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Awards Season, Baby! Tune In Now to the Abortion Onscreen Awards Presented by Nonprofit Organization “We Testify”

by Zoë Lourey-Christianson

Get your most red-carpet-ready slippers, silkiest pajamas, and favorite snack ready because the Abortion Onscreen Awards, aka “the Mifes,” are happening today, March 9th starting at 12pm EST on Instagram, and you’re invited—unless you don’t have Instagram in which case good for you, I guess?

Nonprofit and abortion storytelling organization, We Testify, is presenting the awards in conjunction with the Abortion Onscreen Project. The ceremony will honor accurate and informative portrayals of abortion in media, film, and TV and will be hosted by actress Mishel Prada (Riverdale, Fear the Walking Dead: Passage, Tell Me How I Die). One of the best parts about the awards is that you can watch them at your own convenience on the We Testify Instagram page, making it even easier to host an epic watch-party with friends. 

The awards being handed out include best medication abortion depiction, best in-clinic abortion depiction, best abortion supporter, best comedic abortion, best abortion disclosure, most realistic abortion depiction, and an abortion storyteller of the year award, which, according to their Instagram honors, “…individuals who have demonstrated exceptional ability in engaging audiences through their captivating stories, be it through verbal narration, written works, or other forms of storytelling.” 

Criteria for the awards include things like “accuracy in depicting the medical procedure, representation of the experiences of individuals who have undergone [an abortion], and effectiveness in promoting a positive and informed understanding of [abortion],” per We Testify’s Instagram. The list of nominees includes some notable titles in film and TV like P-Valley, Law & Order, Cecily Strong’s “Tammy the trucker” character on SNL, Grey’s Anatomy, Love & Hip Hop Family Reunion, HBO’s Peacemaker, Call Jane, and many more!

We Testify is a nonprofit organization that uplifts those who have had abortions by providing media training and support so they can effectively share their stories. They advocate for people who have had abortions being in positions of influence and power, work to change the way the media understands and reports on abortion care, and empower those who have had abortions–especially those that belong to marginalized groups. 

The Abortion Onscreen Project is housed at the University of California, San Francisco and aims to study how portrayal of abortion in film and TV interacts with and affects cultural viewpoints on the procedure. They created a public and comprehensive Abortion Onscreen Database that tracks depictions of abortion—receiving, discussing, and disclosing—in movies and television and is updated monthly. 

The Abortion Onscreen Awards come at a time of uncertain and unstable abortion access in the United States. Most recently on the reproductive-rights warfront, Walgreens caved to pressure from anti-choice activists and announced that they will no longer dispense mifepristone, one part of a two-part medication abortion procedure, in 21 states where Republican attorneys general have threatened legal action against pharmacies that distribute the medicine. 

Taking a moment to celebrate abortion and those who have had one is so important in the midst of the Republican assault on reproductive rights. Abortion is a good thing. It is an empowering, safe, and, in many cases, life saving medical procedure. Normalizing an out-loud celebration of abortion is important, and the Abortion Onscreen Awards are a wonderful medium to do just that. So, join We Testify and the Abortion Onscreen Project on Instagram and tune in to the Mifes! 

 Top photo is from Pexels by Inga Seliverstova

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