New Media and Gender: Representation of Reproductive Justice in Indonesian Websites (konde.co and magdalene.co)

Monika Sri Yuliarti

Abstract


Reproductive justice is an important issue, but until recently it is still such a utopia. This can be fulfilled if reproductive rights can be obtained by everyone, especially women. In fact, the majority of victims of reproductive injustice are women. In Indonesia this issue is also still a problem that has not been solved. Based on a report from the Center for Reproductive Rights of UNFPA, reproductive rights relate to the right to education and information about reproductive health. Furthermore, according to UN documents, reproductive rights in the context of reproductive health services are related to abortion, which includes information, education, communication and services, including prevention of abortion and the management of the consequences of abortion. The purpose of this research is to reveal how Indonesian websites represent abortion as an aspect of reproductive health and how women be portrayed in the websites as an alternative media. By analyzing media content on the konde.co and magdalene.co websites in 2022, this study concluded: (1) representation of reproductive justice in konde.co and magdalene.co that focus on abortion are in the form of soft news which provide more explanation and elaboration on the issue; (2) safe abortion and forced abortion dominate the content of the websites, with the focus on the limitation of the practical aspect although several laws already existed; (3) women are represented as group of people that are vulnerable and need to be protected.

 

Keywords: Reproductive justice, reproductive rights, abortion, representation, media content.

 

https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2025-4104-24


Full Text:

PDF

References


Adam, A. (2022, April 14). UU TPKS Sudah Sah, Apa Tantangan Selanjutnya? Magdalene.Co. https://magdalene.co/story/uu-tpks-sudah-sah-apa-tantangan-selanjutnya/

Ahinkorah, B. O., Seidu, A. A., Mensah, G. Y., & Budu, E. (2020). Mass media exposure and self-efficacy in abortion decision-making among adolescent girls and young women in Ghana: Analysis of the 2017 Maternal Health Survey. PLoS ONE, 15(10 October), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239894

APJII. (2022). Indonesian Internet Profile 2022. Apjii.or.id. https://survei.apjii.or.id/survei/survei/register/16?type=free

Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice. (2005). A New Vision for advancing Our Movement for Reproductive Health, Reproductive Rights, and Reproductive Justice. SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective.

Azizah, N. N. (2022a, June 21). Aktivis: RKUHP jadi ancaman bagi perempuan, LGBT dan pers. Konde.Co. https://www.konde.co/2022/06/aktivis-rkuhp-jadi-ancaman-bagi-perempuan-lgbt-dan-pers/

Azizah, N. N. (2022b, Dec 6). “Semua bisa kena”: 6 pasal RKUHP yang mengancam perempuan. Konde.Co. https://www.konde.co/2022/12/semua-bisa-kena-6-pasal-rkuhp-yang-mengancam-perempuan/

Banducci, S., Giebler, H., & Kritzinger, S. (2015). Knowing more from less: How the information environment increases knowledge of party positions. British Journal of Political Science, 47(3), 571–588. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123415000204

Barabas, J., & Jerit, J. (2009). Estimating the causal effects of media coverage on policy-specific knowledge. American Journal of Political Science, 53(1), 73–89. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2008.00358.x

Baum, M. A., & Jamison, A. S. (2006). Effect: How Soft news helps inattentive citizens vote consistently. The Journal of Politics, 68(4), 946–959.

Blose, M. (2012). Pornographic objectification of women through Kwaito lyrics. Agenda Empowering Women for Gender Equity, 23(3), 50–60. https://doi.org/qjjf

Bussey, K., & Bandura, A. (2004). Social cognitive theory of gender development and differentiation. Psychological Review, 106(4), 676–713. https://doi.org/dh76dg

Caroline, R. (2019). Aborsi dalam kerangka RKUHP dan UU kesehatan. Pkbi.or.id. https://pkbi.or.id/aborsi-dalam-kerangka-rkuhp-dan-uu-kesehatan/

Carter, C., Steiner, L., & Mclaughlin, L. (2014). Introduction: Re-imagining media and gender. In C. Carter, L. Steiner, & L. Mclaughlin (Eds.), The Routledge companion to media and gender (pp. 1–19). Routledge.

