The California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom

The “A Woman Knows Best” Framework for Reproductive Rights:

Why These Messages and How We Got Here
Responses to Frequently Asked Questions

CCRF began developing the “A Woman Knows Best” framework with the aim of gaining new supporters and expanding the reproductive freedom movement. The experience of many of our members told us that the existing conceptual framework of the pro-choice movement wasn’t working to motivate the next generation of potential supporters, especially young women and women of color. Our goal was to develop a new, alternative framework about reproductive health and rights that would be inclusive and relevant to what women themselves told us matters most to them.

By “framework” we mean a conceptual structure for how we think about issues. In other words, a statement that taps the universe of values, associations and other powerful and pre-existing ideas that people use to understand the world. Effective frameworks or “frames” are those that enable advocates to set the terms of the debate. With the right persuasive frame, we can open the door to new constituents, influence decision-makers and advance our cause.

To develop this new framework, we began by conducting a literature review of the field as well as interviews with colleagues, peers, friends and family. In particular, we conducted interviews with women of color leaders, both within and beyond California, to discuss the language and themes they use when they talk to their members and constituents about reproductive health and rights. Next, in 2004 we conducted a series of focus groups with young women and women of color in California. This research strengthened our conviction that a new frame for “choice” was necessary. Based on our research findings, we have developed a new approach for talking about reproductive freedom that:

• Reframes reproductive freedom and sexual health in ways that meet women where they are on the issues and reflects their lives.
• Speaks more directly to the concerns and experience of women of color and young women.
• Reframes reproductive freedom as essential to advancing human rights and social justice, not just a “women’s issue” or personal privacy issue.

Below is our effort to help clarify how we developed the “A Woman Knows Best” frame and our suggestions for how organizers can use the frame to advance their own work in women’s health, social justice and other related fields.

1. How were focus group participants chosen? Is this frame designed to engage particular communities more than others? If so, why?

Our driving motive in creating this framework was to provide reproductive rights advocates with a new conceptual tool to help them make their issue resonate with people and communities who are potential supporters but who still consider themselves “in the middle” on matters of reproductive choice.

Focus group participants were selected based on the following criteria:

• They belonged to the “muddled middle” on abortion access, with views ranging from pro-legalizing abortion with regulations to anti-legalization with some exceptions.
• They were members of communities of color (African American, Asian American and Latina).
• They were under the age of 40.
• As a group, they represented a range of educational backgrounds, family structures and political party affiliations.
• They were representative of their communities insofar as they were not professional organizers or activists.
• They lived in the Oakland, Los Angeles, or Fresno areas.

While the frame was developed based on our analysis of this targeted demographic’s viewpoints on reproductive rights, health and other related issues, it is also designed to resonate with the broadest group of women possible.

2. If we use this framework, do we have to stick to the script, so to speak?

We offer this frame to advocates of reproductive rights, women’s health, social justice and others as a conceptual tool, not to set the agenda for any movement. In this spirit, the frame and its messages are “open-source”: we invite people who find it useful to adapt it as they see fit to serve organizational or movement-building goals. We hope that the frame will serve as a springboard for conversation, innovation and progress toward social change.

3. The frame is long. How do we introduce people to it if we only have one sound byte to do so?

We presented the frame with supporting language to provide you the back-up rationale for
the central, take-away message: “Women know what’s best for themselves and their families.” That singular phrase is meant to work as a sound byte. All other supporting messages flow from that central tenet, and are anchored to the sentiment we heard over and over in focus groups: women think of themselves as independent, strong, tough, and determined, and want to be treated that way.

4. Does this framework for talking to men?

While the frame was created with women in mind as the primary target audience, it can certainly also speak to men. The frame asks men to recognize the knowledge and decision- making power of the women in their families and society. It calls on men to support, respect, and help fulfill women’s needs and abilities – as mothers, partners, and daughters – to make responsible personal decisions.

5. How are you disseminating the framework?

The framework and an accompanying “training kit” are available online at the CCRF home page, www.cacrf.org. CCRF members are also introducing the frame to reproductive rights advocates, women’s organizations, social justice organizations and others at conferences and speaking engagements, through our email networks and other community-based venues.

Through this initial outreach, we expect that the frame will catch on and travel, as people pass it to friends and colleagues, and we are still considering plans for a broader campaign.

6. This framework seems like its own thing. How can we use it for specific campaigns so it doesn’t distract from our campaign goals?

The framework is meant as a conceptual tool and a broad umbrella to guide discussions about
reproductive rights issues so you meet people – specifically people who are in the middle –
where they are.

When you speak to people from within a frame they are more likely to identify with, they are more likely to listen to what you have to say about specific issues. In this regard, the frame is not meant to stand alone as its own issue, but should act as a guide to help you hone your argument in support of specific reproductive rights issues and campaigns, whether it has to do with access to contraceptives, choice, parental notification, or other issues that matter to women. For example:

• An advocate working on behalf of broader healthcare issues for women of color could leverage the framework to put the patient in a more central and empowering place when it comes to decisions made about her health.

• An advocate for girls’ rights can use the frame to advance the notion that policies aimed at governing how girls live their lives should take into account each girl’s power over her destiny, whether it’s about her health or her future prospects in life.

• A community activist working on a living wage campaign can use the framework to talk about how affordable and accessible healthcare is an essential piece of her economic justice effort.


7. How can I make practical use of this new framework to build coalitions?

The “A Woman Knows Best” frame was explicitly created to speak to a broad yet uniting set of values as they relate to a range of issues including reproductive rights, women’s rights, economic justice, human rights, healthcare access, and other social justice issues. The hope is that organizers and advocates can use the frame to identify common areas of interest to build their base and move decision-makers.

Using the framework in your communications and campaign materials can help you position yourself as a natural partner to other groups or deepen your alliances with groups you already work with. Adapting things like press releases, campaign platforms, letters to constituents, and even mission statements using “A Woman Knows Best” can help you make common cause with other organizations. You could also use the frame to reach out and forge new alliances. For example, you could:

• Approach another group about to issuing a joint statements on an issue that you both care about, and use the new framework to shape the statement;
• Co-author editorials or letters to the editor that use the new framework;
• Feature the frame and some of the other groups that use it in your organization’s newsletter; and
• Share the framework and training materials with other groups with a note about how to bring out the connections between your different fields.

8. What does the new framework mean for the women’s movement, more broadly?

The women’s movement, with the reproductive rights movement, is evolving in its effort to be more inclusive and responsive to the concerns of women from diverse backgrounds, of all ages. We hope this framework can be a useful tool for women advocates working on all issues to find common cause in each other’s work. We also hope this framework can help bridge the common interests of the human rights and women’s movements by articulating shared goals and concerns.

Together, we can grow and expand an active constituency to take action and build a stronger, more vigorous base of support for the issues that women say matter to them most.