Exhibit aims to begin reproductive healthcare conversation

SANDPOINT — It has been a year since Bonner General Health announced it would no longer offer labor and delivery service, and to commemorate the anniversary of the loss of reproductive services, The Pro-Voice Project is unveiling a multimedia exhibit titled “Worth of a Woman.”

The art installation is designed to elevate the conversation around reproductive healthcare in Bonner County and beyond, examining the connections between women’s health and community health and the barriers that stand in the way of women accessing care. Pro-Voice staff said the exhibit aims to bring a historically difficult conversation into the public sphere to address a real-time problem, destigmatize its discussion and collaboratively create a better future.

“Historically, we’ve had a difficult time talking about all facets of reproductive healthcare,” said Pro-Voice founder Jen Jackson Quintano. “There’s so much stigma attached to discussion of women’s bodies, their functions and their needs, that we tend to ignore the issue altogether.”