Earlier this summer, Roe v Wade was overturned, sending an electric shock throughout the country. Although it wasn't going to directly affect my right to an abortion in "sunny" California, it threatened the lives of women and humans across the globe. I thought about the idea of a medical facility; where would women go now that they won't have access to abortion clinics anymore? While thinking about these structures that women would now have to enter, I thought about literal back alley abortions happening in both abandoned and public spaces, lacking sanitary areas to perform serious medical procedures. I wanted to make people aware that abortion doesn't just pertain to a particular sect of women but affects everyone. I decided to use archival imagery of my maternal family in Iran, as I have many generations of strong women behind me. Regarding the posters, we considered the arguments that pro-lifers use, which demonize abortion, often through a religious lens. We flipped that rhetoric by depicting Jesus and my newborn baby brother circa 2007. The process of displaying my work was quite emotional yet exhilarating. We went around to the neighborhoods that meant something to me. We put posters on the street where I walk my dog and have dinner with my family and friends. One place we went to was a catholic church. This was the first location we went to, which might explain my apprehensiveness, but also, my fears were starting to arise. I grew nervous about holding a poster that I knew went against their beliefs in this sacred space. I was raised Jewish and grew up going to the temple and visiting other places of worship worldwide. Part of me felt a pang of guilt as I was standing in front of a massive cross, but part of me also felt liberated; I felt that at that moment in time, I was a voice for so many people who had been persecuted due to their decisions made about their own body. Bringing my immigrant great-grandmother and grandmother into the narrative was also quite emotional and powerful for me. They lived in countries where men in power were also controlling women's rights, and having lived through that; I am now able to have the privilege to share my voice when they were unable to.

A special thank you to Brannon Cook and Gustavo Godoy