A street artist has placed wire hangers labelled “at-home abortion kits” in pharmacies across the US to protest the recent rise in anti-abortion legislation.
Plastic Jesus, a Los Angeles-based artist from Britain, shared a picture of the home-made kits on Instagram, showing the plain white hangers “for sale” for $19.99 in an aisle also selling male condoms.
“At-home abortion kit,” the product label reads. “Perform an abortion in the comfort of your own home.
“Approved for use in: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Utah. More states pending.”
The labels on each kit also feature two QR codes, one which directed people to Planned Parenthood’s donation page when scanned and the other to the artist’s website.
According to Plastic Jesus, the hangers were placed in dozens of pharmacies across the US over the weekend, including in states “that have recently implemented tough abortion limits including Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Kentucky,” as well as in New York, Los Angeles, California, and Texas.
“The project is intended to highlight the significant health risk to the lives of many women following the tough new abortion term limits passed in a number of states,” the artist’s website reads. “Not to mention the grotesque infringement on the rights of women everywhere.
“Women should be free to make their own choices about their health, these rights are protected by the constitution under Roe v Wade.”
Pointing the blame at “old wealthy white men” who “seem to think they know what is best for women,” the artist added: “The states are turning back the clock on progress, healthcare and rights by decades.”
Hangers were widely used to perform risky and dangerous at-home abortions before the procedure was legal, safe and accessible to women in the US. The use often led to complications, and frequently death.
Wire hangers have since become a symbol of pro-choice protests, and a reminder of the dangers and consequences of illegal abortion.
On Instagram, the artist’s latest controversial project has been liked more than 3,700 times.
“Wow this speaks volumes,” one person wrote, while another said: “This hits as hard as it needed. We won’t benefit in any way from returning to ways of the past.”
