Emergency Contraception: Remove the Restrictions

Communications Challenges

1. Reignite a debate about over-the-counter access to emergency contraception using the one year anniversary of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruling the FDA, keeping the product restricted despite research indicating the product is safe and should should be avaialble to all ages.

2. Engage a broad coalition of supportive organziations, many with differing ideas about issue priorities in a second term and encourage engagement with this campaign.

3. Increase public awareness of the issue and the need for the policy change at a time when the media has no motivation to focus on emergency contraception as tax, debt, and other fiscal issues crowd the public policy space during the lame-duck session of the 112th Congress. 

Success

Working with Conway Strategic on behalf of the Reproductive Health Technolgies Project, a coordinated campaign was orchestrated to reignite the public debate about access to emergency contraception. Providing research and message tools to a large coalition, along with a condensed campaign framework leading up to the one year anniversary of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruling the FDA, social media reach and impression exceeded expectations, as did petition signatures gathered urging HHS to act. More than 70 stories were generated in mainstream and online media. Two videos and a series of social media memes based on peer reviewed research were produced to provoke dialogue, inform, and give citizens opportunities to engage their own networks with the campaign.