During Women’s History Month, the traveling exhibition Focus on Abortion: Americans Share Their Stories provides a complex look at abortion in the United States through the voices of those who have experienced abortion.
The exhibition will be on display in Roosevelt University's Murray-Green Library from February 25 to March 24.
Focus on Abortion features striking portraits and stories of 19 women and men, as interviewed and photographed by Roslyn Banish. The storytellers in this exhibit come from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, geographic regions and generations, and represent the one out of four American women who have an abortion during their reproductive years.
In addition to the stories of those who have experienced an abortion themselves, the exhibition highlights others who are close to the abortion experience, including partners and professionals who provide abortion care. Together, their narratives provide a human and poignant picture of abortion in our country.
This exhibition is based on the book of the same name, which includes 62 portraits and narratives and was published by Skyhorse Publishing in 2021. These nuanced stories have the potential to mitigate the profound stigma that surrounds abortion, fostering greater understanding, empathy and compassion. In all, these humanizing narratives provide a broad picture of abortion in our country.
Roslyn Banish will hold a virtual Q&A session with the Roosevelt community on Friday, March 18 at 12 p.m.