NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin : Issues : Fact Sheets

A glossary of pro-choice activism, reproductive technology and political action.

Reproductive rights– The branch of universal human rights pertaining to sexual reproduction and reproductive health, including, but not limited to: abortion rights, sexual awareness and education, contraception education, pre and post-natal care and more.

Reproductive justice –Activism that focuses on the social and economic issues affecting access to reproductive rights. Advocates believe that reproductive justice will be achieved when women and girls have the economic, social and political power and resources to make the best decisions regarding their families, communities, sexuality and health.

Reproductive Health Advocacy - Social justice activism that focuses on reproductive health disparities and inequities by providing services to marginalized communities, especially communities in lower socioeconomic groups and women of color.

Family Planning - The concept that women and couples have the right to mindfully plan how and when they will expand their families, through the use of proactive means, such as contraception and well-informed sex education.

Prevention First – A public education and policy initiative that focuses on reducing the need for abortion rather than making it more difficult and dangerous. It stakes out common ground through increased access to family planning services and contraception, ensuring comprehensive, medically accurate sex education, and high-quality prenatal care for women. The goal of Prevention First is to reduce unintended pregnancies, abortions and STDS/STIS by ensuring that individuals are informed and have access to contraception.

Roe v. Wade - In January 1973, in the landmark decision Roe v. Wade, by a vote of 7-2, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that prohibited abortion unless a woman's life was threatened. The Court held that the fundamental right to privacy extends to a woman's decision whether or not to continue a pregnancy and that any governmental interference with that right is subject to a strict review by the courts. Two decades later, in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, the Court upheld the core holding of Roe, but reduced some of its protections to allow many more restrictions on abortion. This indicative of a prevalent and dangerous trend on the Supreme Court, and explains why Wisconsin needs A Roe of Our Own. Click here to learn about all abortion-related Supreme Court Decisions.

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey — In 1992, Planned Parenthood challenged parts of the Pennsylvania’s Abortion Control Act, including provisions included spousal consent, parental notification, a 24-hour waiting period requirement and “informed consent” – meaning, doctors were required to inform women of the possible complications of the abortion procedure.

Federal Abortion Ban - Anti-choice groups and proponents of the ban call this the “partial-birth” abortion ban. This federal law, enacted by Congress and signed by President Bush in 2003, outlaws certain second-trimester abortions, and does not include any exception for when a woman’s health is threatened. In April 2007, the recently reconfigured Supreme Court upheld the ban, ignoring three decades of precedent requiring protections for women’s health, and retreating from Roe’s requirement that politicians not endanger women’s health when regulating abortion.

Trigger Laws – Several states have laws on the books that are designed to outlaw abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. These are essentially abortion bans that would be “triggered” by such an anti-choice decision by the Court.

Abortion (medical) – The use of medicines such as RU486 (mifepristone) to terminate a pregnancy. Also referred to as “the abortion pill,” “mifepristone,” “mifepristone and mifepristol,” “non-surgical abortion,” or “medical abortion.” RU 486 is a combination of pills taken to terminate an early pregnancy. The brand name is Mifeprex®. RU 486 is not the same as emergency contraception, which prevents pregnancy, although anti-choice groups often intentionally try to conflate the two. Learn the difference between Emergency Contraception and Medical abortion.

Late Term Abortion Procedure – An induced procedure to end pregnancy in its later stages; ‘late term’ is not clearly defined, though it could range anywhere from 12 to 27 weeks into pregnancy. Outlawed by Congress and upheld in 2007 by the U.S. Supreme Court

Crisis Pregnancy Centers – A non-profit organization funded by pro-choice supporters where pregnant women can go to get advice on parenting, adoption, or other choices; no medical procedures are performed at a CPC. Anti-choice groups sometimes refer to them as “pregnancy resource centers.” Many of these centers are fake “clinics” that lure women in and then attempt to dissuade them from considering abortion. They often provide misleading, biased, incomplete, or untruthful information about options for unintended pregnancies. They often use anti-choice propaganda to confuse and misinform women. Many advertise or imply they offer abortion services, but do not.

“Legal but Out of Reach” – The concept that although abortion is currently legal, there are many states and cities where abortion is all but inaccessible, whether because of distance to a quality abortion provider, cost of abortion or to get to a provider, lack of proper medical personnel to provide abortions or other pertaining factors.

