Rewriting the Road: The ‘Abortion Road Trip’ in American Young Adult Fiction

GLAM Lecture Series (Guest Lectures in American studies Münster

Dr. Jennifer Gouck, WiRe Fellow Münster

Reproductive rights have long been subject to debate in America’s social cultural, and political landscapes – a debate that has intensified since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 and, most recently, since Trump began his second term as President. One consequence of the sustained attacks on reproductive rights is the creation of so-called ‘abortion deserts’ where people must travel over 100 miles to reach an abortion clinic. This lecture explores the ‘abortion road trip’ novel in American YA, where a pregnant teenage girl is forced to cross multiple state lines to access an abortion, transforming the road from a symbol of (male) freedom to an infrastructural manifestation of the systemic barriers to reproductive healthcare.