What We Do
Reproductive Rights
Reproductive health is a social justice issue: women can not reach full equality if they do not have control over their own fertility. In order to effect policy change, we seek to build on support for a host of reproductive and other health issues, without walking away from abortion rights. Many who oppose abortion are also against strategies that reduce the number of unintended pregnancies (birth control, emergency contraception and comprehensive sexuality education). We want to reclaim or redefine the center, and out the opposition as extremists out of sync with the attitudes of most Americans.
WDN Member Wendy C. Wolf
Who We Are
The Reproductive Rights Action Circle was created in 2005 to reshape the national conversation on reproductive and other health issues and then to build on broad public support for a host of these issues. Fifty-nine donors have supported this multi-year effort raising about $700,000 which has leveraged over $1 million dollars from numerous other foundations.
Mission
Our work has two major goals:
- Develop an affirmational, values-based language that broadens our conversations around reproductive and other health issues without compromising support for abortion rights.
- Build on voter support for policy advances on a broader agenda that includes birth control, emergency contraception, comprehensive sexuality education, the HPV vaccine, stem cell research and end-of-life issues.
What We Do
In 2005, the Reproductive Rights Action Circle, and the Communications Consortium Media Center (CCMC) embarked on Moving Forward, a multi-year, multi-million dollar research-based project. We worked with leading pollsters, researchers, NGOs, and message makers. After a multi-phased research project, the frame was created. It is being used to change the national conversation, as well as discussions at the local, state and federal level about reproductive and other health issues. Our work is being used:
- To create a values-based way for progressive candidates to talk about their views that galvanizes support;
- To address those who believe we should be “reducing the number of abortions" without providing comprehensive sexuality education or additional access to birth control; and
- To "out" the opposition as extremists and out of sync with the American voter.
Finally, our work is being used to affect policy change:
- Promotion of comprehensive sexuality education and services to teens;
- Prevention First and other attempts to promote women’s health;
- Ballot Initiatives in Colorado;
- End of Life Issues; and
- Stem cell issues.
Current Work
Our current work seeks to ensure the use of the frame, values and a focus on the broader agenda to make sure that the whole agenda is not hijacked by a singular focus on abortion. This work involves briefing key stakeholders at all levels of government who are supporters of reproductive rights, be they republican or democratic; working with the non-profit community to coordinate messages and use the broader frame when our rights are potentially abridged, as is the case with the ballot measure to define personhood at the moment of fertilization: a major op-ed strategy to ask media to hold stakeholders accountable for their positions on a host of issues, not just abortion.
A New Frame Leads to a New Discussion
Our research shows Important Life Decisions is a frame broad enough to encompass reproductive and other health issues and is an effective way to start a conversation with voters on a larger set of progressive issues.
Important life decision can only be made responsibly if people have access and information to information, options and services.
- The frame incorporates the world “life” in a new way and prompts people to naturally use language that conveys a set of core American values including individual decision-making, responsibility, respect, freedom, and prevention.
- By using the word “decisions,” we are able to highlight the more serious, deliberative nature of making a choice supporting public opinion that wants many choices, and options.
It is critical to start the conversation with the frame and the broader agenda, for if you begin the discussion with abortion, you end there. Further, millions of people daily face issues on the broader agenda , while only 1.5 million choose to have an abortion every year.
For more key findings go to http://importantlifedecisions.org/
Moving Forward Funding Partners
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation
Communications Consortium Media Center
Resources
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Center for Reproductive Rights
The Reproductive Rights Action Circle reflects WDN’s key value area of Health and Human Rights: Striving to ensure that all people have an optimal state of physical, mental and social well-being by having access to basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. This is one of our seven key areas of work and study.
Recent Documents
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