Abortion Speak Out Discussion and Film Viewing

Hello Feminists,

I took notes on our discussion of the abortion speak out and The Coat Hanger Project (held on Wednesday, 9/23), and I thought I'd post them here so we can all review them. The ideas about an abortion speak out discussed prior to the meeting on Wednesday include providing drop boxes for women to anonymously share their stories of abortion. The plan was then to have these stories read by others so that the women who wrote them would remain anonymous, but our e-mail address would also be provided on the boxes so that anyone who wanted to share their own stories could. The speak out would be held in an open space (perhaps the quad) so that women's voices, anonymous or not, could be heard. The goal behind this plan was to eliminate the shame associated with abortion; having the stories read out load, out in the open, and not behind closed doors would be empowering.

The responses to this plan included such:

> Would women's thoughts on abortion be shared, or only women's experiences? We discussed the possibility of thoughts detracting from the goal of voicing experiences. We do not want this to become a political debate. And the politics of abortion has a tendency to silence women with abortion experiences.

> With an open forum there is the risk of right-to-life protesters.

> Should we use security? And would the security have the authority to silence protesters?

> We discussed two goals: create a space for women to speak about their experiences and raising awareness about abortion within the outside community.

> Amy Kesselman thought the telling of personal stories would eliminate the shame associated with abortion, but was concerned that telling the stories anonymously would perpetuate that shame.

> Some thought the sequence for the event should include showing the film The Coat Hanger Project, holding the speak out, and then convening indoors, in a safe space, for discussion.

> Some briefly mentioned the need for permission to leave drop boxes in the dorms, and having speakers, other than those of us sharing stories, at the event.

There will be separate meetings with Amy Kesselman for anyone interested in being on the committee for this project.

If I left out anything, or if anything I posted here is incorrect, please comment!

And also, let's use this blog as a venue for further discussion of this project.

Love, Claire