The Center for Reproductive Rights created an infographic that is sure to shock anyone who believes that the decision to overturn Roe V. Wade is consistent with global attitudes about abortion. The infographic provides data about global trends of abortion rights in 62 countries, suggesting the United States is a regressive nation regarding reproductive rights.
In this post, we will take a look at why this infographic is a good example of strategic communication. Let’s take a look at the infographic below:
About the center
The Center for Reproductive Rights is an organization of lawyers and advocates who believe in supporting global human rights and ensuring reproductive rights are protected by law. It was founded in 1992. The organization has participated in every major U.S. Supreme Court abortion case since its founding and strengthened reproductive laws and policies in more than 60 countries. Its mission is to liberate abortion through the power of law.
The Center for Reproductive Rights uses the power of law to advance reproductive rights as fundamental human rights around the world.
The Center for Reproductive Rights
What is strategic communication?
Strategic communication is “the purposeful use of communication by an organization to fulfill its mission,” according to Oxford Bibliographies. Strategic communication can take many forms depending on what will appeal to the organization’s audience. Visual communication is an excellent strategy in a highly visual, social-media-using society. A lot of abortion debate takes place online, so this visual communication approach makes sense for the center to use.
What key messages does the infographic send?
The infographic makes it clear that the overwhelming majority of the 62 countries have moved in the same general direction of legalizing abortions, making them more accessible worldwide since 1994. The US is an outlier, suggesting that the recent backtracking of abortion legalization is not a decision popularized by other countries. The center’s stance is that the US should change its stance to resemble the majority and reinstate abortion rights.
Another key message from the infographic is that abortion law reforms are expected, with 23 reforms taking place in Africa alone. Followed by that is Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and then the Middle East. The Americas are not even on the graphic of regions that have engaged in reform. This representation attempts to persuade the audience that the region is disengaged and unwilling to take action that many other regions have already taken.