Finding Inclusive Viewpoints While Covering Abortion Rights
Roe v. Wade is gone. Throughout the nation, people are sounding the alarm as disastrous consequences throughout the “trigger” states have already begun to take hold. This is a deeply consequential issue that affects a large intersection of people and the all-too-narrow view that there is one population that Roe’s overturning will affect is becoming frighteningly prevalent among anti-abortion activists.
In order to give a voice to the truth of what this difficult ruling really means, people of all backgrounds are beginning to speak out. It’s up to the journalists now to amplify them. But, what are the best practices for that?
YOU MUST PROTECT YOUR SOURCES AT ALL TIMES
Abortion laws have been triggered in some states that make it legal for people to turn in folks who have had an abortion for a bounty. Other times, folks who have had abortions are targeted for online harrassment and stalking. If your source is doxxed, that puts them in real danger. Protecting your source doesn’t just mean keeping them anonymous, it involves giving them the tools to know what to do if their safety is breached, who to contact, and how to remain safe.
Your source could also be underage, and a breach of identity would be an ethics violation. No minor’s identity should be revealed in any story unless they and their parent/guardian explicitly ask to be referenced by name.
Sources may also be survivors of sexual assault or rape, or else of ongoing abuse and whom are concealing their identity from their abusers. Lawyers should be consulted on this person’s options as well.
CHECK FOR DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, DIFFERENT RACES, DIFFERENT GENDERS, AND DIFFERENT AGES
Almost all of the above factors have different stakes in getting an abortion. For example, a Catholic Black 14-year-old may not have the same experience in obtaining an abortion as a White Jewish 27-year-old. People of different gender identities are going to have had vastly different experiences with abortion, especially when we consider current societal attacks on gender. Others affected by the abortion and/or pregnancy include the person’s partner, guardians, caregivers, siblings, et. al.
Healthcare providers you interview should reflect the diversity of the population, if not moreso. Providers from different neighborhoods of varying wealth, racial makeup, and from private medicine versus public practice are all going to provide diverse viewpoints on the issue as well.
LANGUAGE
Our vocabulary has changed around gender in recent years and it’s okay to struggle with it, but be mindful of the use of “woman,” as that excludes a significant amount of people who can become pregnant and carry a pregnancy to term.
The temptation to use metaphor to stress the situation in Washington is very great. One user called Republicans the “American Taliban.” However, there are two things about this language that make it insensitive and incorrect: One, the Taliban do not belong to one nation, and are not representative of the peoples of any single nation. Two, authoritarianism in America is uniquely American, and no racially charged comparisons to the Middle East are necessary to drive that point home.
TALK TO PEOPLE
Roe v. Wade has been at the forefront of the political landscape for quite some time. There is a lot of presupposition about people knowing what losing Roe v. Wade means. We cannot suppose. People have a right to know what rights they are entitled to and not, and by talking to people in our own communities and engaging them in how this ruling will affect their rights, journalists can uncover some of the more major stories and points of view that may have otherwise been missed. More than half of the population of the country will be directly affected by this ruling in some way, shape, or form, and recognizing that those people exist within your personal sphere is as important as venturing out into the world and finding others.
RELATED READING: What Foreign Journalists Should Know About the History of Abortion in the United States
