Because data is not just numbers. It’s stories.
When we collect and visualize data about abortion, we make visible what is often kept silent. We challenge taboos. We share truths. We create tools to fight stigma with care, empathy, and evidence.
Data doesn’t just inform: it holds power. It determines which problems get attention, whose voices get amplified, and what solutions receive funding.
Here’s how data becomes a tool for reproductive justice:
It proves that abortion is common, not rare. It helps us make grounded, factual arguments. In public health, data is crucial to developing universal and effective policies (Koplan et al., 2009).
Activists and governments can monitor access to abortion, legal reforms, and public narratives over time (Jakubowski & Frumkin, 2010; Murray & Frenk, 2008).
It reveals patterns, key regions, and priority audiences. Allowing us to create more precise and impactful campaigns.
We need to prove what’s working. We can say, “This changed. Things are different now.” Data backs that up.
Yes, data can narrate. Like a photograph, it captures patterns and allows us to build narratives that move people, not just persuade them.
Counting also means sharing. By quantifying experiences, like the number of unsafe abortions or teen pregnancies, we create a common language that activists, researchers, policymakers, and funders can use to work together.
