CONFERENCE: On abortion - Karman’s method & Medicalization of abortion (ENG)

On an original project by photographer Laia Abril, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) presented, at the end of 2018, an adaptation of On Abortion, an installation composed of real objects, photographs, sound recordings collected on different continents and enriched with testimonials collected from MSF caregivers. Back to the conference, organized in the margins of the exhibition, on the state of the art of practices, legislations and historical perspectives of abortion.

MSF273140

To Report An Asset

If you think this image is in any way inappropriate, please report it, by including its URN/identifying code and a brief description of your concern in sending an email to [email protected]

Linked assets

CONFERENCE: On Abortion - History of voluntary termination of pregnancy in France (ENG)

Subt. English

VIDEO: Conference on Abortion (Dec 2018)

Add to lightbox

Add to cart

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF273140

Date taken / Date Recorded 24/11/2018 12:00 AM

Country France

Commissioning section MSF-FRANCE

Photographer / videographer / producer Benoit Finck

Usage Rights (MSF) MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★★★ (C)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 2m40s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 264.29 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist Mathilde Larrère, Historian and Lecturer

Karman’s method & Medicalization of abortion 2:31

Karman’s method was first used in Grenoble in 1972 by the Family Planning, and it went on from there. It’s important to know that the number of women who used to die after an abortion, the incidence was really high, but as of 1973, it literally plummeted. So, its impact was huge. With Karman’s method women didn’t die anymore, and it became increasingly common.
For example, Delphine Seyrig often lent her apartment for the …

[Victoire] So the actor Delphine Seyrig!

The actor Delphine Seyrig explained… there’s a fabulous video of her describing the abortions that took place in her apartment. The government was getting seriously concerned because it was becoming more and more common. In fact, Simone Veil recounted that as outgoing minister Poniatowski handed over office to her, he said: “hurry up and get a law through because if you don’t, within the month you’ll have the Family Planning women doing abortions in your office.” There was a wave of panic among the government.

The Veil Law was passed, admittedly with all the advantages and the victory that it represented, but the Law meant the medicalization of abortion within the hospital environment. And from then on, Karman-type abortions, abortions performed in apartments in a spirit of sisterhood, friendship where women supported women, with so much compassion, a bond of sisterhood empowering women to take charge of their own bodies because that’s what it was about, to some extent came to an end with the Veil Law. Abortions, or voluntary terminations, were now performed in hospitals using Karman’s method because initially abortions were done with vacuum aspirators. But after the Law, they took place in an environment that was far more uninviting and a lot more guilt-inducing for women.

Even now, young girls going for an abortion are humiliated and made to feel guilty. In some hospitals it can still be really tough, not all of them, but some. And it’s true that when you listen to Simone Veil’s speech … well, first she said women were dying, which was no longer the case when she spoke because, thanks to Karman, they weren’t dying anymore. But most of all, you hear in her speech, if you have it in your head and you listen again, you realise. She said we’re going to take back control. The medical profession will take back control, and so the State will regain partial control. It’ll be the men who’ll take back control.

Keywords

Abortion

Meeting

Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare