Laia Abril - On Abortion - 2018

'On Abortion' is the first part of Laia Abril's new long-term project, A History of Misogyny. Abril documents and conceptualizes the dangers and harms caused by the lack of legal, safe, and free access to abortion for women. She draws from the past to illuminate the long, ongoing hollowing out of women's reproductive rights up to today, weaving questions of ethics and morality together to bring to light a series of shocking social triggers, stigmas, and taboos surrounding abortion that have largely been invisible until now. Under 'natural' circumstances the average woman would become pregnant about 15 times in her life, resulting in ten births. Seven of those babies would survive their childhood. For centuries, people have sought ways to delay pregnancy or to terminate it. Today there are finally safe and effective means for abortion, but women around the world continue to rely on ancient, illegal, or risky home remedies: Each year 47,000 women die as a result of failed abortions. In many countries and religions millions of women are still denied access to abortion by law or by social coercion. They are forced to carry pregnancies to term against their will, including minors and victims of rape, and for many the pregnancy is not viable or poses a health risk. But they can all be criminalized if they try to abort.