For her senior thesis, Yale student Aliza Shvarts presented “a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself ‘as often as possible’ while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages.” On display is plastic sheeting smeared with the uterine blood and tissue from her various miscarriages and a video of herself miscarrying into a bathtub.

“I believe strongly that art should be a medium for politics and ideologies, not just a commodity,” Shvarts tells the Yale Daily News. “I think that I’m creating a project that lives up to the standard of what art is supposed to be.”

As was to be expected, many people were beside themselves with anger and disbelief over this. Except, it’s a hoax.

According to a statement by Yale University spokesperson Helaine S. Klasky,

Ms. Shvarts is engaged in performance art. Her art project includes visual representations, a press release and other narrative materials. She stated to three senior Yale University officials today, including two deans, that she did not impregnate herself and that she did not induce any miscarriages. The entire project is an art piece, a creative fiction designed to draw attention to the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body.

She is an artist and has the right to express herself through performance art.

Had these acts been real, they would have violated basic ethical standards and raised serious mental and physical health concerns.

We think there are still serious mental health concerns to raise over someone who would produce this kind of “art”.

designed to draw attention to the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body.

“Designed to draw attention” is correct. As for the “ambiguity” issue - well, that’s been going on for years and we’re sure other people have done it better. This kind of “performance art” was satired rathe well by Mr. Show.