A College Art Exhibit Was Just Censored Because It Had Abortion-Related Art | Abortion

The college suggested that displaying the art would violate Idaho’s abortion restrictions.

Art that mentions abortion has been removed from an exhibition at a public college in Idaho—and the college is proposing to tie their hands with state law.

The art show, “Unconditional Care,” opened last week at Lewis-Clark State College and aims to address “today’s biggest health issues,” such as “chronic illness, disability, pregnancy, sexual assault, and gun violence and deaths,” according to s late February release about the show. Since overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion has reached the forefront of the national health care debate.

But instead of showing that, school officials removed videos depicting women sharing their pregnancy experiences and reproductive rights, an act that included a handwritten historic letter addressed to on the founder of Planned Parenthood, and a piece describing abortion pills, according to the Guardian. The artist behind the final piece, Katrina Majkut, told the Guardian that officials would not allow her to use the term “post-Roe America.”

“I tried to have some alternative stand-in, like a curtain placed over the work or a sign that said ‘Artwork legally removed,'” Majkut said. “But all that was rejected as well.”

Majkut, who also worked as a guest curator at the exhibition, told Artnet News who was fired from his job after he gave the administrators a tour.

“I said I wanted the wall text up even though I couldn’t get the artwork because it was literally repeating Idaho’s own law to the students,” Majkut said. “That is a taboo. It’s an educational setting, but I’ve been told directly in person that the text on the wall is not okay.

“The censorship of my piece is extremely alarming because it comes from a letter written 100 years ago by a desperate mother,” Michelle Hartney, the artist whose work includes the historic letter, told Artnet News. “I feel, through this project, make sure that the stories and pleas of these mothers from the past will not be forgotten.”

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Lewis-Clark State College said the school “became aware of concerns” about the exhibit on Feb. 26, just days before the exhibit was scheduled to open.

“Within 24 hours the college contacted legal counsel to try to determine if any of the concerns may be in violation of Idaho Code Section 18-8705,” the spokesperson said. “Over the next 48 hours the college worked closely and carefully with legal counsel to review the exhibit items. On Feb. 28, within hours of receiving legal counsel that some of the proposed exhibits were could not be included in the exhibition, the college began to notify the third-party exhibit curator and artists involved.

Idaho Code Section 18-8705 refers to the No Public Funds for Abortion Act, a 2021 law that bars public funds from being used to perform abortions, advocate for abortions, refer for abortions, or even “promote abortion.” Last year, the University of Idaho cited that law when it warned employees they could be fired if they referred students for abortions, offered them birth control, or failed to “remain neutral” when talking about abortion.

Today, representatives from the ACLU and other anti-censorship organizations stepped in to write a letter to Lewis-Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton, urging the school to restore the work of Lydia Nobles, the artist behind video clips. The groups warned the college that its interpretation of the No Public Funds for Abortion Act shows how easily it can be abused.

“As the Supreme Court recognized 80 years ago, “[i]If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or low, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion,” wrote the ACLU, the ACLU of Idaho, and the National Coalition Against Censorship. “The College’s decision threatens this fundamental First Amendment principle by censoring Nobles’ important work and denying Center visitors the opportunity to view, consider, and discuss it.”

In an email to VICE News, Nobles called on Pemberton to reverse the decision to remove the artwork.

“Freedom of speech is worth fighting for and your interpretation of the law is too broad and imprecise,” Nobles said. At what cost will you deny Lewis-Clark State students their right to critical conversations about abortion access?”

In his email, Nobles also included a statement from Cat Hadley, whose account was shown in Nobles’ removed art. In a video, Hadley shared how state law prevented her from obtaining an abortion in Michigan in 2007. She was forced to continue her pregnancy.

“I think it’s ridiculous that in 2023 when people share their truth, they are met with silence instead of being heard. I avoided sharing my story for over a decade because of the same shame that would work for silence me, and I will not be silenced,” Hadley said. “I am outraged that my First Amendment rights have been trampled upon because my story does not fit a particular narrative. My story seeks to share the true consequences people face when they don’t get an abortion.”

Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjvdmv/abortion-art-censored-lewis-clark-college-idaho