What does that have to do with anything? Abortion and competitive framing processes

This contribution addresses the competitive framing processes in the context of the debate on abortion, by focusing on abortion frames and framing strategies employed in movement-countermovement dynamics. It analyzes three posters by the Italian anti-choice association Pro Vita & Famiglia, that have been chosen because they all address abortion by referring to other issues, such as environment, migration, disability and gender violence. We explore the strategic meaning of this choice and its implications, trying to answer the following interwoven questions: how is the abortion issue framed? What framing strategies are employed by Pro Vita & Famiglia? Who are the posters targeted to? The results of the analysis show how anti-abortion discourse can appropriate other social issues to delegitimize pro-choice positions. This raises other questions: how to resist and react to the communication strategies used by Pro Vita & Famiglia? What counterframing strategies to employ?