If/When/How Lunch & Learn with Shoshanna Ehrlich (Planned Parenthood)

“IS IT EVEN LEGAL FOR ME TO PICK UP THE PHONE?: MINORS’ ACCESS TO
ABORTION CARE IN A CLIMATE OF FEAR, STIGMA, AND LEGAL CONFUSION"

Long before the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, the majority of states had forced parental involvement laws requiring teens who could not share their abortion decision with a parent to obtain court approval—a stigmatizing process that effectively punishes teens who choose abortion over childbirth. Dobbs has significantly compounded the obstacles facing teens particularly those in abortion-restrictive states, with a disparate impact on teens of color.

Based on in-depth interviews with attorneys and access and counseling coordinators from abortion support organization, this talk will look at the challenges facing teens and providers in an access environment permeated with fear, stigma, and legal uncertainty.

About the speaker: Shoshanna Ehrlich is a professor emerita in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department at UMass Boston. Her interdisciplinary scholarship and advocacy focus on the legal regulation of reproduction and sexuality with an emphasis on the abortion rights of teens. Shoshanna is also a regular contributing author at Ms. Magazine and a legal consultant to the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts where she focuses on the sexual and reproductive rights of teens.

If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice | Website | View More Events