Prevention Not Prohibition is a provocative public education campaign highlighting the fact that the majority of American Catholics support access to contraception and legal abortion, and support policies that prevent, rather than criminalize, abortion. 

To kick off the campaign, CFC advertisements, “How to end the abortion wars” and “Nobody wants to need an abortion,” appeared in Metro stations and on bus shelters around Washington, DC, and will spread out across the country to appear in newspapers where state policy makers introduce policies that support pregnant women in the choices they make.

Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, noted, “The advertisements articulate the view of the majority of American Catholics who do not want to see abortion criminalized, but want to see it less necessary. The campaign seeks to galvanize their support for proactive legislation that reduces the need for abortion and provides good options for women coping with an unintended pregnancy.”

“Two pieces of legislation on Capitol Hill—Prevention First and the Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act—are a step in the right direction,” O’Brien continued. “However, we believe that women and their families, especially those who are poor, need even more. They want policies that result in real action, not just talk. Prevention Not Prohibition aims to convert the talk in Washington, DC, into real life public policy.” 

Given that 97% of Catholic women have used a contraceptive method banned by the bishops and less that a quarter of Catholics want abortion banned outright, there is ample support for policies that reduce the need for abortion. The campaign identifies a number of opportunities for advocacy and improved policies. These include: 

• Ensuring the availability and promoting the use of safe, reliable and affordable birth control;
• Securing health care for all, whether they are employed or not;
• Promoting responsible sexuality education that provides accurate facts; and
• Guaranteeing that parents have access to child care.

The first stage of the campaign will be to convince policymakers at all levels of government to introduce and fund initiatives that both promote access to and education about contraception and offer serious economic support to women who have unintended pregnancies. To that end, CFC has and continues to sponsor briefings on Capitol Hill and in the states that outline the theological background that enables Catholics to support contraceptive policies and take the voices of Catholics in the pew into the corridors of political power.

 

• Read the press release
• Read Jon O’Brien’s Op-Ed in the National Catholic Reporter on the campaign
• Read an article in the Philadelphia Daily News about the campaign
• View PDFs of the ads
  • How to end the abortion wars [PDF]
  • Nobody wants to need an abortion [PDF]