This episode of The Gender Justice Brief is a recording of the panel of advocates and researchers featured in the film Preconceived, moderated by Gender Justice Executive Director Megan Peterson at its premiere at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas on March 9, 2024. 

Preconceived tells the stories of Maleeha and Maria, just two of the thousands of people who have been deceived by coercive anti-abortion propaganda mills known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs). As the film follows these protagonists, it sheds light on the deceptive practices deployed by CPCs, investigates the funding streams that fuel their spread, and raises urgent questions about how to combat disinformation in a post-Dobbs era.

Panelists:

• Maleeha Aziz, Texas Equal Access Fund

• Jenifer McKenna, Reproductive Health & Freedom Watch

• Tara Murtha, Women’s Law Project 

Links:

• Preconceived home page and trailer

• Designed to Deceive: A Study of the Crisis Pregnancy Center Industry in Nine States (a report created with Gender Justice partners in the Alliance: State Advocates for Women’s Rights & Gender Equality, coauthored by panelists Jenifer McKenna and Tara Murtha)