Laia Abril presented a talk about her work a few weeks ago in which she creates photographic projects that are based on hard hitting topics that we may find challenging to talk about. When carrying out this project, Abril explained that around 70% of her projects are research based so that she has enough knowledge to carry through.
‘Chapter One - On Abortion’ (2016) Is Abril’s first project which documents the dangers and complications of illegal abortion methods. These are carried out due to women’s lack of access to safe abortion as women’s rights on abortion are still illegal in some countries. Abril explains that when meeting with her subjects to retrieve their stories about their experiences of abortion, text needed to be included in her book in order to get their stories heard.Some of the objects shown in Abril’s images are what these women used to carry out their abortion. Some women used a coat hanger and some sat in hot baths.
Abril spoke about how women that go though abortions are ‘killers’ because you are discarding life forms. However, this has been opposed because not allowing women to have an abortion legally and safely means they would have to take matters into their own hands. By carrying out illegal and dangerous abortions can lead to injuries and even fatalities. Thousands of women have died from having their own abortions and so it is just as bad not allowing women the access to have safe and legal abortions.
Her work is very powerful and contains images of those who have experience with having their own abortions, alongside images of methods used. These images put into perspective just how important it is to allow women the right to safely abort. The project has also led to women opening up about their experiences.
