Turnaway Play reading and discussion

The Turnaway Play takes as its jumping off point a research study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco on the consequences of having or being denied an abortion. The study recruited women at abortion clinics who were close to the gestational limit allowed at that clinic. Some had gotten to the clinic just under the limit and received an abortion. Others had gotten there just beyond the limit and were turned away. The study followed these women for five years, interviewing them every six months about their mental, physical, and economic health.

A book based on the study was published by Scribner. It discusses the research methodology and results, and in alternating chapters presents stories of women who participated in the study. The book and study have received significant media attention and critical acclaim, with features on Fresh Air  and in the New York Times, Washington Post, New Yorker, and many other outlets. Gloria Steinem said, “If you read only one book about democracy, The Turnaway Study should be it. Why? Because without the power to make decisions about our own bodies, there is no democracy.”

The reading is directed by Zoë Golub-Sass and features actors  Erica Steinhagen, Emily Mesa, Erin Lockett, and Marissa Accordino.  Dr. Diana Greene Foster, the lead scientist of the study and author of the book is the sister of the playwright and will be in attendance for this reading and discussion.