OBERLAND hits hard with an impactful campaign on abortion restrictions

The second spot, Forced, takes a more direct approach, tracing all of the things forced upon people seeking abortions: taking unpaid leave from work, hours of travel, paying for care, or, perhaps, in the face of so many forced costs and hurdles, staying pregnant.

Behind the camera for both spots is SMUGGLER director Samantha Scaffidi, who, as with her powerful Walk for RAINN from last year, shows that she's a master of moving narrative and impactful performances.

“There should be no shame in getting an abortion,” said OBERLAND Founder and Chief Creative Officer Bill Oberlander. “ACLU wants to show how people are frustrated by these laws that prevent them from getting an abortion, and that they should never have to apologize for making that decision.” 

“We needed to find language that will win in this heated and urgent moment for reproductive freedom,” adds OBERLAND Chief Strategy Officer Kate Charles, who led the research efforts to reach the right language to reach advocates. “We need to reframe the discussion on the real result of abortion restrictions: forced pregnancy. The pregnant person needs to be the centre of the narrative - those are the stories that have been muted for too long.” 

“With the ACLU shifting the message around to forced pregnancy, we believe it will help people see these laws for what they really are,” continues OBERLAND Managing Partner and Executive Creative Director Lisa Topol. “They’re dystopian.”