Carmen Winant, The Last Safe Abortion

Online Only

The Last Safe Abortion, a compelling project by artist Carmen Winant, focuses on the nearly fifty-year period when abortion was legal in the United States (1973–2022). This work honors the dedication, care, and advocacy of abortion workers by drawing from over a dozen archives across the Midwest, including Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Kentucky, North Dakota, and Ohio. Through these personal, organizational, and institutional archives, Winant reveals the everyday realities of abortion care: women answering phones, sterilizing medical equipment, hosting staff celebrations, offering workshops, and scheduling appointments.

In highlighting these tender, routine acts, Winant challenges the negative visual narratives that anti-choice activists often use. By centering abortion care as a part of daily healthcare work, she presents a nuanced, humanizing perspective. The Last Safe Abortion includes a thoughtfully curated selection of photographs and an accompanying text by Winant, capturing the quiet resilience and community-building that defines this essential work.

This publication coincides with the complementary new edition of My Birth.