What to Say: Access to Abortion Care
You asked for language. Here it is. Read it. Use it and share it.
You asked for language. Here it is. Here’s how to apply our Access to Abortion Care framing strategy in all of your content: social media, postcards, debate prep, campaign literature and more!
My goal is to achieve the broadest possible distribution! Feel free to use these talking points any way, with or without attribution. I would love to know how people are using them, so please email me or share a link in the comments so people can view and promote your posts!
What to Say
The purpose of this language is to help you connect your WHAT: whatever you are talking about, whether it’s a candidate, a bill, a situation, or a personal story, with the WHY: the moral imperative behind our position.
Use as is, or tailor to your audience, culture, language, or voice.
I use “Democrats” and “Republicans” and “Amendment 4” (Florida’s Right to Abortion Initiative) as the defaults. Feel free to replace with the candidate or campaign of your choice. I recommend using “Republicans” instead of “Trump” or “MAGA Republicans.”
Bumper Sticker / Yard Sign / Billboard
BAN INVOLUNTARY PREGNANCY
PHYSICAL LIBERTY for ALL
DEMOCRATS FOR PHYSICAL LIBERTY
FREEDOM FOR WOMEN
MY RELIGION: MY DECISION
PROTECT MEDICAL CONSENT
Bumper stickers can’t do all the work themselves. They need to be a part of a broader strategy. Of all the above terms, only “Ban Involuntary Pregnancy” tells the whole story without the aid of additional explanation. We can introduce new terms like “Physical Liberty” where we have enough space to make the connection for people, and later they will work as bumper stickers.
Postcard Scripts
Scripts for handwritten postcards should be no more than 225 characters, including spaces.
Democrats believe you have the right to control your own body according to your own beliefs, and that it’s the job of government to protect that right, not violate it. That’s why I’ll be voting for Democrats in November. (223)
Women have the right to determine what happens to their own bodies. Forcing them to go through pregnancy against their will violates that most fundamental freedom. That’s why you should vote for Amendment 4. (208)
Social Media Text
These are primarily different ways to say the same messages in the postcard scripts above. Mix and match to create your own tweets, threads, or graphic images.
This is a free country. We don’t use other people’s bodies against their will. That’s just wrong. Vote for Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative, to protect our physical liberty.
It’s morally wrong to force women to use their bodies in ways they don’t want their bodies to be used. That’s why we fight so hard to protect women’s rights to make decisions about their own health care.
Republicans across America are using government to exert control over the bodies of American citizens. That’s just wrong. We should use government to protect our rights, not to take them away.
Americans believe in freedom. The right to have sole authority over your own body is the first and most essential condition of being a free person.
That’s why we fight so hard for access to abortion care, and against the jailing of women, doctors, and those who assist women.
We should use our government to protect everybody’s freedom, and that includes women’s right to bodily self-determination. Vote for Democrats in Congress and re-elect Biden so we can pass federal laws to protect access to abortion care.
Note that we do not talk about over-reach by “government” in general, but instead focus on the issue of who is in government and the choices they make about what to do with that power.
Access to abortion care is about physical liberty, our fundamental and constitutional right to determine what happens to our own bodies. That’s why we’re fighting against the criminalization of abortion care.
FREEDOM is a universal right.
EVERYBODY should have the right to control their own bodies
It is wrong to deprive ANYBODY of these rights.
That is why it is wrong to deprive WOMEN of these rights.
Access to abortion care is a HUMAN RIGHT.Without bodily self-determination, women can be neither free nor equal. There is no way to get around that. That’s why we fight so hard against all efforts to strip women of their right to access abortion and other reproductive health care.
Americans believe in freedom of religion. We live in a pluralistic society. Major religions have different beliefs about when or whether to terminate a pregnancy. It’s not right to use our government to force some people to live by other people’s religious beliefs.
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Person to Person
Language you can use on the phone, at the door, over the dinner table or in line at the grocery store!
Casual:
Often preceded by: “Well, I don’t know about all that. I just know that…”
I support everyone’s right to determine what happens to their own body. That’s what Democrats believe too, so I guess I’ll be voting for them.
This is a free country. We don’t use other people’s bodies against their will. That’s just wrong. Republicans have just taken this way too far. I can’t support it.
It’s wrong to force women to use their bodies in ways they don’t want their bodies to be used. I think that’s what this initiative is all about.
To women with children:
You know that pregnancy and childbirth are hard enough when you want kids. (What was your experience like?) It’s hard on your body and your budget, and there’s always a risk of complications, some of which can be serious, even life threatening. But forcing women to do it against their will? That’s just too much to ask. I just don’t see how we have the right to do that.
Woman to woman:
Personally, I feel like the overturning of Roe v. Wade was a shocking assault on our freedom. I did not just experience it as a limiting of my options. I experienced it as a gross violation of my human rights and a demotion in my status as a free and equal human being. I can’t believe that our daughters and granddaughters will have fewer rights than we had. If the Trump appointees on the Supreme Court are willing to take away people’s rights for the first time in American history, then we have to pass state laws to protect them, like Amendment 4, and elect Democrats who will write Roe v Wade into federal law.
Man to man:
I see it as a question of medical consent. I don’t see how I can consider myself free if someone else can make me do something with my body that I don’t want to do. I mean, it’s a slippery slope. We don’t force people to give up their kidneys, right? Not even to save the life of a fully grown living person.
