Newsletter
As Election Day Looms, Abortion Rights Come to the Fore
With Vanessa Carlton, Greencard and All* In Action Fund
With the U.S. presidential election just days away, abortion rights and related issues could help decide the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Below, we look at three compelling campaigns supporting women’s health and the right to choose. Each initiative has garnered considerable play and turned up the temperature as the political cycle reaches a crescendo.
‘A Thousand Miles’ – The Center of Reproductive Rights / GSD&M
Vanessa Carlton’s poppy 2002 hit single “A Thousand Miles”—about a girl bursting with puppy love—takes on a darker meaning in 2024.
The Center for Reproductive Rights released a short film, developed by GSD&M, named for the song. The video shows a young woman driving her car through long stretches of terrain, across towns and cityscapes, crossing well beyond the Texas state line. Day turns to night and she sleeps alone in her car in a dark parking lot. The message: “A Thousand Miles … to receive safe abortion care” flashes above the imagery. Towards the end of the film, as she waits in a doctor’s office, she sees two women whose paths she crossed as she made the long journey to an out-of-state healthcare facility.
Carlton appears in the video with poignant words about her own experience of abortion due to an ectopic pregnancy, emphasizing she could have died without the procedure, urging viewers to tell Congress to protect reproductive freedom.
‘The Trial’ – All* In Action Fund / Klick Health
The organization, which categorizes itself as a “catalyst for abortion justice,” teamed up with Hollywood film director Gandja Monteiro (Wednesday, Agatha All Along), to place high drama at the center of a dark tale.
The story takes place during the 17th century witch trials and focuses on a woman named Claire. An angry mob drags her to a town square—where a scornful judge berates her for having an abortion.
But, “The Trial” has a twist. All of the words uttered by the judge and the mob are taken verbatim from anti-abortion policy makers “determined to drag society into the past,” like Louisiana Senator John Kennedy and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Claire’s words were first spoken by reproductive justice leaders, like Georgetown University Law Professor Michele Goodwin and Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The creative, handled by Klick Health, serves as a reminder of how far the U.S. is sliding backwards as abortion bans continue to criminalize the actions of women and healthcare providers across the country.
Social Video Series – GreenCard Pictures / Walrus
Greencard Pictures doesn’t mince words, and these videos were created in support of the Harris/Walz ticket. The effort is led by Greencard executive producer Emily Wiedemann, Walrus CCO Deacon Webster and Emmy-winning filmmaker Andrew Jarecki (The Jinx).
The series showcases humor while addressing critical issues surrounding reproductive rights.
In “Sex of Tomorrow” Robo Stud is the answer for women not wanting more babies:
An animated birth control pill? Yes. “How a Pill Becomes a Law” (riffing on Schoolhouse Rock) points to 195 Republicans who have voted against protecting the right for women to access birth control:
The goal is to shift away from “the usual finger wagging” and harness good creative to appeal to undecided voters. The video shorts can be found on TikTok, Instagram and the NowThis social media publisher.
