Fighting for funding: Values advocacy and Planned Parenthood's right-to-life

This study employs a rhetorical analysis of Planned Parenthood's rhetoric in response to the crisis emerging from the release of controversial videos by the Center for Medical Progress. Using Bostdorff and Vibbert's concept of values advocacy and Heath's discussion of external rhetoric, we examine how Planned Parenthood appeals to core American values through social media in order to enhance its image and reinforce its legitimacy. The values of truth, health, agency, education, unity, and equality are ubiquitous throughout Planned Parenthood's strategic communication with the public. This research contributes to ongoing academic discussions of the theoretical and practical implications of external rhetoric, values advocacy, and legitimacy in public relations.