When we talk about abortion, everything we say – and the way that we choose to say it – has an impact. And in a time when abortion is becoming legal in-name-only because it is largely inaccessible to much of the country thanks to anti-abortion activism and policies, the way that presidential candidates talk about abortion matters even more.

We know, for example, that if you simply ask people if they’re “pro-choice” or “pro-life”, they’ll answer fairly equally down the line (though for the first time in years, more Americans call themselves pro-choice). But when you talk to people about reproductive rights in a way that goes beyond binary labels, a much different picture emerges.

While 44% of Americans consider themselves pro-life, only 19% believe that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances. And according to a national survey of registered voters released this week by the National Institute of Reproductive Health, a whopping 83% believe health care providers should be allowed to “care for patients based on their best medical expertise without interference from politicians” and 63% think that the swath of state-level abortion restrictions are “heading in the wrong direction”.

When those surveyed were told about the kinds of hurdles women have to jump through to obtain abortions, they responded using words like “wrong”, “disgusted” and “unfair”.

These crucial distinctions are in part why Bernie Sanders’ campaign strategy on reproductive rights is so short-sighted. Sanders, who has an excellent record on women’s rights, seems to want voters to trust that his presidency will be good for reproductive rights simply because he is pro-choice.

But this issue necessitates discussion that goes beyond being “for” or “against” abortion: the intensity at which reproductive rights are being attacked requires leadership that is detailed and full-throated.

While Hillary Clinton has centered her campaign on women’s rights, been vocal about overturning the Hyde Amendment and has brought up Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood in nearly every debate, Sanders has been much less proactive.

His campaign manager has said that Sanders’ health plan would repeal Hyde, yet the document contains no mention of the amendment, women’s health or reproductive rights. Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America wrote this week, “We can assume women’s health services are intended to be covered, based on [Sanders’] past record.”

“But in a political landscape this hostile to reproductive rights, words matter – as do their absence.”

Sanders has also missed opportunities to make the link between abortion and economic freedom, instead talking about the issues as if they’re distinct: in a Rolling Stone interview last summer, he noted, “Once you get off the social issues – abortion, gay rights, guns and into economic issues, there is a lot more agreement than the pundits understand”.

Then, in an interview this week with Rachel Maddow, he called Planned Parenthood – an organization under constant attack that provides healthcare to low-income women – part of the “establishment”.

It’s a bad look for Sanders, and one that underestimates just how important reproductive rights are to voters.

Researcher Tresa Undem, who conducted that national study, told me that abortion “is the number one engaging issue for Democrats right now”. She said she’s never seen anything as powerful as the results of this survey: when voters were told about the details of abortion restrictions, they were outraged. “I’ve never seen anything more motivating,” she explained.

But when we’re not explicit about women’s rights and reproductive rights, they’re often ignored.For example, the Obama administration had to issue new guidelines for the Affordable Care Act specifying all 18 kinds of birth control that should be covered after insurers used the omission to deny women various kinds of coverage.

And it’s a common trope in the progressive movement for women to be assured that their rights are a given, even if they’re not explicitly discussed.

That’s why it’s so important that Sanders talk about reproductive rights in earnest: being on the right side of this issue isn’t enough. Not when anti-abortion advocates are making the procedure so difficult to access that tens of thousands have desperately resorted to self-abortions. Not when last year alone legislators introduced over 300 anti-choice bills. And not when abortion clinics are under literal attack – the target of arsons, sustained harassment and a deadly shooting.

Sanders has the pro-choice bona fides; now is the time for him to proactively discuss his plan to protect and expand abortion access. After all, the senator has never been known for his silence; there’s no need to start now.