Billboards along Interstate 55 displayed pro-choice messaging to combat shaming messages.
Nonprofit organization Shout Your Abortion is behind the installation of the billboards, which were posted along I-55 from Memphis, Tennessee, to Carbondale, Illinois. According to The Washington Post, the six billboards were installed in August to run through Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri—five states that have banned most abortions.
Memphis Flyer reported that the billboards are part of Shout Your Abortion’s campaign in response to the anniversary of Tennessee’s abortion ban.
“We were motivated by the desire to tell people that it’s OK,” SYA’s co-Founder and executive Director Amelia Bonow said.
“You may just be used to hearing this judgment and shame and hatefulness, but that is actually not the majority. The vast majority of Americans support abortion rights.”
Bonow said the messages target drivers from the South who feel at odds with abortion, The Washington Post noted. The billboards include messages such as “God’s plan includes abortion” and “Abortion is OK,” followed by the statements “You are loved” or “You know what’s right for you.”
The billboards were placed to be seen by drivers heading north to Illinois, where abortion is legal. “It feels really good to think that we could have made somebody’s experience just a little bit easier,” Bonow said.
Interstate 55 carries 10s of thousands of abortion seekers out of southern states to Illinois, where abortion is legal. I-55 is covered with horrific, shaming billboards. @ShoutYrAbortion put up 6 good ones, to show love & affirmation to those making the journey. pic.twitter.com/8HlfSG1z4B
— Amelia Bonow (@ameliabonow) September 16, 2023
The messages are scheduled to come down this month. However, Bonow is seeking donations for the billboards to remain up longer. A GoFundMe has also been set up to keep four of the billboards up for another month.
Support for abortion has been amplifying following The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported that companies such as Apple, Amazon, Citigroup, Disney, Starbucks, Target and Tesla have agreed to fund travel costs for employees seeking abortion care.
CNBC reported that in 2022, Google—which also agreed to cover travel costs for employees seeking medical care—updated policies to allow employees in impacted states to apply for relocation “without justification.”
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