The reproductive freedom movement in the U.S. is a diverse coalition that is much broader than the ‘pro-choice’ label that has often been applied to the movement. In particular, reproductive justice, an intersectional and human rights-based framework developed by women of colour, has risen to prominence in the movement representing a different approach to fighting for reproductive rights. In a post-Dobbs world, organizations and activists are using a variety of frames like traditional pro-choice and reproductive justice frames to fight for reproductive rights across the country. This paper empirically tests the effectiveness of these frames in the context of a particular social movement strategy: ballot measure (referendum) campaigns. Ballot measures are a unique moment where social movements directly campaign to the public, making them an ideal test of social movement frame effectiveness. I test this effectiveness using two survey experiments. The first experiment utilizes real campaign materials from the Ohio Reproductive Rights ballot measure, directly testing the use of pro-choice vs. reproductive justice framing on support for the ballot measure, finding that pro-choice frames lead to greater support. The second survey experiment utilizes a vignette that varies the different elements within pro-choice and reproductive justice frames to identify potential causal mechanism. The study furthers our knowledge of framing within the reproductive rights movement and the role of framing in increasing public support for the movement.
