A Clean Bill

Though the 2022 repeal of Roe v Wade in the US outraged progressives around the world, there is often less attention given to reproductive rights closer to home, and how the right to reproductive care includes more than 'just' abortion access.

Reproductive healthcare also includes, for instance, birth control, IVF, STI testing, egg and sperm donation, and loads of other treatments and procedures that involve looking after reproductive organs and their related processes. Access – or lack thereof – to this care is more than dealing with unwanted pregnancies and relevant everywhere. Two shows at this year's Fringe exemplify this.

Though Ireland's 2019 legalisation of abortion was a significant leap for the country's reproductive rights, The Daughters of Róisí­n focuses on single women who wanted to be mothers but did not have the right to do so. "I was inspired by the story of my great grandmother, Kathleen Barry who gave birth to my grandfather in the early 1930s and had him removed from her care, as she was an unmarried woman," Aoibh Johnson, the show's writer and performer, explains. While the stories of the Magdalene Laundries are now widely known, their legacy is something Ireland struggles with. "There’s still a heavy sense of shame that ripples through the island and I wrote this piece to do my part in dispelling that shame," she adds. 

In Scotland, Charlotte Mclean, creator and director of Futuristic Folktales, finds inspiration from others as well as within herself. "Menstrual and reproductive health – for and with EVERYONE – is a topic close to my heart. Having had two abortions and a miscarriage, and currently contemplating if human reproduction is for me, in my dancing body, I feel like it's an important discourse to feed into," Mclean shares. She has drawn on the concept of 'the first womb' and its possibilities to make the show. "My hope for the first womb's legacy is that anyone who wants to have a child can. Whether they have an actual womb, or not. I'm here for the future of all reproductive possibilities, and what that may look like for different constellations of people. Or not."

The Daughters Of Róisí­n / Photo by Molly Martin

Both Johnson and Mclean recognise their shows' positions within the current political climate. Reflecting on the past decade, Johnson notes, "I do believe that there has been a surge in advocacy for women’s voices in the last 10 years and The Daughters of Róisín speaks to this. It feels like communities are tired of staying quiet, not rocking the boat and hiding from reality". That said, she adds: "I think the words 'activism' and 'protest' can connote ideas about aggression, noise and disruption. I’m excited about how theatre and female writers are bringing a new energy to activism. I believe activism can be gentle, beautiful and moving and at times, this is the work that creates most change. The Daughters of Róisín is a piece of fiery, protest theatre but it’s also a soft, moving piece, full of heart." Mclean takes a similar approach in Futuristic Folktales: "With the show, we want to resist loud politics. We want to find a way to encourage political actions, thought, contemplation without spoon feeding or encouraging a particular party/ideal."

Refreshingly, both artists look at the world around us with optimism. Thinking about the Fringe, Mclean says, "Hopefully everyone feels welcome to come to the show, and whatever their opinion on reproductive health, trans rights or tradition may be, it can be discussed together afterwards." Johnson, too: "My hope is that it connects to your heart and soul and encourages you to hold the hands of women everywhere."