Vanessa Carlton backs abortion care in emotional spot with a new version of ‘A Thousand Miles’

The opening piano of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” is typically a joyful melody, as listeners prepare to belt out the first line: “Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces passed and I’m homebound.” But the song takes on a sadder, more somber meaning in the context of a new short film from non-partisan nonprofit Center of Reproductive Rights. Created by GSD&M, the film illustrates the distances many women in the U.S. must now travel to access reproductive healthcare such as abortions and contraceptives since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Directed by Ben Sonntag and produced by woman-owned production company Chirp, thm film follows a woman who sets out on what appears to be an average road trip. She listens Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” along the way—a new version that’s more spare than the poppy original—as her path intersects with other women on the same journey. In the end, they meet in a waiting room to receive reproductive care. Carlton herself appears at the end, noting that laws banning abortion forced 170,000 Americans to go out of state for reproductive care last year. She also shares that she had an ectopic pregnancy and likely would have died without reproductive care. Also read: 19 creative campaigns to know about today “Through ‘A Thousand Miles,’ we’ve created an unfortunate anthem that highlights how states continue to put women’s lives and livelihoods in jeopardy by creating obstacles to basic health care,” said Maria D’Amato, executive creative director at GSD&M. “We are honored that the Center for Reproductive Rights trusted us as partners and that Vanessa Carlton let us interpret her song in a new way to highlight this sad reality.” The spot comes as abortion and reproductive rights continue to be one of the biggest political debates of the 2024 election. As part of the campaign, the Center for Reproductive Rights is launching a microsite the organization hopes will encourage people to contact Congress and express support for reproductive rights. The site features an interactive map where people can learn about healthcare restrictions in states across the country and find out how to contact their state and federal representatives to advocate for change. The campaign is running across digital and social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Vevo. “It is dehumanizing to force a person to travel hundreds or thousands of miles for health care,” said Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams, chief marketing and communications officer at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Yet that is what women have been doing every day in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Everyone should be able to access abortion in their home state, regardless of why they need it. We currently have over 20 lawsuits filed across the country seeking to expand abortion access, with the ultimate goal of re-establishing a federal right to abortion.” More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

Vanessa Carlton backs abortion care in emotional spot with a new version of ‘A Thousand Miles’

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