by Stacey Linnartz, guest blogger Earlier this year, I launched SOVEREIGNTY., an arts response to the erosion of reproductive freedoms in the U.S. following the Dobbs decision which overturned the federal right to abortion access.  Sovereignty Pre-Dobbs: Before June 24, 2022 Bodily sovereignty is a concept closely related to bodily autonomy, emphasizing the idea that individuals have complete ownership and control over their own bodies.  Reproductive rights are a key component of bodily sovereignty, encompassing the right to make decisions about one's own body and reproductive healt ..read more

Now traveling to film festivals is a documentary about freewheeling reproductive rights activists who make a point of visiting clinics in need.  The film, No One Asked You, manages to weave together serious abortion provision dilemmas with strong doses of humor and good times. Director Ruth Leitman, also the writer and producer, follows Lizz Winstead, and a fun-forward team of agitators, comics and abortion-rights supporters as they travel around the country in a van to bolster abortion clinics far and wide in what they once called their 'Vagical Mystery Tour.'  These are activists ..read more

by Lesley Greene, guest blogger My sister is a rock star in the world of family planning and reproductive health. I learned that when I was her date at the annual meeting of the Society of Family Planning in Seattle this past October.  People would pull me aside and say, you know your sister is a goddess, right? At a dance party associated with the conference (this is a conference that really knows how to do things!), my sister was recognized for her recent MacArthur Award, and the place went nuts.  She beamed and waved at the cheering crowd. My little sister! My little sister is D ..read more

Activists need GIFs, and free ones for social justice causes, including abortion justice, voting rights, trans rights and women's rights, are available for free downloads from INTO ACTION. INFO ACTION is a handy resource:  "Looking for some sweet GIFs and spicy memes you can use to engage people in the movement for a more just and equitable world?! We got you," they write. The group describes itself as "a movement of designers, illustrators, animators and artists building cultural momentum around civic engagement and the issues most affecting our communities, our country and the world ..read more

by guest blogger Asha Dahya SOMEONE YOU KNOW is a short documentary I directed and produced, featuring three women sharing their experiences navigating a hostile landscape, as well as numerous barriers, to get a later abortion. The film is 50 percent animation, and 50 percent interview footage, mixed together in a creative retelling of women's experiences with the aim of changing hearts and minds. My target audiences are pro-choice voters and people who believe in access to abortion, but who perhaps are unclear about why someone would choose abortion later in their pregnancy, or who ha ..read more

The plethora of annual events honoring Roe v. Wade that, for decades, marked the anniversary of the decision's announcement, have largely turned to organizing, lobbying and marching in support of bodily autonomy and voter mobilization. On the weekend of what would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe, The Women's March is sponsoring a "Bigger Than Roe" rally in Phoenix, Arizona, seen as a key location in support of reproductive freedom in 2024 and beyond. With "Bigger Than Roe" as its theme, The Women's March is also supporting local marches and events across the country with website announc ..read more

by Abby Minor, guest blogger The last time I saw Peg Johnston -- beloved abortion care provider, artist, activist and friend to many movements over many years -- was just a few weeks before she died in May of 2023. Although Peg was unsteady on her feet, the occasion for our meeting was a public poetry reading and brunch that she had organized. I had traveled up to Binghamton from Pennsylvania at Peg’s request to read poems about abortion and reproductive politics at Cooperative Gallery 213, an art gallery she had long helped to steer, ever since the days when the space had been a lesbian soci ..read more

A lot has happened since we began publishing this blog about creative actions on reproductive freedom, health, rights and justice 16 years ago in 2007.  And then, artists of all types are using their voices, concepts and ideas to prop up reproductive freedom and the urgent need for attention. We now have approximately 520 blog posts about literature, art, theater, performance, poetry, books, podcasts, writing, sketches, film, video, radio, music, protests, dance, comics, memes, memoirs, virtual platforms, billboards, personal stories, crafts, care kits, walking tours, demonstrations, wor ..read more

This fall, Shout Your Abortion mounted billboards, one of the energizing media campaigns for abortion justice in 2023.  The campaign, continuing the group's innovative approach to abortion advocacy, drew significant media attention and offers a model for other locations. Signs were posted in areas of the mid-west and southern mid-west along Interstate-55, the corridor that thousands of people -- unfortunately -- must now take to get standard abortion care because of bans in their own home states.  People drive along this route for hundreds of miles to secure a simple 15-minute abort ..read more

A seven-part audio documentary series, Post-Roe America, delves into the world of abortion care and how doctors are coping with changes since the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson.  The Nocturnists podcast released unique and finely-tuned episodes on abortion care from the storytelling perspective of doctors and medical professionals. Half-hour programs running each week and launched in fall 2023 offer close-up perspectives in a total of 3.5 hours of content. Each selection addresses a single topic via commentary from the doctors who are witnessing and dealing with the sudden shift in abortio ..read more