STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY G.G. LUKE

In March a dozen men and women sat down around a table in the Wood River Valley and penned personal stories concerning abortion. As they did, others throughout Idaho were doing the same thing.

The stories they wrote included that of a man recounting how his mother felt compelled to perform her own abortion at 33, bleeding to death in four days and leaving behind four children. Another described how she was forced to travel to Washington after she learned the much-wanted baby she was carrying could never survive outside the womb, the eventual miscarriage or stillbirth putting her at risk for sepsis and other complications.

Karen Nelsen will recount the story of a woman looking backwards.

Some of the stories written on paper during those workshops will be staged Saturday and Sunday in a unique presentation titled “In Defiance of Silence: Idaho Abortion Stories.” The monologues, dialogues and dramatic reenactments will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at The Argyros in Ketchum.

Those acting out the stories are Noah Koski, Janet Lo, Courtney Loving, Lizzie Loving, Karen Nelson, Hannah Nye and Aly Wepplo.

The staged production will be followed by a community conversation moderated by Sun Valley Jeanne Meyers.  Panelists will include Sheridan Brett, a young mother who was forced to leave the state for help when she suffered complications in pregnancy; Courtney Loving, a licensed professional counselor specializing in trauma; Dr. Jess Rolynn, a family physician; the Rev. Sara LaWall, Melanie Folwell, and Jen Jackson Quintano, who founded the Pro-Voice Project.

“This is more than an artistic expression—it’s a call to break the silence surrounding abortion,” said Sara LaWall, the director. “Our goal is to create a space where these stories are heard without judgment, offering our community the chance to engage in meaningful conversation.”

Noah Koski of The Flourish Foundation is among the actors who will take part.

Tickets are available at https://www.theargyros.org/. Complimentary child care will be available for children 12 and under on Sunday. Parents can pre-register their children by emailing their name, email, cell phone number and child’s name and age to GGLUkeBCD@gamil.com.

Hailey activist G.G. Luke invited Jen Jackson Quintano to the Wood River Valley to conduct the writing workshop after learning about the Pro-Voice Project Quintano had started in Sandpoint.

“In a state where the fundamental right to make decisions about our bodies has been stripped away, personal stories are our most potent tool for change,” she said. “When women and men courageously share their experiences with abortion and reproductive health care, they shatter the silence that allows oppressive policies to persist unchecked.”

Two of the stories that will be featured in this weekend’s production are from the Wood River Valley; the others are from around Idaho.

A couple of the stories recount the challenges Idahoans have faced since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Following the Supreme Court’s action, Idaho imposed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, prompting ob-gyn doctors to leave the state and a few maternity wards to close.

“As reproductive health care providers are driven out of Idaho, entire communities are being plunged into health care deserts, where even the most basic services become inaccessible,” said Quintano. “This loss goes beyond abortion—it endangers comprehensive health care for women and families, especially in rural areas where options are already limited.

“The stories of women forced to leave the state for essential care, at great financial and emotional cost, are a powerful reminder of the human toll these policies take. Now, more than ever, we must stand up, share our stories, and demand the restoration of our fundamental rights to necessary abortion care and bodily autonomy. Silence is no longer an option—we owe it to ourselves and future generations to fight for this basic human dignity.”

The dialogues and monologues have already been staged in Boise, McCall, Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Sandpoint.

“As I watch it, I see the cruelty of overturning 50 years of precedence,” said Luke, the show’s producer. “Abortion is healthcare. And, when you ban it, women’s health care is banned. Women are being prevented from care during miscarriages and pregnancy complications. Women are dying from preventable deaths because of abortion care being denied.”

Luke says she hopes viewers will leave with a clearer understanding of the complexities of abortion and reproductive health.

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg believed that when government controls a woman’s decision whether or not to bear children, she is being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices,” she said. “This is an emotiona,l thought-provoking presentation of an issue that impacts everyone up and down the economic spectrum. It’s a woman’s issue and a man’s issue.”

WORTH OF A WOMAN ON DISPLAY

The Pro-Voice Project’s Worth of a Woman will be on display in The Argyros lobby Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26-27. The exhibition examines the connections between women’s health and community well-being as it examines barriers to care and visions for a more supportive future.

The exhibit will move to Ketchum’s Community Library on Monday, Oct. 28, where author Pam Houston will be discussing her new book, “Without Exception: Reclaiming Abortion, Personhood and Freedom,” at 5 p.m.