Download as PDF
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 11, 2026

Contact: Loretta Kane (loretta@caminopr.com or 917-410-7242)

New online resource helps journalists avoid misinformation on contraception, pregnancy and IVF

Contraceptive Access Initiative finds persistent misinformation published by trusted outlets on pregnancy, contraception and IVF

WASHINGTON – The Contraceptive Access Initiative (CAI) today launched a website offering free online access to its "Stylebook and Coverage Guide: Pregnancy, Contraception and IVF," a science-based resource to help writers and editors report accurately and avoid the misinformation and disinformation that increasingly shape public debate.

Contraception and fertility treatments rank among the most widely supported public health issues, yet misinformation about them has proliferated, fueling public confusion and partisanship. A central concern the guide addresses is that many journalists — and their editors —  have unwittingly spread misinformation, often inadvertently advancing medical inaccuracy through politicized language.

"Journalists are navigating significant political and religious divides about contraception, IVF and even the basics of pregnancy," said Dana Singiser, CAI’s co-founder. "Our goal is simple: give every reporter and editor a reliable, science-based reference so they can cover these stories with accuracy and confidence."

A recent CAI review of mainstream coverage found persistent trends such as conflating abortion and contraception, treating pre-pregnancy processes as if pregnancy has begun, using highly politicized language to refer to medical issues and obscuring political opposition to contraception and IVF. In alignment with other trusted editing guidelines, this resource encourages newsrooms to treat medical misinformation about contraception as they would any other health misinformation, and to treat political arguments that do not align with medical science as opinion, not fact.

Resources in the fully searchable and recently updated stylebook include:

  • A glossary flagging medically accurate, neutral language and identifying nonmedical terms typically used to advance disinformation, such as "abortifacient contraception" and "unborn human being," which have no medical meaning.

  • Guidance on common reporting challenges that lead to mis- and disinformation in reporting.

  • A pregnancy-process reference chart that clearly illustrates the root of the most common misinformation challenges.

  • Full citations and an appendix of carefully vetted expert resources.

The "Stylebook and Coverage Guide: Pregnancy, Contraception and IVF" is available, free of charge, at reprostylebook.org. A limited quantity of free print copies of the stylebook are available upon request (while supplies last). Submit your request via email to Loretta Kane (loretta@caminopr.com).

###

The nonprofit Contraceptive Access Initiative advocates for increasing access to contraception, free from stigma, bias and coercion. CAI supports affordable over-the-counter access to oral contraception without restrictions. Our work reduces misinformation and challenges disinformation, while uplifting educational content that helps people make the choices that are right for them.