On Thursday, February 23, Stony Brook University’s Pocket Theatre and Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic presented a performance of Out Of Silence: Abortion Stories from the 1 in 3 Campaign at the Staller Center for the Arts.
The play was the creation of Advocates for Youth, a nonprofit advocacy group, as part of their 1 in 3 Campaign. The campaign, named for the statistic that 1 in 3 women will have an abortion in her lifetime, aims to support access to safe and legal abortions, as well as creating a new, more personal conversation around the topic. Inspired by real abortion stories that were adapted for the stage by a group of female playwrights, Out of Silence seeks to destigmatize abortion through the power of storytelling. Composed as a series of vignettes, Out of Silence gives its audience a glimpse into the lives of several women, each of whom has their own unique and personal story to tell regarding their abortion experience.
Thursday night’s performance was attended by representatives of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, who handed out informational materials, many of which concerned the ways attendees could help support the organization. Trisha Fleming, Manager of Communications and Marketing for Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic commented on the importance of outreach on college campuses and in the community, saying, “We feel these events on college campuses and in the community are very important to help right the stigma around abortion and to educate the public about all the services that Planned Parenthood offers.” Those services include, “STI testing and treatment, HIV testing and counseling, birth control, emergency contraception, well-woman exams, breast exams, the HPV vaccine, abortion services, and prenatal care.”
The performance was also attended by Planned Parenthood Generation Action at SBU, a student-run organization that advocates for reproductive rights, consent culture, and sexual health and education. Katy Franzone, Generation Action’s Secretary, spoke about the organization’s mission: “We like to be a resource for students for whatever they need regarding sexual health, education and reproductive justice.” Franzone also commented about the destigmatization of abortion and the production’s role in that process: “Abortion is provided to 1 in 3 women in the United States. It’s not a rare issue and it shouldn’t be so stigmatized…events like this really open up a dialogue about it that needs to happen. This is a public health issue and therefore it should be talked about in public.”
Audience members also shared their feelings about the play and the issue of abortion before the production began. Toni, who identified herself as “a big supporter of Planned Parenthood” spoke about the importance of outreach and advocacy, saying, “We’re here and we’re not afraid to keep standing up for what we believe in is really important.”
A member of the Stony Brook staff commented on the stigmatization of abortion, “Most people misunderstand that many of the women who terminate a pregnancy are doing so because they’re committed to bringing wanted children into the world whom they can care for and provide for…I believe that people who are morally opposed to the idea of terminating potential life, they have a right to believe that and they have a right to talk to people about that. What they don’t have the right to do is impose their views on other people and to restrict our freedoms.”
The performance, directed by Jeffrey Sanzel and produced by Sydney Monroe Gaglio and Emily Gaines, featured a small ensemble of actors of all genders, each playing multiple roles. Each scene depicted characters of varying ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and backgrounds and their own unique way of coming to a decision regarding their pregnancy. In one scene a writer receives hate mail after publishing a story about her abortion. In another, a financially strained couple decides to end their pregnancy when they realize they can’t afford another child. A teenager begs her mother for help in ending her pregnancy after being raped by her boyfriend. A lesbian couple ends their much-wanted pregnancy after discovering their child won’t survive outside of the womb. A photography major decides she isn’t ready to be a mother.
Rather than focusing on the political or moral rhetoric, Out of Silence asks its audience to listen to these women and to understand the contexts, thought processes, relationships, and emotions that influence their decisions. At times humorous and inspiring, at others solemn and heartbreaking, Out of Silence does what very few who have been involved in the abortion discussion have done— it takes the time to listen. Out of Silence gives a voice to a population who have long been shamed into silence and is another spectacular step toward the creation of a culture of true empathy and compassion for all.
Logos courtesy of Planned Parenthood, Advocates for Youth, Pocket Theater, and Planned Parenthood Generation Action