“Why don’t I hear these kinds of stories in the media?”
This was the question I asked myself on the plane back from Heartbeat International’s 2025 annual conference. I had just interviewed several pregnancy center directors and listened as they talked about the women who entered their clinics. Women who experienced abortion regret. Women who saw their baby on an ultrasound for the first time and decided to choose life. Women who found support and were able to turn a desperate situation into a hopeful one.
When most people think about abortion, the first thing that comes to mind is not the women in a state of panic or the safety net built to help them—it’s the politics of abortion.
Media has played a significant role in this dynamic. According to a recent analysis conducted by POLITICO, since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, local newspapers were 2.5 times more likely to cover abortion as a political issue.
In other words, the public is more likely to hear what pro-lifers are against rather than what they are for.
The abortion lobby has played into this perception by sensationally promoting the lie that pro-lifers want to take “rights” and “healthcare” away from women.
Unfortunately, it’s been working.
Since Dobbs, public sentiment in favor of abortion has increased. In 2021, 49% of people identified as “pro-choice,” while 47% identified as “pro-life.” That number has plummeted. As of 2024, 54% identify as “pro-choice” and 41% as “pro-life.”
It is undeniable that members of the media have a large role to play in the future of abortion. The stories, narratives and information communicated through popular media channels have already and will continue to affect public opinion.
It’s with this backdrop that Vitae Foundation understands the media to be an essential part of winning back the culture. As part of our new strategic plan, we aim to empower our pro-life media allies to effectively communicate with “the movable middle” (those who don’t identify as either pro-choice or pro-life). It’s time to regain ground.
Helping others understand the emotional factors behind abortion decision-making is a fundamental step in this direction. If abortion is marketed as a solution, it functions like any other brand. Its appeal lies not only in how it meets the emotional needs of women facing an unexpected pregnancy but also in how effectively it addresses the concerns of stakeholders (those who believe abortion is necessary). It was this insight that led Vitae’s founder, Carl Landwehr, to ask the question, “How would you market the product of life if that was your business?”
This question has driven 30 years of Emotional Research to primarily assist pregnancy centers with their marketing and clientele services. But applied differently, it can help pro-life media reorient their objectives post-Dobbs.
As one director of a pregnancy center insightfully told me, “When we can see that she’s human and really get to know her and understand her story, then we can have more compassion for her.” She’s right. Since our goal is to drive people away from fatal solutions toward life-affirming ones, it is essential we understand her and help others do so, too.
The first thing people should visualize when they think about abortion are the lives of those impacted by the pro-life cause, not the politics of abortion law. Pro-life media need to demonstrate the human impact of pro-life networks all throughout the country.
Instead of highlighting the most contentious parts of the debate, it’s important for pro-life media to shift the dialogue onto stories highlighting the woman and her preborn child—driving home why we don’t need to sacrifice one life in favor of the other.
People need to hear about the women who choose to bring life into the world, the women who overcome adversity and the love of pregnancy center staff who dedicate themselves to serving women in need—these are the stories that will change minds. And there are so many more to tell.
Pro-life media has an essential role to play in amplifying the stories that, when shared, have the power to reframe the issue and change the narrative altogether.