New Haven Independent

Posted by: Bill Saunders | April 18, 2008 2:13 AM

Kudos to you, Aliza Schvarts!!!

When I read the original story, you really had me scratching my head at what Ivy League Art Majors consider to be art these days. It's kinda too bad you had to reveal the punch line too soon.

Shear Genius!!!

Posted by: robn | April 18, 2008 9:19 AM

So Vito Acconci can dress his penis up in doll clothes, Chris Burden (Yalie) can have himself shot, Yves Klein can paint cavasses with the bodies of naked women and thats all performance art...but a women suggests evacuating month old cells from her uterus and its a scandal becuase 85% of the population have a mystical belief that these cells have been touched by god? What exactly are the ethical standards that would have been violated? Are the health concerns greater than the concerns for soldiers, boxers or football players, some of whom who willingly risk and endure great physical deformation and anguish?

Posted by: david streever | April 22, 2008 12:19 PM

Robn,

the problem is not "evacuating month old cells" but that this student is endangering her body with a cycle of pregnancy that she aborts by abusing a drug.

I don't think the university should support/encourage gross misuse of your body: imagine if a student took heroin for 9 months as an art project, or if I wanted to play chicken with my bike & cars & document it.

Furthermore, the students misuse of the drug shows that she herself couldn't have thought this through clearly: the way she describes taking the drug would NOT be effective to induce an actual abortion, and the cramps & extreme blood flow she describes/documents are common side effects of these drugs.

I think we do have a responsibility to the future students & to art to prevent ignorant people from doing foolish things designed to shock and titillate. If she wanted to do this on her own time, it would be her business, but it's an awfully hard thing to expect a university to support, isn't it?