MUVS Photography Competition: Stock Photos on Abortion


MUVS Photography Competition: Stock Photos on Abortion

Dec 28, 2017

Abortion is still a taboo: The topic is annoying, polarizing, stigmatizing, and even criminalizes women. Media coverage on abortion represents a one-sided visual language for a simple reason: Little to no useful stock photo material is available to depict the reality of this part of life. Therefore, MUVS Vienna is reaching out to obtain photographs that illustrate the critical situation of a woman (or couple) with an unwanted pregnancy in a realistic way. Photographers are invited to grapple with the difficult topic of unwanted pregnancy and abortion in a creative way. MUVS wants this competition to contribute in a useful and important way to the further destigmatisation of abortion.

There was a lot of positive, appreciative feedback, and the images submitted illustrate just how heterogeneous the theme is. A four-person jury, from the fields of journalism, photography, art and medicine selected the three main prize winners and awarded an additional three commendation prizes.

The winner of our photo competition, Christina Lag-Schröckenstein, together with her model, Veronika, was presented with her prize in a low-key event at the MUVS. The photographer saw it as a challenge to approach with sensitivity and understanding a competition whose intention it was to objectively illustrate the life circumstances of women affected by unwanted pregnancies, and to thus create a counterpoint to the so far one-sided portrayal of this topic in the media. The photographer made it her goal to depict a self-aware woman who reaches her decisions autonomously and without any outside influence. An undertaking she succeeded in, and which was appreciated by the four people on the jury.

The winning photos and further information can be found at http://abortion-pictures.info/en/.

Source: http://en.muvs.org/museum/muvs-photography-competition/


Winning Abortion Photos Available for Free Use

Winning Abortion Photos Available for Free Use
Dec 28, 2017
Christina Lag-Schrockenstein 1st prize MUVS-Vienna

The Museum of Contraception and Abortion in Vienna, known as MUVS, has announced the winners of its abortion photo contest.

Ten winning photographs on abortion are available for free use in illustrating stories and articles on abortion and unplanned pregnancy. These stock photos were selected to expand the exceedingly limited visual vocabulary that is seen in public imagery, as described in an earlier blog.

Continued at source: https://wordsofchoice.blogspot.ca/2017/12/winning-abortion-photos-available-for.html


Abortion news stories ‘criminalise’ women by using images of baby bumps

by Serina Sandhu, iNews
Tuesday December 6th 2016

Women are being “criminalised” in stories about abortions because the media continues to use images of advanced baby bumps to illustrate them, say campaigners. This does not acknowledge that many abortions take place far earlier in the pregnancy or what women are going through, they argue.

The “totally inappropriate” images journalists used in their stories gave the wrong impression of abortion and associated it with murder, said Dr Christian Fiala, a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Museum of Contraception and Abortion (MUVS) in Vienna. He is spearheading the museum’s competition to find more appropriate stock imagery for the media to use, in the hope that it will further remove the stigma surrounding abortions.

The aim is to create a free photo collection of images that will illustrate “the critical situation of a woman (or couple) with an unwanted pregnancy in a realistic way”. The museum already provides images of gestational sacs and abortion pills, that are free to use.

[continued at link]
Source: iNews


MUVS Photography Competition: Stock Photos on Abortion

rebecca-bauchStock Photos on Abortion

The topic of abortion is still being exploited in public discourse: Polarizing and stigmatising media coverage patronizes and even criminalizes women. The media represents a one-sided visual language that projects a wrong impression of abortion and the circumstances of women affected by unwanted pregnancy.

The initiative „Stock Photos on Abortion“ aims to change this: Starting now, it will begin to provide a free photo collection for media and/or public use. The photos will illustrate the critical situation of a woman (or couple) with an unwanted pregnancy in a realistic way. MUVS wants this initiative to contribute in a useful and important way to the further destigmatisation and decriminalisation of women with unwanted pregnancy and of abortion.

Since little to no useful stock photo material is currently available, the initiative starts with a call for the „MUVS Photography Competition: Stock Photos on Abortion“ – all interested photographers, professionals and amateurs are invited to participate! Entry deadline: March 31st 2017.

—> MUVS Photography Competition

—> Free Stock Photo Material on Abortion

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Source: Museum of Contraception and Abortion