Center for Reproductive Rights. (2013). Reproductive Rights: A Tool for Monitoring State Obligations. UNESCO. https://healtheducationresources.unesco.org/es/library/documents/reproductive-rights-tool-monitoring-state-obligations

Coen-Sanchez, K., Idriss-Wheeler, D., Bancroft, X., El-Mowafi, I. M., Yalahow, A., Etowa, J., & Yaya, S. (2022). Reproductive justice in patient care: tackling systemic racism and health inequities in sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada. Reproductive Health, 19(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-022-01328-7

Conti, J. A., & Cahill, E. (2017). Abortion in the media. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 29(6), 427–430. https://doi.org/10.1097/GCO.0000000000000412

Cuklanz, L. M. (2013). Mass media representation of gendered violence. In C. Carter, L. Steiner & L. Mclaughlin (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Media & Gender (pp. 32–42). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203066911-9

Darmawati, D. (2014). Realitas kesehatan dan hak reproduksi perempuan. Al-Maiyyah: Media Transformasi Gender Dalam Paradigma Sosial Keagamaan, 7(1), 86–98.

Diani, H. (2018). Bagaimana kami bergulat menghidupi Magdalene. Remotivi. https://www.remotivi.or.id/headline/liputan/529

Dominick, J. R. (2013). The Dynamics of Mass Communication: Media in the Discourage (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Donggori, R. I. (2012). Hubungan akses media massa dengan pengetahuan kesehatan reproduksi pada remaja (Studi kasus di SMK Kristen Gergaji). Universitas Diponegoro.

Ekawati, Y. (2022, March 14). Perempuan bukan makhluk kelas dua: Stop perlakukan secara inferior. Konde.Co. https://www.konde.co/2022/03/perempuan-bukan-makhluk-kelas-dua-stop-perlakukan-secara-inferior/

Elejalde, E., Ferres, L., & Schifanella, R. (2019). Understanding news outlets’ audience-targeting patterns. EPJ Data Science, 8(16), 1–20. https://doi.org/qjjg

Etana, D., & Gurmu, E. (2018). The effect of mass media on women’s reproductive health behavior in Ethiopia. Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review, 34(2), 37–58. https://doi.org/10.1353/eas.2018.0013

Fachrina, F., Yulkardi, Y., Putri, Z. E., & Meiyenti, S. (2019). Pemberdayaan perempuan nelayan untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dan kesadaran mengenai kesehatan reproduksi di Kecamatan Teluk Kabung Kota Padang. Warta Pengabdian Andalas, 25(4), 40–47.

Farchiyah, F., Sukmawan, R. F., Purba, T. S. K., Bela, A., & Imtinan, I. (2021). Kesehatan reproduksi perempuan di Indonesia dalam perspektif gender. In F. A. Agustina, M. S. Fadhil, & F. A. Putri (Eds.), Prosiding Seminar Nasional Kesehatan Masyarakat UPNVJ 2021 (pp. 73–83). Fakultas Ilmu Kesehatan UPNVJ.

Fatimah, J. M., Arianto, A., & Bahfiarti, T. (2021). Media communication and youth reproductive health, North Toraja District. Gaceta Sanitaria, 35(2), S112–S115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2021.07.007

Fitria, M. (2011). Keadilan gender dan hak-hak reproduksi di pesantren [Tesis]. Universitas Gadjah Mada.

Floranti, D. R. (2021). Perlindungan hukum bagi penyintas aborsi paksa di Indonesia. Justitia Jurnal Hukum, 1(6), 48–71.

Gill, R. (2007). Gender and the Media. Polity Press.

Gladstein, M. R. (2004). Masculine sexuality and the objectification of women: Steinbeck’s perspective. The Steinbeck Review, 1(1), 109–123.

Gracia, A. (2022, April 7). RUU TPKS: Hampir disahkan, masih perlu dipertanyakan. Magdalene.co. https://magdalene.co/story/ruu-tpks-hampir-disahkan-masih-perlu-dipertanyakan

Guritno, T. (2022, December 6). RKUHP disahkan hari ini, tindak pidana perkosaan diatur lebih spesifik. Kompas.com. https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2022/12/06/11092401/rkuhp-disahkan-hari-ini-tindak-pidana-perkosaan-diatur-lebih-spesifik

Gurr, B. (2011). Complex intersections: Reproductive justice and native American women. Sociology Compass, 5(8), 721–735. https://doi.org/cp89ms

Hall, S. (2003). Representation: Cultural Pepresentations and Signifying Practices. SAGE.

Hesse-Biber, S. N. (2017). The Practice of Qualitative Research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Holland, J. L. (2020). Tiny You: A Western History of the Anti-Abortion Movement. University of California Press.

If/When/How. (2016). Women of Color and the Struggle for Reproductive Justice: If/When/How Issue Brief. Lawyering for Reproductive Justice.

