That was our wake-up call. The young women we spoke to as part of, "She Speaks: Young African American and Latino Women on Reproductive Health and Rights" made us realize that something had to change, and that something was us. We had to re-think how we talk to young women of color about sexuality and reproductive health, because what we were doing wasn't working. We had to change not only the way we talked to young women of color, but also where we started the conversation if we were to successfully engage them around reproductive health and rights, educate them important issues and mobilize them to take action.
In talking to these vibrant and fiercely determined young women, they told us loud and clear that the way we talk doesn't resonate with them. They don't even understand what we are talking about. Take the phrase "reproductive health and rights", for example. One young woman thought that referred to recreating some kind of health insurance program. Women of color want to be communicated to directly with simple language, free of medical and political jargon, or as one young woman stated, "you can't be using these big, fine words."
The women we spoke to wanted to talk about sex, sexuality and relationships. Almost all of them wanted to start families some day. Yes, they understood that abortion access was an important issue. Most supported women making the decision when and if to become a parent. They were also moderately aware of emergency contraception and its ability to prevent unintended pregnancy. But none of these issues were at the top of their lists. In fact, most of "our issues" didn't rank highly on their lists. They were concerned about their health — physical, mental and spiritual. They shared stories about how poor healthcare coverage impacted their lives and their families — trips to the emergency room, missed school and work, the stress of being unwell and not being able to afford proper health care. Most of all, they wanted to lead healthy lives and know how to do that.
Based on these conversations, PEP set out to create a campaign that spoke to the realities of young women of color. We developed messages that were empowering instead of fear-based, and that acknowledged the self-determination these young women exhibited every day to take care of themselves. Last year we launched the RECOGNIZE! campaign with a series of posters, stickers and other tools as an opportunity to open up a conversation around reproductive health and rights from another perspective. We wanted to start where young women of color were, to connect with them meaningfully on their most pressing reproductive health and rights issues and educate them about others. By meeting them where they are in our messages and our outreach, we can.
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RHTP's new messaging strategy highlights what many of us would prefer not to acknowledge—that many people feel ambivalent about abortion. Some of my colleagues fear that this frames abortion negatively and further stigmatizes women who have had abortions. I would argue that in recognizing someone's complicated feelings about abortion we have an opportunity to extend the conversation. The truth is people hold a variety of feelings, values and beliefs about abortion. And until we acknowledge this fact, we will continue to be seen as irrelevant and out of touch with the public. Acknowledging and meeting people where they are establishes our credibility and opens up the conversation, instead of shutting it down
Exhale stirred up controversy by introducing a series of electronic cards that offer sympathy, encouragement and support for women who have had abortions. One card reads, "I think you are strong, smart, thoughtful and caring. I believe in you and your ability to make the right decision. I think you did the right thing." Some activists feel that these e-cards stigmatize abortion further by treating it differently than other medical procedures. Others want to know why there is no card congratulating a woman on her abortion. And yet, what has emerged in the discussions surrounding the cards is not so much the messages of the cards or their appropriateness, but rather that some women want support after an abortion. And they deserve to get it. Sending an e-card is just one more way to do that.
I understand that some believe that by adopting these strategies and tools we somehow concede that abortion is wrong and give the Right more ammunition to restrict abortion. I challenge that orthodoxy. For too long our approach has silenced those who have complicated feelings about abortion and pushed them away from us. And we know that those people are often people of color and young women. Our silencing has the added effect of enforcing a kind of ideological purity test around abortion that even some of us who work in the movement would not pass. If we are going to keep abortion legal and accessible, and support the women who have abortions, we cannot continue to use the same tactics. I think that RHTP and Exhale have taken important steps toward meeting people where they are on abortion and opening up the conversation. These tools may not work for everyone, but they do provide new ways of engaging people around abortion for whom previous efforts have not resonated. And they come not a moment too soon.
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