Two weeks before the 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade, Planned Parenthood – the organization most associated with abortion advocacy in the US – announced that it has reoriented its branding from being a "pro-choice" group to not labeling itself, in an effort to attract the support of people who don't identify with either group.

"The labels can mask people's support for access to safe and legal abortion, and they can politicize a conversation that is deeply personal and often complex," Planned Parenthood executive vice-president and chief experience officer Dawn Laguens said in a statement. "We're eager to help people have an authentic conversation – while we continue working to ensure that abortion remains safe and legal."

Research conducted on behalf of the organization showed 24% of American voters don't identify with being classified as either "pro-life" or "pro-choice."

Focus group studies showed that most of those people fall in a "grey area" when it comes to their stance on reproductive rights. This can include people who believe whether an abortion should be legal depends on the circumstance and women who don't support abortion but also don't think that should prevent other people from having the choice to have an abortion.

One female focus group member said: "I'm pro-life for me, but for the safety of women, it's important to keep the right for women to have that choice."

Source: Online survey of 1,000 recent voters, African American and Hispanic oversamples, December 2012. Photograph: Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood coalition partner National Women's Law Center is using the research for its forthcoming "It's Personal Campaign," that emphasizes that reproductive health decisions are personal and complex. "Only you know what it's like to walk in your shoes," reads one ad. "The decision whether to have an abortion belongs to you," says another.

The findings are consistent with a May Gallup poll that showed that while less people are identifying as pro-choice, support for legal abortion and reproductive health services has remained constant.

Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards hinted at Planned Parenthood's branding change following the release of the Gallup poll.

"What this poll makes clear is that labels like 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life' simply don't reflect the complexity of how most people actually think and feel about abortion in this country," Richards said.

"A majority of Americans still believe abortion should remain a safe and legal medical procedure for a woman to consider if and when she needs it, and these fundamental views have held steady for more than a decade. Instead of putting people in one category or another, we should respect the real-life decisions women and their families face every day."

According to Planned Parenthood's numbers from 2010, abortion services only account for 3% of its patient services. The organization also offers multiple other sexual and reproductive health care services including contraception, STD testing and treatment and cancer screening and prevention – services that account for most of its patient services.