Love reading awesome zines by inspiring women (Polyester, Bitchcraft, Girls Get Busy and Sister), dancing the night away to 90s hip hop and R&B (from the women who started the 90s revival with club night Work It) and deciding for yourself whether a safe, legal abortion is the right choice for you? Well you are in luck!
The brilliantly titled “None of Your Business” is a one-night-only party being held tonight at Vogue Fabrics in Dalston, organised by the independent, national pro-choice campaign Abortion Rights (who are based just down the road) and supported by the Work It DJs, the aforementioned zines, plus the girls-only creative collective BabyFace.
“It is a really exciting time for feminism at the moment, with online zines, campaigns and blogs; the internet as a platform for activism has been great for women’s rights,” says 20-year-old Ruby Atkin of Abortion Rights. “The means of expression and communication are always advancing but issues like abortion are still avoided, or treated like taboo in conversation, and I think that really needs to change!,” she adds.
A third of UK women will have an abortion at some point in their lives, but prejudice and shaming are still an issue. “We want to send a bold message that abortion is part of our social landscape but stigma doesn’t have to be,” Ruby says of her aims for the night and the campaign. “I also hope that the event will appeal to women of my generation who often believe the battle for reproductive justice has already been won,” she adds, explaining that, “Almost 50 years after the Abortion Act, while we now have free, legal access to abortion, the law continues to be paternalistic, requiring two doctors to approve a woman’s request for a termination before it can proceed. This assumes that a woman is not autonomous and separates abortion from any other medical procedure.”
“We believe in every woman’s right to choose,” says Loren Platt of Work It. “We hope the event raises awareness and lots of money so that the organisation can continue the important work they do ensuring all women have a safe place to seek information, support and ultimately make the right decision for them.”
Ione Gamble, editor of Polyester zine agrees: “Every person deserves an easily accessible, stigma-free abortion and the right to be in control of their own body. Hopefully the night will raise more awareness for Abortion Rights UK and the issues surrounding abortion here in England specifically, as well as bringing together the feminist community to party for an amazing cause.”
All proceeds from the night will help Abortion Rights continue their work to defend and extend the right to a free, safe, legal and accessible abortion.