When Abortion was Illegal
The Oscars® Winners & Nominees • 27m
Directed by Dorothy Fadiman • Documentary • 1993 • 28 minutes
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short
The era of illegal abortion, roughly the period between the turn of the century and the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, has been a sealed chapter in women's history.
The profound aura of shame and fear surrounding unwanted pregnancies and abortions before Roe v. Wade kept most women from ever admitting that they had had illegal abortions. Women suffering complications from back alley or self-induced abortions risked arrest if they admitted what they had done, as did their husbands and doctors if they acknowledged compliance and aid.
WHEN ABORTION WAS ILLEGAL illuminates this largely undocumented era and reveals the physical, emotional and legal consequences of having an abortion when it was a criminal act.
"Its tone is quietly eloquent, never hysterical... a picture of long-remembered fear and last ditch desperation." —Little Rock Free Press
Up Next in The Oscars® Winners & Nominees
-
Neighbours
Directed by Norman McLaren • Animation • 1952 • 8 minutes
Two neighbours live side by side in harmony until a flower grows on the dividing line between their properties. Who does it belong to? The argument that follows ends up with both neighbours in their graves. The most famous of Norman McLar...
-
Small Wonders
Directed by Allan Miller • Documentary • 1995 • 77 minutes
This inspirational documentary deservedly earned a 1995 Academy Award nomination. Divorced mother Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras taught music in the New York City school system until the budget ax eliminated her job. Dedicated to music and he...
-
Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter
Directed by Deborah Hoffmann • Documentary • 1995 • 44 minutes
With profound insight and a healthy dose of levity, COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER chronicles the various stages of a mother's Alzheimer's Disease and the evolution of a daughter's response to the illness. The desire to cure the in...
