How to Talk about Abortion

Resources to Convey ACOG's Position on Abortion 

• Introduction to Media for Abortion Advocates Webinar: Watch this webinar for an introduction to engaging with members of the media and an overview of ACOG's core messages on access to abortion.
• How to Talk About Abortion: Core Messages: This messaging matrix can help obstetrician–gynecologist advocates and our partners have meaningful conversations about the importance of preserving the fundamental patient-physician relationship and protecting access to evidence-based abortion care.
• Talking points: Convey ACOG’s position on abortion with an evidence-based voice.
• ACOG Guide to Language and Abortion: This guide is designed to help inform language choice that is medically appropriate, clinically accurate, and without bias.
• Society of Family Planning Committee Statement: Abortion Nomenclature: This ACOG-endorsed document recommends standardized terminology for communicating about abortion care.
• Issue-specific resources: Policy briefs, fact sheets, and templates on high-profile issues in the news and the media.
• Building Evidence-Based Skills for Effective Conversations about Abortion: Request ACOG’s workshop for health care professionals to develop skills for constructive discourse on abortion.
• Reaching Your Target: How to Discuss Abortion Across Different Audiences: Messaging strategies to help demonstrate how shared values can inform the messages that you use in your conversations.

Facts Are Important

Misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies are becoming increasingly common in discussions about reproductive health care—especially concerning abortion. ACOG is countering falsehoods with truth. Our Facts Are Important series corrects misinformation and inaccurate statements about reproductive health care by sharing the accurate, science- and evidence-based truths that contradict those false claims.

• Hormonal Birth Control
• Identifying and Combating Abortion Myths and Misinformation
• Abortion and Perinatal Palliative Care
• Abortion Is Health Care
• Understanding Ectopic Pregnancy
• Gestational Development and Capacity for Pain

Addressing False Claims and Tough Questions

• Combating Abortion Myths: The Tool Kit: ACOG has put together a tool kit complete with graphics, resources, and information to help you combat misinformation and share evidence-based information about abortion.
• Abortion FAQs: Common questions you might encounter about abortion, and how to address them.
• Abortion Can Be Medically Necessary: ACOG’s statement addressing claims that abortion care is never needed to preserve a patient’s health or life.
• ACOG Denounces False Claims About Ob-Gyns: ACOG’s statement countering inflammatory language used to describe the delivery of abortion care.