For my midterm project, I'll be talking about women's reproductive rights. Women’s reproductive rights refer to the legal and social rights related to reproductive health and autonomy. These rights ensure that women have the freedom to make informed decisions about their own bodies, health, and family planning without discrimination, coercion, or violence. Key aspects of women’s reproductive rights include:
- Access to contraception: The right to affordable and safe birth control methods and information.
- Access to safe and legal abortion: The right to choose to terminate a pregnancy without legal or medical barriers.
- Right to privacy and informed consent: The right to make reproductive choices without interference and with full knowledge of the medical and legal implications.
- Maternal health care: Access to quality prenatal, childbirth, and postnatal care.
- Freedom from forced sterilization or contraception: Protection against being sterilized or given contraceptives without consent.
- Fertility treatments and care: Access to medical assistance for infertility and reproductive health issues.
- Education and information: Access to comprehensive and accurate sexual and reproductive health education.
- Freedom from gender-based violence: Protection from practices like female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, and sexual violence that affect reproductive health.
These rights are recognized as part of broader human rights and are supported by international agreements like the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). However, reproductive rights vary widely across countries due to cultural, political, and legal differences.
Abortion laws vary significantly worldwide, with some countries and U.S. states imposing complete bans or severe restrictions. Here's an overview:
Countries with Total Abortion Bans
According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, 24 countries globally prohibit abortion under all circumstances, even when the woman's life or health is at risk. Notable examples include:
- Europe: Andorra, Malta
- Central America: El Salvador, Honduras
- Africa: Senegal, Egypt
- Asia: Philippines, Laos
These prohibitions affect approximately 90 million women of reproductive age.
Countries with Near-Total Abortion Bans
In some countries, abortion is illegal except to save the mother's life or preserve her health during pregnancy. An example of this situation is an ectopic pregnancy, where the embryo implants outside the uterus, posing significant health risks to the mother.
U.S. States with Abortion Bans
Following the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in June 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade, several U.S. states have enacted laws banning abortion:
Alabama: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions only to preserve the woman's life or physical health. There are no exceptions for rape, incest, or fatal fetal abnormalities.
Arkansas: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions only to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency.
Idaho: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or in cases of rape or incest reported to law enforcement.
Kentucky: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions only to prevent the death or substantial risk of death due to a physical condition, or to prevent the serious, permanent impairment of a life-sustaining organ.
Louisiana: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions only if there is a substantial risk of death or permanent impairment to the woman if the procedure is not performed, or if the fetus has a condition incompatible with life.
Mississippi: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions only in cases of rape or to save the life of the mother.
Missouri: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions only to save the life of the mother.
Oklahoma: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions only to save the life of the mother or if the pregnancy is the result of rape, sexual assault, or incest that has been reported to law enforcement.
South Dakota: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions only to save the life of the mother.
Tennessee: Abortion is illegal, with no explicit exceptions in the statute, though physicians may use an affirmative defense if the procedure was necessary to save the woman's life or prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.
Texas: Abortion is illegal, with exceptions only to save the life of the mother or prevent substantial impairment of major bodily function.
It's important to note that legal challenges and court rulings continue to affect the enforcement of these bans. For instance, in Idaho, the Trump administration is expected to withdraw a lawsuit initiated by the previous administration, which aimed to block Idaho's extensive abortion ban in medical emergencies.
For the most current information on abortion laws in specific countries or U.S. states, it's advisable to consult official government sources or reputable organizations specializing in reproductive rights.
My project will focus on these states and countries by outright mocking them with art. The art will depict that of a Carebear-inspired bunny plushie, with symbols of each country or US state plastered onto their stomach. The plushies will have patchwork done, but more importantly, a stitch resembling that of a C-section. This comes with several meanings to it; how rabbits treat their young, young girls with forced responsibilities, the immediate and unprepared motherhood that a woman will go through.
There will be several variations of a Aborabbit (name still in the works) postered up around the city on billboards where everyone can put up flyers, and around school grounds. At the center of the physical copies, will be a social media account to host all the artwork, with trivia and facts about each state that it depicts, and important information about reproductive rights for women.
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