110 N Tioga St., Ithaca, New York
The public is invited to a free dramatic reading of “When the Clergy Went Underground” at the the History Center of Tompkins County (110 N. Tioga St., Ithaca, N.Y.) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. The reading is produced by End Abortion Stigma.
The play, by Carol Kammen, historian emerita of Tompkins County, is based on a memoir of David Evans, the late minister of the First Baptist Church in Ithaca. It recounts his experiences in the 1960s working with those who desired safe abortions when it was illegal and starting the Upstate New York Clergy Consultation Service (CCS).
Play readers are Dave Dietrich, Linda Hoffmann, Mike Hoffmann, Carol Kammen, and Elizabeth Weissbrot.
In addition, a recent video interview with Reverend Richard Gilbert, retired Unitarian Universalist minister in Ithaca, will be shown in which he discusses his work with the CCS.
“The play and video together offer a vivid reminder of the moral courage of several local citizens when they saw others in difficult personal situations,” commented Sue Perlgut, the play’s director.
“When the Clergy Went Underground” highlights Reverend Evans’ experience as the founder of the Upstate New York Clergy Consultation Service in 1968. CCS provided counseling and information to over 8,000 women from Upstate New York who sought safe illegal abortions. The service was part of a nation-wide network of clergy of diverse faiths and medical doctors. The play also explains how Republican Assembly member Constance E. Cook from Ithaca led the legislative fight to decriminalize abortion in New York State in 1970, three years before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
Reverend Evans was also a founder of Planned Parenthood in Ithaca and a recipient of the local Planned Parenthood’s Connie Cook award that recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to reproductive health.
Contact: Caroline Cox (607 280 8016)
