Academic Publications:
- Abortion pills on TV: An exploratory study of the associations between abortion plotline viewership and beliefs regarding in-clinic and self-managed medication abortion. Co-authored with Natalie Morris, Dr. Antonia Biggs, Rosalyn Schroeder, Shelly Kaller, and Dr. Gretchen Sisson in Contraception, 2024.
- Exposure to Lived Representations of Abortion in Popular Television Program Plotlines on Abortion-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Support: An Exploratory Study. Co-authored with Dr. Andréa Becker, Rosalyn Schroeder, & Dr. Gretchen Sisson in Sex Roles, 2024.
- ‘I could see myself doing something like that’: US women’s engagement with characters who experience abortion, adoption and surrogacy on Little Fires Everywhere. Co-authored with Dr. Gretchen Sisson in Culture, Health, & Sexuality, 2023.
- “You can’t tell this story without abortion”: television creators on narrative intention and development of abortion stories on their shows. Co-authored with Dr. Gretchen Sisson in Communication, Culture, & Critique, 2023.
- Prime-time abortion on Grey’s Anatomy: What do US viewers learn from fictional portrayals of abortion on television? Co-authored with Dr. Gretchen Sisson, Dr. Nathan Walter, and John J. Brooks in Perspectives in Sexual & Reproductive Health in 2021.
- Disseminating Evidence on Abortion Facilities to Health Departments: A Randomized Study of E-mail Strategies. Co-authored with Dr. Katie Woodruff, Dr. Nancy Berglas, and Dr. Sarah C. M. Roberts. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Communication in 2021.
- “I can’t believe your mixed ass wasn’t on the pill!”: race and abortion on American scripted television, 2008-2019. Co-authored with Dr. Gretchen Sisson and Renee Bracey Sherman. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Feminist Media Studies in 2020.
- Abortion on American television: An update on recent portrayals, 2015-2019. Co-authored with Dr. Gretchen Sisson. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Contraception in 2020.
- Experiences of harassment and empowerment after sharing personal abortion stories publicly. Co-authored with Dr. Katie Woodruff, Rosalyn Schroeder, Dr. Sarah C.M.Roberts, and Dr. Nancy F. Berglas. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Contraception X in 2020.
- Self-managed abortion: A systematic scoping review. Co-authored with Dr. Heidi Moseson, Sofia Filippa, Jill Barr-Walker, Sarah E. Baum, and Dr. Caitlin Gerdts. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology in 2019.
- Hangers, Potions, and Pills: Abortion Procedures on American Television, 2008 to 2018. Co-authored with Dr. Gretchen Sisson. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Women’s Health Issues, 2019.
- “The Stakes are So High”: interviews with progressive journalists reporting on abortion. Co-authored with Dr. Gretchen Sisson and Dr. Katie Woodruff. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Contraception in 2017.
- Women’s Private Conversations about Abortion: A Qualitative Study. Co-authored with Dr. Katrina Kimport and Kate Cockrill. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Women’s Health in 2015.
Online Publications:
- Abortion Stories On Screen Rarely Show Reality. We Deserve Better. (Romper)
- Re-Scripting Depictions of Abortion on Screen (New America Institute, co-authored with Vicki Shabo)
- How TV shows have grappled with a post-Dobbs America (The Conversation)
- Hollywood’s Role in Stigmatizing Abortion (The American Prospect)
- From ‘Dirty Dancing’ to ‘Scandal,’ On-Screen Abortion Stories Carry Sway (New York Times)
- Increased Visibility, Increasing Restrictions: Abortion on TV (Los Angeles Review of Books)
- In 2020, TV and film still couldn’t get abortion right (The Conversation)
- Abortion storytellers and the harassment they face (The Hill)
- Need an abortion? There’s an app for that. (Bitch)
- More Stories, More Inaccuracies: Abortion Onscreen in 2019 (Ms. Magazine)
- The Abortion Storyline In ‘The Letdown’ Season 2 Is Different — We’ve Studied Them All (Romper)
- Beyond the Back Alley: “Call the Midwife” and TV’s Stubborn Abortion Binary (Bitch)
- How You Can Support Abortion Rights Today (Lilith)
- Shock, Gore, and More: ‘Unplanned’ Recycles Timeworn Tropes of Anti-Choice Films (Rewire)
- From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Putting the “Shrill” Abortion Scene in Context (Ms. Magazine)
- Study: Abortion Rates Are in Decline, But There’s No Single Reason Why (Rewire)
- Study: Abortion Pills Ordered Online Were Safe, But None Came With Instructions (Rewire)
- Moms Get Real About Their Abortions (Kveller)
- People Have Multiple Abortions—and Stigmatizing Them Is Counterproductive (Rewire)
- ‘Birthright’ Film Offers Incomplete Look at the War on Abortion (Rewire)
- A New Online Service Aims to Help Women Self-Manage Abortion (Glamour)
- What It’s Like for Jewish Moms Who Are Abortion Providers (Kveller)
- ‘Our Patients Aren’t Stupid’: New Study Finds Mandatory Waiting Periods, Counseling Don’t Work as Intended (Rewire)
- Bill O’Reilly Made My Life a Nightmare (Marie Claire)
- Yes, taxpayer dollars should fund abortions (The Hill)
- Ilyse Hogue on Abortion Storytelling, Fighting Trump — and Being a Jewish Mom (Kveller)
- What It’s Like to Be a Jew of Color—& Abortion Activist—In the Trump Era (Kveller)
- The GOP health plan dismantles vital safety net programs for Americans (The Hill)
- When Allies Stigmatize: Nick Kristof, Family Planning, and Abortion (Rewire)
- New Report Shows Just Who Has the Hardest Time Paying for an Abortion (Glamour.com)
- New Study Reveals Americans Are Actually Supportive When People Talk About Getting an Abortion (Glamour.com)
- How we can end abortion stigma in the news (Bust.com)
- The Cultural Toll of the Hyde Amendment (Rewire)
- How Your Organization Can Build Resilience to Abortion Stigma (Medium)
- Imagining a World Without Abortion Stigma (Rewire)
- Four Ways to Create Culture Change Around Abortion (Rewire)
- Obvious Child: The Movie About Abortion We’ve Been Waiting For (Feministing)
Grey Literature:
- Shaping Stigma: An Analysis of mainstream news coverage of abortion, 2014-2015, co-authored with Laura Nixon, Lillian Seklir, Pamela Mejia, Kate Cockrill, Katie Woodruff, and Lori Dorfman, 2017.
- More connected to each other: Results and insights from launching the Untold Stories Project, a new campaign of reproductive storytelling, co-authored with Roula AbiSamra and Kate Cockrill, 2015.
- From Severe Stigma to Powerful Resilience: Youth Sexuality, Parenting, and the Power of Structural Support, co-authored with Elizabeth Greenblatt and Kate Cockrill, 2015.
- Addressing Abortion Stigma Through Service Delivery, co-authored with Kate Cockrill, Ushma Upadhyay, Sarah Baum, Kelly Blanchard, and Dan Grossman, 2014.
I am more focused on balancing between academic publications and snarky tweets these days, but here’s an archive of some of my past public writing.Please note that I’m always learning and evolving; how I thought about reproductive health, rights, and justice movement issues in 2010, for example, is likely not how I think about it today. With that caveat:
Steph Herold, MPH 