This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Maine chapter.
The Student Women’s Association (SWA) took to the stage in Minsky hall November 5 and 6 to highlight a controversial and often taboo topic; abortion. Seated in a semi-circle, members stepped forward to read the words and experiences of people whose life had been affected by abortion.
The play concluded the week long 1 in 3 Campaign SWA had been participating in. The 1 in 3 Campaign uses storytelling in order to humanize abortion, focusing on the people instead of the politics. Their goal is to end the stigma and shame people who chose abortion face.
The play is comprised of over 400 abortion stories submitted to the 1 in 3 Campaign from men and women wanting to share their experiences. The event was free and welcomed donations to Mabel Wadsworth Center, an independent, non profit, free-standing feminist health center located in Bangor.
Jessica Carnigan was elected by her a fellow Student Women’s Association members to be the event organizer for this yearly campaign. Carnigan is a third year student majoring in both sociology and Women’s Gender and Sexuality.
Why does she believe so strongly in telling these stories? “Because of the silence that surrounds abortions, it has become a shameful and taboo topic regardless of the enormous amount of the population that it directly affects,” says Carnigan. “One out of three women will have an abortion in her lifetime, and if we share these stories we will create more dialogue and begin to see a much more accepting society towards abortion.”
To learn more about the campaign, check out the 1 in 3 Campaign website.