Last year was the country's worst year for reproductive rights in nearly a half century. In 2021, states across the U.S. introduced nearly 600 abortion restrictions and enacted over 100 restrictions — more in any one year since 1973, when the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade affirmed our federal right to abortion.
This past June, the Supreme Court stripped Americans of that right when it overturned Roe v. Wade — allowing states to ban abortion. Americans overwhelmingly support abortion — roughly 80% want it to remain legal — and few believed their basic right to control their own bodies hung in the balance. Now women of reproductive age in half the states in the country — more than 36 million women, and even more people who can become pregnant — could lose access to abortion.
We're outraged, but we won't stand by and we won't give up. Planned Parenthood knew abortion rights supporters, coalition partners, corporate partners, the arts and entertainment industry, and others needed a rallying cry — to galvanize their opposition to abortion restrictions and build a platform to protect, and expand abortion access. That cry is “Bans Off Our Bodies.”
Planned Parenthood's Bans Off Our Bodies campaign (Basta De Controlarnos in Spanish) has grown into an inclusive and movement-based manifesto. Bans Off Our Bodies captures the zeitgeist of the moment and it has been widely adopted across the country, in media, at events and rallies, in art, and politics, and on t-shirts, protest signs, and more.
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood had the unique responsibility of preparing people across the U.S. for the devastating consequences and providing them with the information and tools to speak up and fight back. We knew it was essential to harness shock, and anger, with empowerment — to engage and prepare people for the long road ahead. And so we did.
Bans Off Our Bodies deserves to win because it has captured the zeitgeist of this moment. Our language resonates with people across the country — from activists to artists to business leaders — who have made it their own. Bans Off Our Bodies has become more than a campaign, it’s an anthem to fight oppression, a framework for a movement that many will use for years to come.
Paid
We ran a persuasion campaign to supportive audiences unaware that SCOTUS would likely overturn Roe v. Wade, and an education campaign about the widespread harm that the end of protected abortion rights would cause across the country. Both campaigns were built to adapt to meet fast-changing developments and, ultimately, the specifics of the SCOTUS decision. We reached our audiences across platforms in targeted phases that built over time to move people from awareness to action.
Owned
BansOff.org and BastaDeControlarnos.org have 3.8M pageviews, with an average time on page of 3:26 minutes. These sites feature the most up-to-date information about the state of abortion access, advocacy, and actions like event registration, the Bans Off petition, volunteering, and more.
Organizing
The campaign has been front and center at many in-person and virtual organizing events, including swag, mobile billboards, event branding, and stunts such as 187’ banners. We conducted large-scale rallies on May 14, shortly after the decision leaked, and again on June 24, when the final decision came.
Partnerships
To reach new audiences and break through the busy news cycle, we partnered with buzzworthy people and organizations who are trusted messengers for our audiences. A sampling of our work within the arts and entertainment industry included: a New York Times declaration signed by 160+ young celebrities and influencers; partnerships with major music acts and festivals; a Fashion Says Bans Off day of action with fashion icons styling our Bans Off Our Bodies pin; a late-night show takeover with monologues and mentions by most hosts in one week; collaborations with TikTok influencers to combat misinformation; and social engagement by influencer partners reaching their 2.5B+ followers.
Corporate partners joined the fight to support and expand abortion rights for their employees and communities. Over 70 beauty and wellness brands (including Benefit Cosmetics, Black Girl Sunscreen, Lush Cosmetics, Lululemon, and The Body Shop) signed on to our digital campaign, and 6500+ corporate employees from all levels of organizations in every state joined a national walkout to stand with abortion providers and patients.
Paid
April - July: we delivered 309M impressions; 142M complete video views.
2.2M click-throughs to owned websites.
40 homepage takeovers in 24 states on May 14.
130,000 direct sign-ups for rallies.
Lift tests showed that creative effectively persuaded audiences of the impending threat to abortion rights.
Partnerships
Pre-decision, we released explainer videos narrated by Taraji P. Henson, Laura Gomez, America Ferrera, Aja Naomi King, and Blair Imani, with coverage by Complex, Root, and more.
On decision day, hundreds of celebrities posted on social, with a reach of 2.5B+.
The New York Times ad was covered by 24 publications; accompanying social posts reached 1.3B+ followers on Instagram.
Partnerships with TikTok influencers led to ~6M video views.
Earned
1500+ media hits elevating local actions on May 14, reached 841M English speakers and 112M Spanish speakers, many featuring Planned Parenthood leaders, providers, and spokespeople.
Owned
Since April, BansOff.org and BastaDeControlarnos.org have 3.8M pageviews, with an average time on page of 3:26 minutes.
On decision day, our social channels had ~23M+ impressions, 15M reach, and 900K engagements.
Organizing
On the day of the leak, 22,500+ activists turned out in 58+ cities.
1M+ supporters turned out for Bans Off Our Bodies rallies across the country.
99 Planned Parenthood organizations hosted events in 44 states, including international marches that popped up organically in places like Berlin and Mexico City.
On decision day, hundreds of thousands of supporters turned out at 550+ national events.
