Abstract
Synopsis This article reflects on a recent exhibition hosted at the Sydney Justice and Police Museum. The Femme Fatale exhibition aimed to highlight the way “society has interpreted and contained the criminality of women”, through the depiction of women convicted of various crimes, including abortion related offences. This article discusses the abortion display of the exhibition to explore the longstanding political anxiety provoked by abortion imagery. It focuses on the ongoing power of the image of abortion, and the female abortionist in particular, and questions the potential for the deployment of such imagery in a feminist context. The article argues that by focusing on the female abortionist as she was targeted by the police, and not on catastrophic outcomes for her patients, the Femme Fatale exhibition highlights the historical, mundane realities of women's reproductive lives, and the centrality of women's networks to this world. It challenges hegemonic medical authority that has claimed women's reproductive praxis as its own, and importantly, alludes to the power historically deployed by midwives before this medical colonisation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.