of being a minor. 

The reason it鈥檚 a collaborative book is really to better accomplish that goal, of telling those stories and different perspectives. If I wrote this book alone it would come from an 18- year-old, white, upper middle-class cisgendered girl. It would continue the problem of people鈥檚 voices not being listened to, and that鈥檚 not what I wanted.

What stories or issues stuck with you after submitting the first draft of the book? 

I can鈥檛 really speak to the stories in the book as of right now. But I receive hundreds of messages from people, and a lot of times people share their stories surrounding abortion. Some of the biggest things that stuck with me are the stories of what took place before Roe v. Wade, when abortion was still illegal, and people had to take medical care into their own hands. 

They were getting these back-alley, unsafe abortions and . Thousands of people ended up in emergency rooms. And thousands ended up with severe, life-long injuries. Just hearing these stories 鈥� firsthand accounts of people in emergency rooms and doctors saying they are not willing to help because they鈥檙e scared of the legal implications, or hearing the stories of people who lost their mothers to unsafe abortions 鈥� those really stick with me and motivate what I can try to do.

How did you learn about the and choose it as the place to direct proceeds? 

I actually heard about the Afiya Center at a that was organized by a . Ultimately we chose them because they address the racial disparities in accessing reproductive health care. It鈥檚 incredibly important to be able to open up access to more than just white people, because everyone deserves reproductive rights and access to care.

Do you see a future for yourself in education or politics? If not those fields in particular, what are you hoping to do in the future?

I鈥檓 actually hoping to become a musical performing artist. I make pop and pop-alternative music. I mostly do it alone. I played trumpet for about eight years and am pretty novice at piano and guitar. My main thing is music production.

Right now, I鈥檓 working on putting together a first album. I鈥檓 sending out some music to people to see what they think. It鈥檚 very much in the early stages but I鈥檓 excited to pursue music as a career. That has been my dream since I was a child and I have been so involved with music my entire life. 

Why did you choose to stay in Texas and attend UT Austin?

I chose UT Austin mostly because of the music scene. There鈥檚 a lot of music downtown so I鈥檓 hoping to do some live gigs once or twice a week. My life has taken a massive shift with the speech and the activism takes up a lot of time. 

What are your songs about? Do you imagine incorporating your activism into your lyrics and songwriting?

I think there鈥檚 definitely room to incorporate activism in songwriting. Generally, I write music about what I鈥檓 experiencing, thinking and feeling. My life is what runs through the core of all my music, so naturally some of it will be charged with my activism.

I wonder if we could reflect briefly about what鈥檚 happening at the federal level. SCOTUS refused to block Texas鈥檚 law and the House passed the Women鈥檚 Health Protection Act, an attempt to codify the rights established with Roe, though it鈥檚 unlikely to pass the Senate. The Department of Justice is also your home state, but that hasn鈥檛 reopened access. How are you feeling in light of these moves? How do you hope your peers might push for reproductive rights at this moment?

I鈥檓 feeling very hopeful. Really right now there鈥檚 a lot of things up in the air and it鈥檚 kind of hard to tell where things will land. I鈥檓 hoping that my peers continue to do what they鈥檙e doing now, which is putting pressure on legislators, bringing attention to the topic and all in all, making it extremely clear that they believe that abortion is a human right. 

A War on My Body; A War on My Rights will be released Jan. 22, 2022, the 49th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, by Di Angelo Publications, a small press in Houston. All proceeds will be donated to , a reproductive justice organization run by and for Black women and girls to transform relationships to sexual and reproductive health. The center educates and provides resources to break down racial inequities, decreasing maternal death and HIV rates.