The images we use to represent abortion matter.
Abortion is such a common experience around the world. Yet it is one still shrouded in stigma, shame and secrecy. Abortion is often treated as a political hot potato – an issue to be debated or preached about. In all this noise, we can lose the reality of people’s varied abortion experiences. The nuance of complex pregnancy decision making, and the practicality of the medical procedure.
We form an understanding of topics like abortion, not just through words, but also by the visual imagery we consume. The pictures used to illustrate news stories so often tell a bigger story than the text.
For so long, the narrative on abortion has been a negative one.
Visual imagery of abortions has been heavily influenced by the anti-abortion movement. So many people’s understanding of abortion has in part been shaped by seeing images of fetuses designed to shock and upset. In my school in the UK, an anti-abortion group showed us graphic images which led to students leaving the room in tears. The same organisation gave out ‘Precious Feet’ badges, to represent “the size and shape of an unborn baby’s feet 10 weeks after conception.” Whether aiming to shock and disgust or invoke a cute helpless baby, for many years the anti-choice movement has used fetal imagery to argue against access to safe abortion.
Anti-abortion groups use imagery which negates the person who is pregnant.
The anti-abortion movement’s use of fetal imagery is deliberate.
These pictures always abstract the embryo or fetus from the woman or person who is pregnant. Picturing the fetus as separate, “floating in space”, conveniently helps us forget that pregnancy happens inside someone’s body. A real human being making decisions based on her own context and relationships. When we remember that she has rights, emotions, desires and humanity, it becomes much harder to simply dismiss the need for safe abortion.
What kinds of images should we use to depict abortion?
Images of abortion should show the reality of this being a normal part of life. People who have abortions are going to work, picking up their kids from school, hanging out with their friends. They might feel sad, they might feel relieved, they might feel a mixture of complicated emotions which are all valid.
At SAAF, we work with organisations from all over the world. We had seen the difficulties many had in sourcing rights-based images for their work on abortion. Recognising that not everyone has the budget to create their own bespoke images, we set about creating a set of illustrations we could all use.
We asked grantee partners what kinds of images would be useful for their work, and tried to create imagery which was diverse in terms of ethnicity, age, and gender, and considers that 1 in 6 of us lives with some kind of disability. The set of illustrations is regularly updated based on requests from grantee partners.
We made sure to show the following in our images:
People who have abortions are part of community.
We wanted to centre the pregnant person as someone with a life and a family. We show women speaking with partners, medical providers and friends. People make pregnancy decisions out of love and care not just for themselves, but their wider family and relationships.
People who have abortions experience a range of emotions.
Having seen so many images of women crying and looking sad on abortion leaflets we felt it was important to show more neutral expressions which don’t assume one particular response to an abortion experience. After all, relief is the most commonly reported emotion after abortion.
It is not just straight women who have abortions.
Many of our grantees work specifically with LGBT+ communities and wanted images which reflect that. We know that queer women and trans men can often feel excluded from messaging on reproductive health, so this was an important consideration.
Different kinds of abortion exist.
We created illustrations which show the practical aspects of abortion, such as medication and clinical equipment. These images were important for organisations wanting to demystify the process of abortion and explain procedures to those who may not have high literacy levels. Some images show women talking with medical providers, others with friends and peers, since for many an abortion may take place outside of the medical system.
Abortion is also a political issue.
The organisations we fund are part of the global movement advocating for better access to abortion. They are trying to inspire change. We wanted to include some images which reflect this powerful movement-building and solidarity.
We’re delighted to see so many SAAF grantee partners using the illustrations and telling us they have been useful for their work.
By Laura Hurley, Communications Lead for SAAF