On February 19, RHAP hosted a special screening of the documentary Vessel in collaboration with the New School’s Sex-E Collective and Global Studies Program. Vessel follows the work of activist Dr. Rebecca Gomperts and the organization Women on Waves as they work to expand access to safe abortion care across the globe.

Over a hundred people joined us for Thursday night’s event. The documentary’s director and producer, Diana Whitten, is a graduate of the New School. The movie premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and last year The New York Times Magazine highlighted Vessel in a feature article entitled The Dawn of the Post-Clinic Abortion. It was exciting to host a screening at the director’s alma mater and we had a great time working with students and faculty members to pull the screening together.

After the film, RHAP’s executive director, Lisa Maldonado, moderated a panel with Judith Helfand, the creative director and co-founder of Chicken & Egg Pictures, and two of RHAP’s Reproductive Health and Advocacy Fellows. Chicken & Egg Pictures helped fund Vessel and Judith answered audience questions about the film’s development. The RHAP Fellows helped explain how medication abortion care works in the United States and the laws that restrict access to mifepristone and misoprostol, the two medicines that are used during medication abortion.

It was a wonderful evening that allowed us to share a powerful film with our friends and supporters. If you are interested in attending a Vessel screening in your area please visit www.vesselthefilm.com. A big thank you to everyone who attended the screening and all the volunteers and speakers who helped make it happen!