UHPP HOSTS DOCUMENTARY ON INTERNATIONAL ABORTION RIGHTS FOLLOWED BY A PANEL DISCUSSION OF LOCAL EXPERTS
For Immediate Release: May 1, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katherine S. Bruno, VP of Marketing and Communications, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood; [email protected], 518.265.2900
Planned Parenthood Hosts AWARD WINNING documentary on international Abortion rights FOLLOWED BY a Panel Discussion of local experts
TROY, NY—Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood (UHPP) will screen the documentary Vessel on Thursday, April 30 at 6:30 pm at the Arts Center in Troy. The movie will be followed by a panel discussion of community experts and medical health care professionals.
Vessel is the story of a young doctor who lived by the sea, and had an unlikely idea. Rebecca Gomperts, horrified by the realities created by anti-abortion law around the world, felt compelled to challenge this. Her method: to provide abortions on a ship in offshore waters. The movie focuses on the fearless sea captain as she sails a ship through loopholes in international law, providing abortions on the high seas, and leaving in her wake a network of emboldened activists who trust women to handle abortion on their own terms.
“This movie is about the universal struggle for reproductive freedom for women around the world that may seem far off to us in the United States, but each passing day brings about new legislation and restrictions on a women’s right to choice all over this country. This movie demonstrates how one person can make a difference,” says Chelly Hegan, President/CEO of UHPP.
Gomperts project, Women on Waves, begins as flawed spectacle, a media frenzy, faced with governmental, religious, and military blockades. But with each setback comes a more refined mission, until Gomperts has the revelation that she can use new technologies to bypass law – and train women to give themselves safe abortions using WHO-sanctioned protocols with pills.
This community screening will be followed by an open panel discussion with Chelly Hegan, President/CEO of UHPP, Ronnie Pawelko, General Counsel, Family Planning Advocates of New York, and local health care providers.
Ticket information: Tickets: $20 per person ($10 for students). Tickets can be purchased online at Vesseluhpp.eventbrite.com or at the door. Theater: The Arts Center located at 265 River Street in Troy. Showtime: 6:30 pm, Thursday, April 30th. Proceeds benefit Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood.
To view the trailer, visit, http://vesselthefilm.com/#trailer. More information about the movie can be found on our website at uhpp.org or on the vessel website at vesselthefilm.com.
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Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization serving Albany, Columbia, Greene and Rensselaer counties. Each year, more than 10,000 visits to UHPP health centers in Albany, Hudson and Troy provide a wide range of reproductive health services to women, men and young people. UHPP is committed to providing exceptional health care to those who need it, honest education in our communities and fearless advocacy for reproductive freedom and choice.