Hyde Amendment – Passed by congress in 1976, the Hyde Amendment excludes abortion from the comprehensive health care services provided to low-income people by the federal government through Medicaid. Congress has made some exceptions to the funding bans, which have varied over the years. At present, the federal Medicaid program mandates abortion funding in cases of rape or incest, as well as when a pregnant woman's life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury.

Unborn Victims of Violence Act (UVVA) - Federal legislation that defines a fetus as a "child in utero" and provides it, but not the pregnant woman, protection from violent crime; affords fetus legal standing separate from pregnant woman. This law was passed in 2004 and signed into law by President George W. Bush.

Title X Clinics—A category of legislation that provides federal funding for family planning clinics. Established by Congress in 1970, the aim of the program is "to assist in making comprehensive voluntary family planning services readily available to all persons desiring such services." These funds cannot be used to provide abortion; however, they do require all-options pregnancy counseling.

Barriers to Abortion – Barriers to abortion are various ways in which although legal, abortion is many times difficult to carry out (see also “Legal but Out of Reach”). Barriers to abortion can be legislative (such as laws regarding minors seeking abortion, parental consent laws, bans on certain abortion procedures, mandatory wait laws, etc) but can also be societal (economic oppression, stereotypes about women who receive abortions, etc).

Biased Counseling - Anti-choice groups deliberately refer to these requirements, incorrectly, as “informed consent” or “women’s right to know” laws. Laws that force doctors to subject women to state-mandated lectures that often contain biased or misleading information.

Mandatory Delay – Require state-imposed delays of up to three days before women can receive abortion care. In Wisconsin, there is a 24 hour mandatory delay between a woman’s consultation and her abortion. Reproductive rights advocates oppose mandatory delays because they place an additional burden on women, who may be forced to take more time off of work or pay for additional transportation and childcare due to these restrictions.

Counseling Bans - Also known as “gag rules.” These bans prohibit health-care providers from counseling about or referring women for abortion services. The bans are usually targeted at health-care professionals who receive government funding and/or participate in government programs.

Global Gag Rule—Also known as the “Mexico City Policy,” this US restriction was implemented most recently by George W. Bush in January 2001. This policy prohibits any family planning assistance provided by NGOs that use any other funding to perform abortion (except in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment), provide counseling or referrals for abortions or lobby to make abortions legal or more available in their country. Called the “gag” rule because it stifles free speech and debate, this policy forces NGOs to choose between US assistance and offering women essential health services.

Refusal clauses - Referred to as “conscience” clauses by anti-choice groups. These are laws that allow (depending on the specific type of refusal clause) health-care providers, pharmacists, hospitals, employers, HMOs, and/or insurers to refuse to pay, dispense, provide, or refer for contraception, abortion care, or other medical treatments.

Pharmacy Refusal Clauses—the refusal of a pharmacist or pharmacy to fill a safe, legal birth control prescription based on his or her personal beliefs. The Birth Control Protection Act would make this illegal in Wisconsin; click here to learn more.

Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) - TRAP laws impose unnecessary and burdensome regulations on abortion providers that are not required of other medical professionals. TRAP laws are not designed to protect women’s health, but are instead one of the anti-choice movement’s most aggressive tools used to try to reduce access to safe and legal abortion.

Contraception – Any device used to assist in the prevention of pregnancy. Includes birth-control pills, condoms, spermicidal lubricant, sponges, the Nuva-Ring, the Patch and also, other forms, such as IUDs, the birth control shot and even sterilization procedures, such as vasectomy (for males) and hysterectomy (for females).

Emergency Contraception (Plan B, the morning after pill) – A pill taken after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. Also known as “morning-after” pill. EC is a concentrated dosage of regular birth-control pills. When taken within 72-120 hours of unprotected sex, it has a success rate of up to 89 percent in preventing pregnancy. EC inhibits ovulation, fertilization, or implantation before pregnancy occurs. It is not the same medication as mifepristone, or RU 486. Emergency contraception’s brand name is Plan B^®. Although FDA advisory panels have overwhelmingly approved Plan B^® for over-the-counter use, the agency has continued to stall on approving this switch.

Protection Against Clinic Violence - A law that prohibits the use of force, the threat of force, or physical obstruction to prevent individuals from obtaining or providing reproductive health care services. This law makes entering clinics safer for patients and practitioners alike.

Microbicides – Currently in testing, microbicides are a range of woman-initiated, topical products (i.e., foams, gels, rings, films) in development to prevent the transmission of HIV and other STIs. Thus far, no microbicide has been proven to be effective during clinical trials.

