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• Safe—abortion is one of the safest medical procedures performed in the United States
• Deeply personal
• Not a decision anyone should have to justify
• Between a person and their doctor, not politicians
• Something the majority of Americans want to protect
• Interwoven with every aspect of our lives, education, economy, workforce, surveillance, how we parent, truly every aspect of our lives

• Support for abortion is HIGH
• Not everyone may talk about abortion, but the fact is, most people support it. But when anti-abortion advocates are the only ones talking (or shouting) about it, the truth that the public overwhelmingly supports abortion is erased.

• The word “choice” makes people think of inconsequential, consumer-focused choices, like “coffee or tea?” – which makes the choice seem flippant.
• But “decision” makes us think of important, consequential questions that have a long-term effect.
• Better yet, pair the word “decision” with “freedom,” as in “the freedom to decide whether and when to have children.” 

• Talking about exceptions like “rape or incest” or “the life of the mother” perpetuates the idea that there are “good abortions” and “bad abortions.” 
• Talking about these paves the way for abortion bans that appear to be more palatable because they have “exceptions.”
• We must be inclusive in our commitment to dispelling stigma. Because the topics that feel the most uncomfortable or the most stigmatized get avoided (i.e., young people, later abortion care, public funding for abortion) but they often impact the most marginalized communities.
• This not only further marginalizes the people who face the most barriers, but it also opens the door to further restrictions and allows for the decimation of abortion access.

• The “pro-choice” and “pro-life” labels don’t reflect the conversation that’s happening in America today, or the complexity of how most people actually think and feel about abortion. 
• “Pro-life” gives moral authority to the opposition—while abortion access actually saves countless lives.
• Message research found that many people simply don’t connect with phrases like “pro-choice,” “anti-choice,” or “pro-life.” And if we force them to take a side, we’ve lost them.

• AUTONOMY & AGENCY
  • Let’s trust people to make decisions that are best for their lives and their bodies.
• FREEDOM
  • Let’s commit to a future where all communities thrive—a future where we all have the freedom to control our own bodies, safely care for our families, and live with dignity.
• HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
  • When we all have access to a full range of health care, including birth control, abortion, and prenatal/postpartum care, we are healthier and our families thrive.
• JUSTICE AND EQUITY
  • Abortion bans and restrictions fall hardest on Black, Indigenous, and other people of color working to make ends meet. One part of building a more just and equitable society is ensuring abortion care is available and accessible for all.
• GENDER EQUALITY
  • We can’t be truly equal until people of all genders have control over their own bodies and reproductive lives, including the decision about whether to have an abortion.

• Euphemisms create a vacuum…for anti-abortion narratives to fill.
• When you mean abortion, say abortion…
  • Not “reproductive health care” (though this is OK for things like birth control, prenatal/postpartum care, etc.)
  • Not “women’s right to choose”
  • Not “pregnancy termination”

• Abortion stigma—the idea that there are “good” abortions and “bad” abortions—stems from long-held beliefs and norms in the culture about women, sexuality, and motherhood. The truth is, stigma (by our opponents and even from within our own movement) has led to the decimation of abortion access in the United States.
• Every individual’s personal decision about their pregnancy should be respected and valued, not shamed or stigmatized.
• In order to fight for abortion access for everyone, we must address the stigma within ourselves, our communities, and in society at large.

Stigma shows up all over the place in our culture—media, TV and movies, institutions, and even within the abortion rights movement.

Ohioans United for Reproductive Freedom

X Reinforces the opposition’s position that we should have restrictions on abortion access, and that there is something wrong with having an abortion later in a pregnancy