The Considered and The Opt-In Reframe the Reproductive Rights Conversation with Groundbreaking Campaign

Jun. 28, 2023

In a stirring, timely grassroots effort that focuses on a vital sociopolitical issue, pioneering healthcare marketing agency The Considered, in collaboration with culture strategy firm The Opt-In, essentially flipped the script on the dialogue around reproductive rights with a campaign dubbed "Speak Up Man".

With a succinct, yet powerful message that "reproductive rights are human rights" —  including those of women, men, and gender-expansive people — the initial phase of the "Speak Up Man" movement was launched in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and amid the maelstrom of the midterm elections. Centered on the fundamental concepts that it takes two people to create a pregnancy and that it’s more important than ever for men to speak up about abortion, the campaign was developed by The Considered and The Opt-In, in collaboration with New Voices for Reproductive Justice, Men4Choice, and ProChoice Majority, to activate both sides involved in a pregnancy and, in turn, double the volume and voices of people to get out the vote ahead of the midterms.

Aurora Archer, Founder and CEO at The Opt-In shared:

"By most measures — economic assets, wealth, political representation, corporate leadership — men hold an overwhelming share of power and control, thus their voices and allyship is critical to bringing greater policy change, activism, and equity for the benefit and well being of all."

 

To realize their ambitions, the creative forces involved unveiled a cornerstone component of "Speak Up Man," a short film series that turned the spotlight on the demographic with the most power and potential to be heard — cis straight men  — and transformed them into advocates on behalf of pregnant people by sharing their deeply personal stories about being party to an abortion and how it affected them. In essence, the idea makes perfect sense seeing as most policymakers and around half of voters in the U.S. are men, many of whom have undoubtedly benefited from an abortion, knowingly or unknowingly.

Anna Near, founder of campaign partner ProChoice Majority said:

"Bringing men into the reproductive rights conversation is imperative, and the "Speak Up Man" campaign zeroed in on that and amplified it in a way that had cross-generational appeal. We loved partnering with them!"

 

On a shoestring budget, the production for "Speak Up Man" was essentially a labor of love, one in which a skeleton crew of just two women traveled across the U.S. filming a series of vivid, revealing interviews with four men from all different walks of life. The resulting videos were not only shared on social media, where they garnered 200,000+ TikTok views in the week leading up to the midterms, but drove viewers to the campaign hub SpeakUpMan.com.

Created in conjunction with the films, the site served as a wholly unique database, one that was born from hundreds of hours of awe-inspiring, painstaking research on the voting procedures for each of the 41,704 zip codes in the US, as well as all the 1144 candidates standing for election and their views on reproductive rights. Visitors to the site could enter their zip code to find out how to register to vote, when and where to do so, as well as their local candidates’ perspectives on the prevailing issue.

Donny, one of the four men who shared his story, said:

"This is not a show. This is not fake. This is not something that you do for clicks and likes. This is something that’s affecting everyone’s lives, whether they know it or not."

 

Of course, the 2022 midterms are now in the books, and even though turnout is typically disappointing — well below 40% — amazingly, every state with abortion rights on the ballot voted in favor of protecting them in this particular election cycle. Given the goals, scope, and compassion behind it, as well as its results, it wouldn’t be too presumptuous to believe that an innovative, heartfelt initiative like "Speak Up Man' played a small part in keeping the conversation alive among voters throughout the US during the election process.

As more oppressive laws are being rolled out across the country and the 2024 presidential election looms, the stakes are only getting higher. According to a study published in the journal BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health, 1 in 5 transgender, nonbinary and gender-expansive (TGE) pregnant people attempt abortion on their own, without clinical supervision. The Considered and The Opt-In aim to continue and expand the dialogue by including TGE voices in the next evolution of the campaign.

Creative Director Emily Knight-Kristoffersen is already looking ahead, said:

"Stories shape our world. For too long, abortion as a ‘women’s issue’ has been the narrative. Every voice that we capture and amplify has the power to change that. Our work here is far from done."