Abbey is a member of the International Youth Leadership Council.

I can’t remember a time when reproductive and sexual justice was not something I cared deeply about. My parents always taught me to fiercely defend my own body and the choices I make with it. I almost broke up with my first boyfriend because of our differences of opinion on abortion, and only stayed with him when I won him over to my side. So when I replied to the email from Planned Parenthood calling for volunteers to help plan the March for Women’s Lives in 2004, it was a natural fit.

Working on the March led to working for a women’s organization in New Jersey and choosing to attend George Washington University in DC, which in turn led to political science and women’s studies majors, the Planned Parenthood group on campus, and my choice to study abroad in Kenya. I chose to study in Kenya because I wanted to step outside of the life of a middle-class American white girl, and my experiences there only reaffirmed how important it is to remember the realities of life that people in all circumstances face. I wanted to use my knowledge of reproductive health and family planning to empower those who are most in need.

I found Advocates for Youth’s International Youth Leadership Council, where I could use my advocacy experience around domestic family planning issues, combined with my newly broadened focus to fight for the rights of young people around the world to make informed decisions in their own lives and situations. It has led me to places from Mexico City, for the International AIDS Conference, to a park on Capital Hill in the pouring rain, for a PEPFAR rally.