For Journalists (on Abortion and beyond)

The way that we talk about abortion, including in the media matters! Right now, we are awaiting a big decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. The question in this case is around Mississippi’s law banning nearly all abortion after 15 weeks of gestation, but it poses larger questions around Roe and the right to abortion.

This decision will have huge impacts. The way in which it is discussed now, on decision day and beyond sets a tone around our short and long-term efforts.

We [The Womxn Project/The Womxn Project Education Fund] has compiled a set of information to support journalists in talking about the case — and abortion as a whole:

• Liberate Abortion has developed a great resource for reporters on ethical reporting around the Dobbs case. It provides guidance leading up to the ruling and immediately after.
• Forward Together has also created a Reproductive Justice Media Guide. It is intended to be used by members of the media seeking to learn about or expand their knowledge of reproductive justice particularly when reporting on abortion and the Latinx community. It is not intended to be an all-inclusive encyclopedia of issues within reproductive justice, nor is it intended to limit coverage to the issues highlighted herein.
• Physicians for Reproductive Health has also developed a comprehensive set of resources for journalists reporting on abortion, including guidance on interview related to abortion and personal stories of seeking or providing care.
• We Testify works to support and increase the spectrum of abortion storytellers in the public sphere and shift the way the media covers abortion. They have a bank of stories to help provide better understanding around the context and complexity of accessing abortion. Check it out.

We are grateful to reporters who work hard to keep people informed. [The Womxn Project/The Womxn Project Education Fund] wants to be a source of information on reproductive health, rights and justice.

We also have extensive relationships with advocates and organizations throughout the state and would like to be helpful in connecting journalists with the people on the ground who are impacted by the various restrictions that are already on the books and impacts of decisions moving forward.

We hope this will be a conversation starter and yield more nuanced discussions and reporting about abortion and reproductive justice more broadly. Please, do not hesitate to reach out if we may be of assistance.