Steph Herold

Steph Herold

Sea Change Program

Steph Herold, MPH, is an award-winning activist and social scientist with a background in abortion care, abortion funds, and reproductive health advocacy. She is a co-founder and former co-director of one of the leading abortion stigma reduction organizations in the United States, the Sea Change Program. Steph is a recognized expert on abortion access, appearing in various media outlets including the Melissa Harris-Perry Show. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of Reproaction. Her past board experience includes serving on the Board of Directors of the New York Abortion Access Fund for three years, the Steering Committee of the International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma for two years, and on the ACCESS: Women’s Health Justice Board of Directors for one year. Steph lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and dog. You can follow her on Twitter at @StephHerold.

[Photo: Abby Johnson (played by actress Ashley Bratcher) cares for a group of women in pain during a scene from the movie Unplanned.]

Shock, Gore, and More: ‘Unplanned’ Recycles Timeworn Tropes of Anti-Choice Films

Steph Herold & Gretchen Sisson

Anti-abortion films spread misinformation and build a world that is distinctly white, Christian, and conservative.

Study: Abortion Rates Are in Decline, but There’s No Single Reason Why

Steph Herold

Until we have more insight about the reasons for the 25 percent decrease in the national abortion rate, the abortion rate is just that: a number.

Study: Abortion Pills Ordered Online Were Safe, But None Came With Instructions

Steph Herold

This is the first study to test the potency of the pills themselves.

People Have Multiple Abortions—and Stigmatizing Them Is Counterproductive

Steph Herold

As researchers note in a new study, “the ability to access abortion care when needed—even if more than once—should be prioritized.”

‘Birthright’ Film Offers Incomplete Look at the War on Abortion

Steph Herold

We need documentaries that go further, by challenging the notion that women are just victims of the state, that abortions are primarily a sad and tragic affair, and that the only reason to care about abortion restrictions is because they affect “respectable” women who want to pursue motherhood.

‘Our Patients Aren’t Stupid’: New Study Finds Mandatory Waiting Periods, Counseling Don’t Work as Intended

Steph Herold

While these restrictions provide logistical and financial obstacles to obtaining an abortion, they often do not achieve the desired emotional obstacle of forcing a patient to reconsider their abortion decision.

When Allies Stigmatize: Nick Kristof, Family Planning, and Abortion

Steph Herold

In a recent column, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist distinguishes abortion from other types of health care—a common false dichotomy but a peculiar stance from a global health advocate.

‘Dirty Dancing’ Led the Way in Depicting Abortion—If Only Other Media Would Follow

Steph Herold

A new study shows how today's TV doesn't measure up to past depictions, often exaggerating abortion risk and how easy it is to get care.

The Cultural Toll of the Hyde Amendment

Steph Herold

Simply put, Hyde is a bad policy and leads to poor health outcomes, especially for women of color and people who are struggling to make ends meet. Here's an explanation of the emotional and cultural effect Hyde has had over the last 40 years.

Abortion Rates Alone Don’t Tell Us What We Need to Know About the State of Reproductive Wellness

Steph Herold

While a new Associated Press report suggests the abortion rate is declining in almost all states, we still don't know whether there's been an increase in reproductive wellness. Focusing only on a lowered abortion rate as metric of health and well-being is both inaccurate and stigmatizing of abortion.

Steph Herold

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