The reproductive justice (RJ) movement works to create a society in which all people have the economic, social, and political resources necessary to make healthy decisions about their bodies, sexuality, and reproduction for themselves, their families, and their communities. Reproductive justice concerns focus on the issues facing low- income women and communities of color, including economic, cultural, and immigration barriers to accessing services; matters relating to sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity; disparities in community investment and protection of rights based on race, ethnicity, gender, disabilities, and language; and innovative models for addressing gender-based violence. These concerns are expressed in struggles over restrictive reproductive health and policing policies at the national and state levels.
This report is based on a synthesis and meta-analysis of attitudinal tracking surveys and recent public opinion studies by advocacy organizations, research institutions, and media outlets. Most of the data examined are publicly available; some information is proprietary research, which was made available to The Opportunity Agenda for the purposes of this report. Our objective is two-fold: (1) to understand the values that underlie the American public’s views on issues relating to reproductive justice as a predicate to developing a communications framework for the RJ movement; and (2) to identify those segments of the public who appear to be most receptive to reproductive justice messaging and policies.
The very breadth and scope of the RJ movement pose particular communications challenges. Even in the absence of one overarching policy agenda, however, our findings support the notion that the movement can create a unified, effective communications framework. This will allow individuals and organizations to communicate in ways that serve not only their own missions, but also the broader goal of establishing a durable majority of Americans who understand and may be mobilized on behalf of the movement’s goals.
