Messaging Guide

13. Reproductive Rights

Begin in agreement, for example: We need to protect our fundamental rights and freedoms.
Use values, for example: Freedom, liberty, fundamental rights, privacy, dignity, respect.
Show how they benefit, for example: The only way to guarantee our own rights and freedoms is to protect everyone’s.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe v. Wade and drastically changed the political narrative on abortion rights. MAGA Republicans are now compelled to defend highly restrictive bans on abortion, which are supported by only a minority of Americans. When the issue is positioned as freedom versus extremism, nearly all persuadable Americans side with abortion rights.

Perhaps even more important in political campaigns, single-issue voters now heavily favor abortion rights. Three times as many Americans will only vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights than will only vote for a candidate who is against abortion. At this point in history, every Democratic candidate should prioritize abortion rights.

The basic message is simple: Abortion rights is a fight for freedom.

Say… We need to protect our fundamental rights and freedoms. In particular, we must have the freedom to make our own personal health care decisions without interference from politicians. So, when someone is considering the very private question of whether to have an abortion, it is the patient, consulting their own doctor, who should decide. And once that patient has made a decision, the government should not intrude.

Don’t back down on freedom as your message frame. Freedom is the most powerful political concept in America. The right wing has made an enormous political mistake by taking away a constitutional freedom that Americans counted on for nearly 50 years. Talk about it!

Say… The right-wing majority on the Supreme Court revoked the constitutional freedom of Americans to make their own decisions about abortion which was guaranteed by Roe v. Wade a half-century ago. In more than 20 red states, MAGA Republicans have passed laws to eliminate that freedom, punish patients, and threaten doctors and nurses with prison time, even in cases of rape or incest. MAGA has deprived millions of Americans of their fundamental rights. The only way to guarantee our own rights and freedoms is to protect everyone’s.

Here are some other good phrases to use:

Say… All Americans deserve the freedom to make personal medical decisions, free of government intrusion… We must ensure that Americans can make the decisions that are best for them and their families, free from government interference… We must put these decisions back in the hands of families and their doctors, not politicians… These private and personal decisions belong in the hands of patients, their family and their provider, not politicians.

When talking about abortion rights, don’t repeat the other side’s framing, lean on freedom and fundamental rights, and insist that abortion is a medical decision:

Don’t say… Pro-choice, pro-life
Say… Freedom, fundamental right, personal decision, medical decision, patient

Your next step is to raise issues where the MAGA position is even less popular.

Say… Reversing Roe v. Wade was just the opening act of a larger strategy. MAGA leaders are now targeting in vitro fertilization; their assertion that a frozen embryo is a person would make the entire IVF process impractical. They are also working to limit access to birth control. Our fundamental freedoms are at risk and the only way to preserve them is to defeat MAGA.

If you are engaged in a debate where persuadable Americans are watching, then push your opponent into their most extreme position. Make it clear to your audience if your opponent favors no exceptions for rape or incest (which is a wildly unpopular position), if they believe that an embryo is a person (which not only wrecks the IVF process but also raises questions about tax law and other laws), and if they oppose emergency contraception (now available over-the-counter) as a supposed form of abortion.

Finally, if you feel like you must try to persuade someone who thinks abortion is immoral or against their religion, try to personalize the conversation.

Say… Each of us has strong feelings about abortion. We’re both trying to do the right thing. I believe that we cannot know all the personal and medical circumstances behind someone’s decision. Everyone’s situation is different. I believe we should respect every healthcare patient’s dignity, allowing them to consult with their own family and act in accordance with their own faith. And once someone has made this very personal and private decision, government should not interfere.