True tales of abortion
#OutFromUnderTheRug, presented by Oral Fixation, moved me to tears and to #SweepOutTheShame
Last night, I had the privilege of attending a unique event here in Houston with my partner: “Out From Under The Rug — True Life Tales Of Abortion,” is a live storytelling event in which seven brave, trailblazing men and women share their true, personal stories about dealing with abortion.
Don’t miss your chance to catch the second showing of this powerful event tonight, Friday April 20 at 8 pm. Nicole Stewart brings her series Oral Fixation: An obsession with true life tales to the Houston stage to present us with an evening of true, personal stories performed by a cross-section of seven Texans. With support from the Simmons Foundation and the Stardust Fund, the show’s mission is to help eradicate the stigma around abortion by providing a platform for sharing true, personal stories that have long been swept under the rug.
Storytellers included:
1) Dr. Willie Parker: a heroic Southern Baptist African-American abortion provider and author of Life’s Work: A Moral Argument for Choice who will share his come-to-Jesus moment.
2) Sherry Merfish: longtime women’s rights advocate and political fundraiser will share her story of having an abortion before Roe v. Wade.
3) Mandy Trichell: a 14 year-old girl living in an unstable household gets pregnant by her 18 year-old boyfriend and has her first of three abortions as well as three children
4) Erika Settles: a hispanic mother of four experiences religious conflict when she gets pregnant accidentally during a turbulent time.
5) Monte Jones: an oncologist decides with his wife to terminate their much wanted pregnancy because the baby they named Faith was very sick. Because his wife is employed at a religious hospital, they must go to another city for the abortion.
6) Shiloh Modisett: native Houstonian felt deep shame about her college abortion then finds strength first in coming out as queer and now in sharing her abortion story.
7) Nicole Stewart: Now almost eight months pregnant with a toddler at home, Stewart will share her powerful personal story about why it’s is important we don’t ban abortion after 20 weeks.
Run time is approximately 85 minutes, and the show is rated R — appropriate for ages 17 and up. There will be an opportunity to meet the performers following the show, and I highly recommend sticking around to let them know what you thought of the event. My partner and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next installment in the series!
