Changing the Conversation: The Media And Pregnancy, Birth & Abortion

In today’s increasingly connected world, we are exposed to more media than ever and it seems that everyone has a platform. Building on our two previous events, “The Politics of Birth” (#BirthPolitics) and “Talking About Birth Justice” (#BirthJustice), “Changing the Conversation” (#BirthMedia) will focus specifically on how issues of pregnancy, abortion, and childbirth are written about in journalism, portrayed in popular fiction, and challenged through media advocacy. This panel will examine how traditional and social media shape the ways we view and experience pregnancy, childbirth, and abortion. Do we feel most representations are accurate? What do they get wrong, and why? How do these public representations impact our views about the science of giving birth? What about its impact on the social experience of pregnancy and motherhood? What kind of media representation reinforces stigma, and who is working to change the conversation for the better? What role do various branches of the media have in creating and responding to the politics of childbirth and the general public’s understanding of reproductive health, rights, and justice?

Moderated by: Carol Sternhell (NYU Professor and author)

Panelists:

• Tanya Selvaratnam (Author of The Big Lie: Motherhood, Feminism, and the Reality of the Biological Clock)
• Jennifer Block (journalist and author of Pushed; former editor at Ms. Magazine)
• Rachel E. Cooke (Associate Director, Communications, Advocates for Youth, 1 in 3 Campaign)
• more to be announced!