If it's not you it was your mum, sister, best friend or colleague.

According to the UK's leading abortion care service BPAS, one in three women will have an abortion by the time they are 45-years-old.

However, for a procedure that's statistically provided to more women than caesarean sections, abortion remains a taboo subject in society, with some women choosing to keep their terminations a secret for fear of vilification and deep-rooted shame.

That's why writer and artistic director Julia Samuels wrote and produced a play titled I Told My Mum I was going on an R.E. trip with the aim of helping to combat the stigma around terminations and shed light on the enduring difficulties contemporary society still faces in discussing this subject.

On Saturday 20 January, BBC Two marks over 50 years since the legalisation of abortion in Britain with the live production of Samuels play, based on a critically acclaimed theatre production from theatre group 20 Stories High and Contact.

I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip | ELLE UKpinterest
Gary Moyes

In the piece, four young women tell verbatim stories, mixed with live music, beats and rhyme to portray the experiences of abortion collected from interviews with over 50 people. The testimonies include those from young women who have had abortions, young parents, health professionals, and includes opinions from different sides of the debate, be it from conscientious objectors and pro-choice voices.

Samuels exclusively told ELLE UK: 'I think in general people recognise that a woman has the right to choose what happens to her body and that a decent society offers free, safe abortion care for women who want or need it.

youtubeView full post on Youtube

'However, that doesn't mean that society is completely comfortable with the idea. Abortion is still a very stigmatised experience and as such people don't feel that they can talk about it openly.'

Actresses Jamie-Lee O'Donnell (who currently plays the lead role in Derry Girls on Channel 4) and Aizah Khan are two of four stars who deliver the personal stories.

Rather than learn scripts, during the performance the foursome listen to real interview recordings on MP3s, repeating what they hear in real-time.

I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip | ELLE UKpinterest
Gary Moyes

O'Donnell, who was born and raised in Derry, North Ireland - where terminations are illegal and the majority of women requiring a termination seeking treatment abroad - felt compelled to take part in the project because of her personal views of abortion and its legality around the world.

In the performance the actress conveys the story of Leah, a Northern Irish teenager who decides to terminate her unwanted pregnancy and is forced to find £800 to pay for the abortion, as well as raise funds for flights and accommodation in the UK.

'I related to a lot of things she had to say and the struggles of being a woman back home,' she told ELLE.

Abortion is still a very stigmatised experience and as such people don't feel that they can talk about it openly

'Although we deliver verbatim performances in the piece, they're true stories from real-life people so you have to hold back your natural instincts as an actor to characterise people.

'[Abortion] is such a massive issue that makes something already quite difficult for some people ten times harder. It should be safe and legal everywhere.'

I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip | ELLE UKpinterest
Gary Moyes

Actress Aizah Khan, meanwhile, delivers the story of a 16-year-old Muslim girl who lies to her mother (telling her she's going on an R.E trip for the day, hence the show's title) before having the procedure.

'Her entire story struck a chord with me,' says Khan, who in the theatre production of the show openly admits to having her own abortion as a teenager.'

'Because we came from a similar Asian background, I could understand straight away the fears she had and concerns about her family becoming violent. These are issues that women from this kind of culture will experience on a daily basis and a lot of people don't know about it.'

It should be safe and legal everywhere

Opening up about her initial reluctance to discuss her termination on the show, Khan said she felt a sense of empowerment to speak up after hearing the women's individual stories.

'Hearing them be so honest about their experiences made me want to be honest about my own. In turn, I hope to make someone else be honest about theirs,' she admitted.

For playwright Julia Samuels - who travelled across the world to record interviews with women who had undergone an abortion - she admits the secrecy element of the experience an interesting topic to explore.

Aizah Khan | ELLE UKpinterest
Gary Moyes

'It was interesting to see how straightforward the decision and the experience was for some of the women – and how complex it was for others,' she explained.

'One of the first conversations I had when I started thinking about the project was with a young woman who had had an abortion a couple of years previously and said this was the first time she'd actually talked about it. She'd found the burden of keeping this big secret really stressful. I wondered how many other women found themselves in similar situations.'

I could understand straight away the fears she had and concerns about her family becoming violent

However, if you think the performance is yet another sexual health lecture or bid to convince the most staunch of pro-life and pro-choice minds to think otherwise, think again.

'People should watch it out of duty for themselves,' said Khan. 'There's nothing preachy about it; it's educational, funny, serious, upsetting at times. It takes people through the emotions but that's what you need to do to start a discussion.'

'The piece opens up a conversation about abortions - there's no right and wrong, or any answers - we just hope the performance gets people thinking, no matter what side of the argument they're on.

'You might see a few perspectives in there you didn't expect.'

'I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip' will air at 11.15pm on BBC Two on 20 January. The show will be available to watch on the BBC iPlayer until 20 February.

Headshot of Katie O'Malley
Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.