Combating Misinformation: Promoting Evidence-Based Facts on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

Experts to Address Impact of Misinformation on Reproductive Health Services

Reproductive health authorities will gather on February 17, 2026, for a virtual panel discussion examining how misinformation is fundamentally altering America’s sexual and reproductive health landscape. The event will explore the far-reaching consequences of false information that increasingly shapes judicial decisions, legislative actions, and public perception around essential reproductive services.

The webinar, organized by the O’Neill Institute at Georgetown Law, comes at a critical juncture when ideologically-driven narratives are increasingly supplanting evidence-based approaches to reproductive healthcare policy. Panelists will analyze how these trends undermine governance structures and threaten democratic processes by replacing factual information with ideological content.

“We’re seeing a troubling pattern where misinformation isn’t just creating confusion—it’s actively driving policy outcomes that restrict access to contraception and abortion services for millions of Americans,” said a representative from the O’Neill Institute when describing the upcoming event.

The discussion will feature notable experts including Kelly Baden, Vice President for Public Policy at the Guttmacher Institute, and Professor Michele Goodwin, Faculty Director of the O’Neill Institute and the Linda D. & Timothy J. O’Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy at Georgetown Law. Renee Bracey Sherman, author of “Liberating Abortion,” will moderate the conversation.

The Guttmacher Institute, represented by Baden, has long been recognized as a leading research organization focused on sexual and reproductive health policy. Their data-driven approach provides crucial insights into how misinformation affects healthcare access across different demographics and regions of the United States.

Professor Goodwin brings extensive expertise in constitutional law as it relates to reproductive rights. Her research has explored the intersection of public policy, health equity, and constitutional protections—areas directly impacted by the spread of misinformation in medical and legal contexts.

Participants can expect to gain practical insights for navigating information environments increasingly compromised by what the organizers describe as “junk science.” The panel will offer strategies for healthcare providers, policymakers, patients, and the general public to identify and counter misinformation while defending evidence-based care practices.

The timing of this discussion is particularly significant as several states continue to implement restrictive reproductive health legislation based on contested scientific claims. Recent judicial decisions at state and federal levels have cited information that reproductive health experts consider misleading or scientifically inaccurate, leading to mounting concerns about the integrity of policy-making processes.

The international dimension will also be addressed, as speakers plan to highlight how trends in U.S. reproductive health misinformation often influence global health policies and funding priorities. This ripple effect can impact reproductive health services in developing countries that depend on U.S. foreign assistance.

“What we’re witnessing isn’t isolated to courtrooms or legislative chambers,” noted a reproductive rights advocate familiar with the upcoming discussion. “When misinformation becomes normalized in policy discussions, it creates real-world barriers to essential healthcare services that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.”

The webinar aims to foster a coordinated response among stakeholders across the reproductive health ecosystem who are increasingly concerned about protecting evidence-based practices in what organizers characterize as “today’s tenuous reproductive health landscape.”

The virtual event will take place at 10:30 am EST on February 17, 2026, and registration is currently open to interested participants. The O’Neill Institute has indicated that materials and strategies discussed during the session will later be made available as resources for ongoing advocacy and education efforts.