Photo Essay by Daniela Davila

ddavi102_ — 2023-11-27 20:05:28 UTC

This image is a more explicit way to think of what some women used to have to do to obtain abortions before they were more easily accessible. Whether the reason to fear an abortion is cultural or criminal prosecution such as the story of Purvi Patel in Priya Kandaswamy’s article, ‘Race, Reproductive Justice, and the Criminalization of Purvi Patel’, women feel the pressure. Patels abortion case was a highly publicized feticide trial. In the end she was put through plenty of emotional turmoil and time in jail due to her ending her pregnancy.

ddavi102_ — 2023-11-27 20:06:57 UTC

This photo of a woman holding her heart over her uterus is a powerful image depicting how women grow love inside of them when they become pregnant, and to take that privilege away or forcefully give it to them when they are not ready is a crime. The phrase "My uterus, my choice” is a perfect example of the idea this image is trying to explain. Sterilization and abortions should be options each woman makes on their own terms, even the choice to have their baby.

ddavi102_ — 2023-11-27 20:07:59 UTC

There is an ongoing theme of activism and resilience when it comes to women's reproductive rights as seen on the pin below. The phrase “Ban off our Bodies” opens up the conversation and debates surrounding women's health. This phrase is directly related to Planned Parenthood and how this organization provides essential healthcare services beyond abortion, such as contraception, cancer screenings, and STI testing.

ddavi102_ — 2023-11-27 20:10:59 UTC

This image title ‘Optional Mother’ is attempting to represent the demand and rise of birth control/emergency contraception. In Angela Davis’s article called “Racism, Birth Control, and Reproductive Rights' ' she speaks on how feminist in the 19th century pushed for a campaign called “voluntary motherhood' '. A century after the beginning of this movement, abortion became fully accessible. The image above shows two different women who've made two different decisions, both valid, just different. One chose motherhood and the other had the option of either or.

ddavi102_ — 2023-11-27 20:12:15 UTC

In the documentary title “La Operacion” directed by Ana Maria Gracia, we learn about this mass sterilization that occurred in Puerto Rico in the late 20th century due to “surplus population”. The heart wrenching feeling of taking away a woman's childbearing right is an emotion I tried to capture in my photo as represented by the scissors placed next to the fetus. By the 1970’s, 35% of the women in Puerto Rico were sterilized.