Communicating abortion. How sexual and reproductive rights organizations in Colombia communicate to the public opinion

Abstract: This degree project examines the question of how Colombian NGOs communicate sexual and reproductive rights issues to the public opinion, and how this has changed over time. The research is carried out through a case study of two Colombian organizations that work with sexual and reproductive rights, particularly the implementation of legal abortion.The analysis parts from a gender perspective, understanding gender as a constitutive element of social relationships as well as a primary way of signifying relationships of power.One of the main findings in the study is that the historical point of departure for this research, the LAICIA campaign that accompanied the strategic litigation that led to the partial legalization of abortion in Colombia in 2006, represents a paradigm shift in how communications were managed by civil society organizations in Colombia. Today, communications is seen as a strategic tool to help obtain a certain objective, and mobilize public opinion support, rather than as a way of convincing opponents to change their positions. LAICIA also changed the terms of the debate, introducing new parameters lifting out the issue from the traditional private sphere – delimited to a moral and religious issue, and into the public sphere, as an issue of general concern for society – not just for individual women.Today, however, much of the communication efforts are directed at impeding backlashes rather than advancing positions, and communicating reactively rather than proactively. The two organizations studied have some convergences in their work with communications, in spite of certain ideological differences, and the impact of their communication efforts could be reinforced if these were coordinated to a greater extent between organizations.