OB/GYN—OB stands for obstetrician, a physician who delivers babies. GYN is short for gynecology or gynecologist, a physician who specializes in treating female reproductive health issues. Women see OB/GYNs to get pap smears, STD/STI testing, physical exams and prenatal care.

Abstinence Only Education – A form of sexual education in which people are only informed that abstinence is the one completely effective form of birth control. Abstinence only education excludes any supplemental information regarding sexual health and reproduction.

Abstinence-Plus – Abstinence-plus is a form of sex education which stresses abstinence as the only responsible choice until marriage, and provides limited information on preventing STIs/HIV and unintended pregnancies. Reproductive rights advocates feel that abstinence plus, while certainly preferable to abstinence-only, does not prepare young people as well as comprehensive sex education.

Comprehensive Sex Education – A form of sexual education addressing every aspect of sexual health and reproduction including, but not limited to: abstinence, contraception, and STD/HIV prevention.

Pre-natal care – Prenatal care monitors the progress of a pregnancy and may be administered by a doctor, midwife or other healthcare professional. Women who receive consistent, quality pre-natal care are more likely to have healthy babies and fewer complications during childbirth. Many women, especially women of color, receive inadequate prenatal care because of cost.

Grassroots Organizing – A form of political advocacy which depends upon the people to make change. Grassroots organizers believe in the power of ordinary people to impact those in positions of power, and seek large numbers of individuals to participate in their movements. NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, and other reproductive rights advocacy groups, are built on the grassroots model of change.

Tabling - Securing a table at an event, dispersing information about choice, asking people to volunteer, to sign up for CAN alerts. To be an effective table volunteer, you should be outgoing and unafraid to approach people. Tabling is a fun way to meet new people and spread the pro-choice message.

Phone Bank - Calling the people in your community to let them know about an upcoming event, ask them to volunteer, or to ask them to go to the polls.

Canvassing (Door Knocking) – One of the most effective grassroots organizing tools, which involves going door to door to gain support and educate people on a specific issue. It’s used to garner support through petition-signing to then demonstrate to elected officials the amount of support passing pro-choice legislature has.

Literature Drop - Recruiting a couple of friends to head out into a pre-determined neighborhood to “drop” literature about choice or about a pro-choice candidate at each home (never in or near mailboxes!). Other locations to drop literature are full parking lots.

Crowd Canvassing – An exposure tool that involves approaching people in busy public areas to sign a petition or some other outreach tool to collect names of supporters. It helps to do this in an area where there are a lot of people (like before or after a concert or large public event) and is a good supplement when tabling isn’t an option. It’s a good way to reach new people and do one-on-one education and for expanding awareness or your volunteer base. Make sure to do canvassing on public property, or have the OK of the event staff before you canvass.

Visibility—Visibility refers to the community’s awareness of a perceived social problem or political campaign. To be successful, grassroots lobbying groups and other political movements need high visibility, as expressed by media, volunteer presence and legislative action.

Honk & Wave – A grassroots organizing tool that employs a group of people standing at a busy intersection with pro-choice signs to encourage passing cars to honk in support. The group holds signs with phrases such as “Honk if You’re Pro-Choice!” and wave to passing cars, encouraging them to honk their approval. It is a simple, lost cost activity that can assist in raising awareness of the choice issue. It’s best utilized at times when the issue of choice is “hot”, like right before an election or when legislature is being voted on that concerns choice issues. It also helps to demonstrate tangibly, how many people really do support choice.

Choice Action Network - The best way to find out about current legislation on the local and national level that affects women’s reproductive rights, and how you can take action! Email is delivered right to your inbox so that you are able to make your voice heard with ease. Click here to join Wisconsin’s CAN today.

Choice Lobby Network - The CLN is a new network of volunteer lobbyists throughout Wisconsin who advocate for change by working to elect pro-choice candidates, monitoring choice activity in their community and talking to their friends and family about voting pro-choice.

Letter to the Editor - Letter to a newspaper(s) regarding an important issue. Letters to the editor are short, to the point and concern a timely political or social issue. Letters to the editor can be written from home and are easily accessible to grassroots activists.

Political Action Committee (PAC) – A committee established specifically to assist candidates with contributions.

GOTV (Get Out the Vote) – Activities planned for the purposes of motivating people to vote.

Coalition – A group of organizations working together to achieve a specific goal.