Pussy Riot stormed Indiana’s supreme court yesterday (November 14) to condemn the state’s draconian abortion laws, performing a work of protest art titled God Save Abortion that calls on lyrics from the group’s 2012 Punk Prayer action in Moscow.
The action saw members of the band don pink balaclavas as they posed with a giant vulva outside the state capitol building, where lawmakers approved a statewide abortion ban beginning in August 2023.
“We came to Indiana because we care about the most vulnerable groups of people – womb-holders who exist in the red states,” says Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova in a statement, pointing out that Indiana was the first state to outlaw most abortions after Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022. “They are neither seen, nor protected.”
Created in collaboration with students from Indiana University, God Save Abortion includes music with the rage-filled lyrics, “God save abortion” and, in Russian, “Virgin Mary please become a feminist.” It is part of a broader campaign for reproductive rights from Pussy Riot, which is set to include other art actions over the next year.
“Our audience is not necessarily people who hate what we stand for, but instead our audience is like-minded people who feel overlooked, unsafe, and unseen,” says Tolokonnikova. “We wish to inspire, organise, and collaborate with these like-minded people, who feel that the government has taken total control of their bodies and their rights.”
Working directly with students, she adds, is an important part of this process: “[The] younger population may have lost trust in the system, but we want to inspire and encourage them to take any act of protest – from creating art, to speaking up, to voting for their rights.”
Pussy Riot, God Save Abortion at Indiana Supreme CourtCourtesy of Pussy Riot
Tolokonnikova also notes that Indiana’s cruel crackdown on abortion goes beyond just the ban itself, with victims of rape and supporters of those in need of abortions subjected to “harassment and intimidation”. To combat this, pro-choice activists need to match the “dedication” of anti-abortion protesters, she suggests. “We must hit the streets.”
Pussy Riot has previously performed in Alabama to protest the state’s abortion laws and raise money for pro-choice non-profits, and has also worked to raise awareness of increasingly hostile legislation in Russia, where Tolokonnikova has been placed on a list of “most wanted” criminals. The protest art group has “always meant to bring hope to hopeless situations,” the activist says. “Art is like a magic wand, it’s a very special instrument. Resist, organise, find like-minded people. And, most importantly, vote. I know you hate the system that failed you, but it’s in your power to change it, even if it seems otherwise.”
Watch Pussy Riot’s God Save Abortion action below.