skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Theatric Performance Aims to Reduce Abortion Stigma for KY Women

play audio
Play

Thursday, June 20, 2019   

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A grassroots storytelling production focused on women's experiences with abortion performs its final show of the season Thursday night in Lexington.

A few years ago, when Kentucky was left with only one abortion provider after a Lexington clinic closed, Stacie Sexton started "The Abortion Monologues," a theater-based storytelling project that aims to lessen the stigma for women who wanted to share stories related to choosing – or not choosing – to terminate a pregnancy.

"You know, this is a storytelling project, but it became even more important to tell these stories and talk about the fact that access had been reduced to one clinic – one clinic serving the entire state – because the Planned Parenthoods in Kentucky don't perform abortions," she relates.

In the early 1990s, Kentucky had nine abortion clinics. It is now one of seven states with only one provider.

That facility, located in Louisville, has recently been at the forefront of a legal battle involving a law, passed in 2017 and signed by Gov. Matt Bevin, mandating that doctors in Kentucky show patients an ultrasound and describe it in detail before performing an abortion.

The American Civil Liberties Union argues the legislation violates doctors' free speech rights.

With "The Abortion Monologues," Sexton says anyone, regardless of her or his views on the procedure, is welcome to work with the production to share individual stories.

"We did have a story of regret this year,” Sexton states. “She was an international student that studied here in Kentucky, and she became pregnant. She actually wanted to have her baby 100%, but her family basically forced her into having an abortion.

“She mentioned in her story that she's still pro-choice. Even though she didn't want to have an abortion, she supports other people's rights to have it, because abortion is illegal in her country."

Because the rhetoric surrounding abortion has become increasingly fierce and contentious, Sexton says people often forget that women who have chosen to have an abortion are women they know – their daughters, mothers and aunts and even grandmothers.

She says one of this season's most powerful stories comes from a granddaughter who wanted to tell the story of her grandmother, who died from a botched self-abortion more than half a century ago.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Nearly 40% of Wisconsin school-aged children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches at school. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …


Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021