Kassova, L. (2020). The Missing Perspectives of Women in News. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Konde.co. (n.d.). Tentang konde.co. https://www.konde.co/tentang-kami/

Konde.co team. (2022a, April 11). Perkosaan dan pemaksaan aborsi tak masuk RUU TPKS, pemerintah janji perjuangkan masuk RKUHP. Konde.co. https://www.konde.co/2022/04/perkosaan-dan-pemaksaan-aborsi-tak-masuk-ruu-tpks-menteri-pppa-akan-perjuangkan-masuk-rkuhp/

Konde.co team. (2022b). UU TPKS disahkan: Pekerjaan rumah selanjutnya memastikan peraturan pelaksana UU. Konde.co. https://www.konde.co/2022/04/uu-tpks-disahkan-pekerjaan-rumah-selanjutnya-memastikan-peraturan-pelaksana-uu/

Krijnen, T. (2020). Gender and media. In K. Ross (Ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication (pp. 1–9). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119429128.iegmc016

Krüger, L. (2019). Soft Women and Hard News: Female Journalists in Hyderabad. University of Oslo.

Lisnawati, L. (2022a, June 30). Berkaca dari kasus AS, apakah aturan aborsi di Indonesia sama bapuknya? Magdalene.co. https://www.magdalene.co/story/bagaimana-aturan-aborsi-di-indonesia

Lisnawati, L. (2022b, June 30). Berkaca dari Roe v. Wade di AS, apakah kebijakan aborsi di Indonesia sudah menjamin perlindungan terhadap hak-hak perempuan atas tubuhnya? The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/berkaca-dari-roe-v-wade-di-as-apakah-kebijakan-aborsi-di-indonesia-sudah-menjamin-perlindungan-terhadap-hak-hak-perempuan-atas-tubuhnya-185887

Lisnawati, L., Milla, M. N., & Pelupessy, D. C. (2019). Urgensi perubahan kebijakan aborsi di Indonesia. Deviance: Jurnal Kriminologi, 3(1), 24–36.

Lundsten, S. (2021). Gender and Newsroom Practices: Female reporters’ views on gender segregation in the newsroom [Master thesis]. Stockholms Universitet.

Madhok, S., Unnithan, M., & Heitmeyer, C. (2014). On reproductive justice: “domestic violence”, rights and the law in India. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 16(9), 1231–1244. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24741691

Mandalahi, L. (2024). Representasi gender dalam produk rumah tangga: Analisis semiotika terhadap wacana feminisme di iklan televisi. Jurnal Media Akademik, 2(12), 1–16.

Manickam, Y., & Alivi, M. A. (2024). Personal characteristics of youths and their influences on sexual health information seeking. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 40(3), 448–464.

Mcintosh, H., & Cuklanz, L. (2017). Researching mass media: Images and texts. In S. N. Hesse-Biber (Ed.), The Practice of Qualitative Research (3rd ed., pp. 322–348). SAGE Publication.

Morissan, M. (2016). The influence of television owners on program content in post-authoritarian Indonesia. International Journal of Humanities & Social Science Studies (IJHSSS), 3, 149–173.

North, L. (2014). The Gender of “soft” and “hard” news. Journalism Studies, 17(3), 356–373. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2014.987551

Nursanti, S., Tayo, Y., & Utamidewi, W. (2023). Interpersonal communication of midwives to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Indonesia. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 39(3), 440–454.

Petronela, M. W. M., Widanti, S., & Limijadi, E. K. S. (2021). Analisis pelaksanaan pemenuhan hak atas informasi dan hak kesehatan reproduksi perempuan penyandang disabilitas di Kota Semarang. Jurnal USM Law Review, 4(2), 547–564.

Prior, S. M., & Rafuse, L. P. (2015). “Oh yeah, they’re looking”: A thematic analysis of indoor UV tanning industry advertising and articles. Journal of Public Health Policy, 37(1), 68–79. https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2015.24

Putri, K. K. D. (2021). Perlindungan terhadap hak reproduksi pekerja perempuan [Master thesis]. Universitas Hasanuddin.

Rahmawati, M., Singgi, A. D., & Napitupulu, E. A. (2021). Penyelenggaraan Kebijakan Aborsi Aman, Bermutu, dan Bertanggung Jawab Sesuai dengan UU Kesehatan di Indonesia Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR).

Reinemann, C., Stanyer, J., Scherr, S., & Legnante, G. (2011). Hard and soft news: A review of concepts, operationalizations and key findings. Journalism, 13(2), 221–239.

Rizky, P. (2022, Nov 25). Revisi KUHP terbaru: Masih ada pasal penghinaan pemerintah dan kohabitasi. Magdalene.co. https://magdalene.co/story/revisi-kuhp-terbaru-masih-ada-pasal-penghinaan-pemerintah-dan-kohabitasi/

Rohman, K. (2025). Representasi perempuan dalam iklan komersial: Analisis Feminis pada media televisi. GOVERNANCE: Jurnal Ilmiah Kajian Politik Lokal dan Pembangunan, 12(3), 1–9.

