Description
Abortion tourism is already an existing phenomena, but its presence reveals the political currents of the right-to-bodily-autonomy of citizens from different states. In Hungary abortion is legal, but not the abortion pill, so women often choose to become abortion tourists- if they have the necessary capital to do so. Through branding and staging a fictional tourist office specialism in abortion tourism, we would like to expose how whole institution systems produce the guilt and shame that so many women internalize as a personal failure. The office(+experts) would compare and analyze reproductive policies, exposing how something, such as the medical system - believed to be scientific - is very much a cultural construct: the protocols and policies governing reproductive medicine are different in each state and culture. Our aim is to establish novel encounters and pathways, where information can be transmitted via novel use of existing media, in order to bypass preconceptions. We do not aim to do political lobbying, we would like to reach citizens themselves via online media and public events, to share information without dictating a new set of norms.
Summary of project results
This project addresses structural violence within the medical system, and the potential of medical technology to perpetuate sex-based discrimination and patriarchal social structures. Our ultimate aim is to develop an activist toolkit, and to start forming our network. Our main focus was tactical media use, and the main product a website, highlighting the differences in reproductive healthcare across various European countries. We have done street promotion/public performances, and a public event. We aimed to involve as many people as possible, so we worked with volunteers, and recruited hostesses who had to watch a short presentation about reproductive rights, and we organized a public presentation for local NGOS, artists and activists. We had extensive media coverage, including mainstream TV channels, countrywide print media, and popular online media. We reached our aim of starting a discussion, and providing people with information usually omitted from popular media.
Summary of bilateral results