In 2017, Jane’s Due Process organized the first-ever convening of people doing judicial bypass work in various states. The convening grew out of what we were experiencing on our own hotline. At the time, more and more young people were calling us from other states, and we were developing a system for helping them connect with project that could support them.
Fast forward to now: Last week we officially announced the launch of AYRA, the Alliance for Youth Reproductive Autonomy. That initial convening has grown over the years into a coalition of organizations that do work for direct support of young people seeking abortion and contraceptive care, working together for a world in which young people’s human right to bodily autonomy is respected.
Members include Right By You, Abortion Fund of Ohio, Abortion Fund of Arizona, All-Options, and Women’s Law Project.
AYRA advocates for youth visibility in national conversations, research, movement, policy, healthcare, and legal spaces. We support stigma-free access to abortion and pregnancy care for teens—including self-managed abortion—as well as comprehensive sex education, healthy relationships, and youth autonomy. We push for trauma-informed and person-centered care, especially for teens at the intersections of multiple oppressions. Grounded in Reproductive Justice values, we build inclusive partnerships across movements to ensure that pregnant and parenting teens receive the support they deserve—no matter the outcome.
Together, we envision a world where all young people, including pregnant and parenting teens, have full autonomy to make their own reproductive decisions without shame, stigma, or systemic barriers. A world where youth are unapologetically centered in every conversation about reproductive health and justice — where abortion is normalized, and self-managed abortion is supported.