And now some people even want to monitor women’s cycles. What kind of medical surveillance state are we talking about here? And these are Republicans. Since when are they for using government to control what people do? That’s just wrong. I think I’m just going to have to go with the Democrats on this one.
To pro-life Christians (dialogue):
Me: Is your opposition to abortion based on your religion?
Them: Absolutely, yes.Me: Do you accept that many people in this country have religious beliefs that are different from yours?
Them: Of course.Me: Would you want those people to use the government to force you to live according to their beliefs?
Them: Of course not.Me: Did you know that both the Jewish and Muslim faiths have different beliefs than Christians about when it is okay for a woman to terminate a pregnancy?
Them: No, I didn’t.Me: If you think about it, banning abortion is using the government to force some people to live by other people’s religious beliefs. Laws that protect access to abortion are actually about freedom of religion. They allow you to practice your religion and allow me to practice my religion.
Them: I never thought about it that way.
Video Script
Here’s just a sample. You can make your own from all of the content above. The important part is to connect whatever is happening in the news with our core moral principles, who is on their side, and what action we want them to take.
Abortion bans put women’s lives at risk. Women with dire medical emergencies are being forced to wait until their lives are actually in danger before receiving life-saving medical care. Doctors are being intimidated with threats of losing their licenses or even being sent to jail.
(Here is where you would insert a real-life story if you have one.)
Women are suffering and even dying as a direct result of choices made by Republicans in power, their decisions to take away our most fundamental freedom, the right to physical and medical self-determination. That’s why we have to pass Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Act this November.(97 words – approx. 35 seconds)
Campaign Literature or Website
Bullet Points
I support women’s right to physical and medical self-determination including access to abortion care.
I fully support women’s rights to access contraception, abortion, and fertility care.
Statement
(positive) I believe in freedom. The right to determine what happens to your own body is the first and most essential condition of being a free person. For women, that freedom requires access to contraception, abortion, and fertility care. I will fight to protect women’s fundamental right to physical and medical self-determination, including access to the full range of reproductive health care.
(optional contrast) My opponent wants to use our government to force women to remain pregnant and go through labor against their will, in violation of core American principles of freedom and medical consent. I will continue to fight Republican efforts to criminalize abortion and contraception. I believe that we should use government to protect your rights, not take them away.
Debate or Speech
Statement (<30 seconds)
I support everyone’s right to determine what happens to their own body. For women, that freedom requires access to contraception, abortion, and fertility care. My opponent wants to use our government to force women to remain pregnant and go through labor against their will. This is supposed to be a free country. We don’t use other people’s bodies against their will. It’s just not right. I will fight to protect (or restore) women’s right to physical and medical self-determination, including access to the full range of reproductive healthcare.
Rebuttal (<15 seconds)
You say it’s okay to use women’s bodies in ways they don’t want them to be used, in violation of core American principles of freedom and medical consent. Should we commandeer people’s organs to save other people’s lives? We should use government to protect our rights, not take them away.
Spread the Word
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Talking points on abortion care that really work! They’re strategically effective and written in language you would actually use. Here is “what to say” from Antonia Scatton at Reframing America. Read it, use it and share it!
Newsletter Blurb
Please insert this into your party committee or organization newsletter. Include one or both messages. Whether you “restore” or “protect” depends on your state’s current status on the right to access abortion care.
Access to Abortion Care - What to Say:
“Democrats believe you have the right to control your own body according to your own beliefs, and that it’s the job of government to protect that right, not violate it. Vote for Democrats to protect/restore our right to access abortion care.”
“Women have the right to determine what happens to their own bodies. Forcing them to go through pregnancy against their will violates their most fundamental freedom. Vote for (initiative/amendment/candidate) to protect/restore our right to physical and medical self-determination.”
From Antonia Scatton. Get more talking points here:
ReframingAmerica.substack.com/what-to-say-abortion-access
Recommend
Copy, paste and email this as a note to any person, campaign, or organization you think should be using these talking points and framing strategy:
Have you seen these messaging recommendations from Antonia Scatton at Reframing America? We should use this framing strategy and talking points in all our communications about abortion access. They’re based on our values, written in language you would actually use, and designed to help us regain the upper hand in the public debate.
Here’s the link to the strategy memo:
ReframingAmerica.substack.com/physical-liberty-strategyHere are the talking points:
ReframingAmerica.substack.com/what-to-say-abortion-accessI would appreciate your giving this a serious look and sharing it with others.
This issue has a lot going on, and putting together these strategies and talking points took way too long! In the interest of getting out talking points on more issues in time for the elections, upcoming memos will be considerably shorter!
You can help by letting me know what you need: which messaging challenges you are running into and what issues you want to talk about, so I can help develop effective talking points for you!
THANK YOU, as always, for reading, subscribing, and all that you do to make our world a better place!
In solidarity,
Antonia
Contact me about communications consulting and custom content at antonia@antoniascatton.com or (202) 922-6647.
NOTES:
Thank you for sharing these suggestions. I used them!
I’m way too wordy when it comes to expressing my feelings over abortion access. Anti-abortion groups give workshops over talking points which I have seen over & over. I have read books on the topic, but I love your quick and effective points! Thank you for this!