Medical Students for Choice NYC, a coalition of medical students at multiple institutions in New York City, hosts an annual fundraiser to raise money for important, practical support organizations that promote reproductive justice and access to abortion care. In response to the news of Ken Paxton filing a lawsuit against Dr. Maggie Carpenter, who works with ACT Access to ship abortion pills to patients across the country, MSFC NYC decided to move the timeline of our fundraiser to start in December for ACT Access and the Repro Legal Defense Fund, organizations that promote online access to abortion and defend people who are under investigation or fighting charges related to their pregnancy or abortion. As part of this fundraiser, we hosted a reading of The Abortion Monologues by Jane Cawthorne on January 31, 2025, with the proceeds from all tickets sold going directly towards the fundraiser.
The Play
The Abortion Monologues is a series of vignettes with characters from diverse backgrounds describing their experiences seeking and accessing abortion. In addition to a select number of readings that actors chose to perform from The Abortion Monologues, I worked with Dr. Linda Prine, one of the founders of ACT Access, who wrote a monologue from the perspective of an ACT Access client who decided to self-manage her abortion. Given the nexus of ongoing attacks on access to self-managed abortion and the growing need and desire for access to self-managed abortion in a post-Roe landscape, we felt that the inclusion of a contemporary monologue, informed by lived experiences of abortion providers and abortion seekers, would provide valuable commentary on abortion beyond the clinic. Our goal was to emphasize that abortion is a deeply personal experience that is common and occurs across racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious groups, and abortion storytelling provides a way to humanize a poorly understood process of care.
The Event
MSFC NYC worked with Stella & Fly, a cafe and wine bar in the Upper East Side, to host the reading in their small basement event space. The owner of Stella & Fly was excited about MSFC’s mission to support future abortion providers and access to abortion education and allowed us to use the space at a discount and provided one drink ticket per attendee. Due to space constraints, we were able to sell twenty-seven tickets and raised a total of $500 from the event. While many attendees were medical students, many were friends or family of the actors, encountering abortion storytelling and advocacy for the first time, and other customers at Stella & Fly were curious about the event we were hosting and what we were fundraising for. The performance fostered a space for open conversation—many audience members lingered after the reading to discuss what they had heard, reflecting on their personal connections to abortion access and the importance of sharing these stories. Some attendees mentioned how the monologues challenged their previous perceptions, deepening their understanding of the complexity of abortion experiences. Through hosting this event, which was more open for public engagement than most of our events, we were able to engage with a new audience and bring more people into our mission of access to abortion care and training—in the unique ways that attendees will carry this experience forward.
The Future
Through hosting an event at the intersection of the arts and humanities, MSFC NYC was able to begin the conversation about the lived experiences of patients behind the political debates over abortion and promote the idea that abortion care is not just a clinical experience but a profoundly human one, marked by empowerment, empathy, and understanding. By centering storytelling in this section of our advocacy efforts, we fostered room for empathy, reflection, and communication—reminding us that advocacy can be extremely powerful when it bridges disciplines, centers on lived experiences, and celebrates emotion. In a world of Zoom meetings, busy days, and increasing restrictions on individuals’ ability to achieve reproductive agency, an event to be in a community with a diverse, passionate group of medical students, actors, and audience members was incredibly invigorating and impactful.
While the event was a success, we gained key insights that will inform future programming. Given the high ticket demand, we realized a larger venue would allow for broader community participation. Additionally, we hope to explore more ways to involve audience members, such as a post-show discussion or a Q&A session with abortion providers and advocates. Inspired by the success of this event, we are planning a future event featuring The Turnaway Play, which similarly highlights the real-life consequences of restrictions on abortion access.
For MSFC chapters considering a similar event, our biggest recommendation is to create an experience that fosters emotional connection and community engagement. Storytelling is a powerful advocacy tool, and incorporating theater, art, or personal narratives can make reproductive justice issues feel more tangible and urgent. Partnering with local businesses, inviting a mix of medical students and community members, and ensuring a welcoming space for dialogue can make these events even more impactful. Most importantly, centering lived experiences in advocacy efforts can spark meaningful conversations beyond the event itself.
