Woman starts fundraiser to build 6-foot-tall vagina statue and fund abortions

"I am ready to say 'f**k you' to the rich, white men in Texas who are limiting my rights," the artist said

Published October 23, 2014 4:07PM (EDT)

      (<a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-360583p1.html'>Dja65</a> via <a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/'>Shutterstock</a>)
(Dja65 via Shutterstock)

There are very few abortion clinics in Texas, thanks to a drastic antiabortion measure that forced dozens of healthcare centers to close over the past year. As a result, abortion access across the state has become severely limited, and activists have been forced to scramble to come up with ways to counteract the crisis. Some have started funds to help women pay for abortion care. Others, such as Austin resident Chloe, have come up with different methods of raising awareness. Chloe, for instance, plans to create a massive vagina sculpture to draw attention to the issue, and in turn to raise money for abortions.

According to a Kickstarter page she started to fund the project, Chloe hopes the art piece will create significant buzz and eventually elicit donations, which she says will go toward funding abortions:

Many women must travel hundreds of miles and stay overnight in these cities and that is why I want to help. Abortions already cost a good deal of money, adding hotel, food, and transportation on top of that can get crazy. I want to start a group that provides housing, meals, and transportation to women who are traveling for the procedure. That is where you come in. You donate the my project, you get to see a really cool statue get made and the money then goes to help women.

About herself, Chloe writes:

I am a girl with a dream. I want to help women. I want to change the world. I want to create a statue of lady parts. I am really excited about this project because I think that it can make a difference in the lives of women in Texas.

I am ready to say "fuck you" to the rich, white, men in Texas who are limiting my rights to my own body and I am ready to make something hilarious.

Given the state of sex education in Texas, Chloe's 6-foot-tall anatomical vulva might actually be more practically useful than it will be "hilarious." Her project hasn't quite made a splash yet, but, even if it doesn't succeed, there are still plenty of groups in Texas that work to provide assistance to all Texans in need of reproductive healthcare.

(h/t Styleite)


By Jenny Kutner

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