Ross, L. J., & Solinger, R. (2017). Reproductive justice: An introduction. University of California Press. https://www.ucpress.edu/books/reproductive-justice/paper

Rumyeni, R., Dida, S., Hadisiwi, P., & Setianti, Y. (2021). Communication experiences of Pekanbaru city patients receiving In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Treatment in Malaysia fertility clinics. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 37(4), 1–19.

Saha, R., Paul, P., Yaya, S., & Banke-Thomas, A. (2022). Association between exposure to social media and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health among adolescent girls: evidence from the UDAYA survey in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India. Reproductive Health, 19, 178. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-022-01487-7

Sinombor, S. H. (2023, Apr 13). UU TPKS disahkan, tonggak awal penghapusan kekerasan seksual. Kompas.id. https://www.kompas.id/artikel/uu-tpks-disahkan-perjuangan-untuk-korban-masih-panjang

Sjøvaag, H., & Pedersen, T. A. (2018). Female voices in the news: Structural conditions of gender representations in norwegian newspapers. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 96(1), 215–238. https://doi.org/gh5rmm

Smelik, A. (2016). And the Mirror Cracked: Feminist Cinema and Film Theory. John Willey and Sons.

Supratman, L. P. (2012). Representasi citra perempuan di media. Observasi, 10(1), 29–40.

Suryomenggolo, J. (2022, June 16). Hak aborsi yang kontroversial. Magdalene.co. https://magdalene.co/story/hak-aborsi-yang-kontroversial-hukum

Susiana, S. (2018). Peran pemerintah daerah dalam penyelenggaraan kesehatan reproduksi (Studi di Provinsi Jawa Tengah dan Provinsi Kalimantan Barat). Aspirasi: Jurnal Masalah-Masalah Sosial, 7(1), 1–16.

Susiati, S., Udasmoro, W., & Saktiningrum, N. (2023). Illegal abortion in Indonesian media: A content analysis. Lire Journal (Journal of Linguistics and Literature), 7(1), 127–139. https://doi.org/10.33019/lire.v7i1.183

The Jakarta Post. (2022, June 22). Making abortion legal. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2022/06/28/making-abortion-legal.html

Thomson, J., & Pierson, C. (2018). Can abortion rights be integrated into the women, peace and security agenda? International Feminist Journal of Politics, 20(3), 350–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2017.1413583

Tuchman, G. (1972). Objectivity as strategic ritual: An examination of newsmen’s notions of objectivity. American Journal of Sociology, 77(4), 660–679.

Unger, R. K. (1989). Representations: Social Constructions of Gender. Baywood Publishing Company, Inc.

United Nations. (1995). Report of the International Conference on Population and Development. https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/a_conf.171_13_rev.1.pdf

Utami, E. (2022a, August 22). Aktivis tolak RKUHP: Awas, ada pasal reviktimisasi korban kekerasan seksual’. Konde.co. https://www.konde.co/2022/08/kick-off-pembahasan-rkuhp-belum-ada-partisipasi-bermakna-dan-masih-ada-pasal-yang-potensial-merevictimisasi-korban-kekerasan-seksual/

Utami, E. (2022b, November 14). Rapor merah penegakan HAM Indonesia: Aktivis kritik laporan pemerintah dalam UPR Dewan HAM PBB. Konde.co. https://www.konde.co/2022/11/rapor-merah-penegakan-ham-indonesia-aktivis-kritik-laporan-pemerintah-dalam-upr-dewan-ham-pbb/

Wang, C. (2014). Induced abortion patterns and determinants among married women in China: 1979 to 2010. Reproductive Health Matters, 22(43), 159–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0968-8080(14)43753-4

WHO. (2022). Abortion Care Guideline. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240039483

Wiharjo, D. P. (2022, Aug 22). Perempuan korban perkosaan hadapi hambatan akses aborsi aman. Konde.co. http://konde.co/2022/08/perempuan-korban-perkosaan-masih-hadapi-hambatan-atas-akses-aborsi-aman-sementara-pemberitaan-media-belum-berpihak/

Woodruff, K. (2019). Coverage of abortion in select U.S. newspapers. Women’s Health Issues, 29(1), 80–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2018.08.008

Yolandasari, A. R. (2022, January 10). Aborsi paksa, bagaimana hukum Indonesia mengaturnya? Magdalene.co. https://magdalene.co/story/aborsi-paksa-bagaimana-hukum-indonesia-mengaturnya/

Zhang, J. (2017). The evolution of China’s one-child policy and its effects on family outcomes. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31(1), 141–159. https://doi.org/ghff3k


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


e-ISSN: 2289-1528