I Had An Abortion
Women's History Month • 51m
Directed by Gillian Aldrich and Jennifer Baumgardner • Documentary • With Gloria Steinem • 2005 • 55 minutes
Underneath the din of politicians posturing about "life" and "choice" and beyond the shouted slogans about murder and rights, there are real stories of real women who have had abortions. Each year in the US, 1.3 million abortions occur, but the topic is still so stigmatized it’s never discussed in polite company. Powerful, poignant, and fiercely honest, I HAD AN ABORTION tackles this taboo, featuring 10 women – including famed feminist Gloria Steinem – who candidly describe experiences spanning seven decades, from the years before Roe v. Wade to the present day. Filmmakers Jennifer Baumgardner (author of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future) and Gillian Aldrich insightfully document how changing societal pressures have affected women’s choices and experiences.
“Fresh, moving, important…Muriel Rukeyser wrote, ‘If one woman told the truth about her life, the world would split open.’ [This film] gives us 10 truth-telling women, and splits the world open in as many ways.” —Katha Pollitt, The Nation
Up Next in Women's History Month
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Margaret Sanger: A Public Nuisance
Directed by Terese Svoboda and Steve Bull • Documentary • 1992 • 28 minutes
MARGARET SANGER: A PUBLIC NUISANCE highlights Sanger's pioneering strategies of using media and popular culture to advance the cause of birth control. It tells the story of her arrest and trial, using actuality films, va...
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From Danger to Dignity
Directed by Dorothy Fadiman • Documentary • 56 minutes
Even though most abortions were illegal in the United States before 1973, they were still available. The outcome, however, often depended on a woman's financial situation. Many women who sought abortions risked their lives by going to practi...
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Regina
Directed by Diana Groó • Documentary • With Rachel Weisz, George Weisz, Judit Hoffmann Varga, Lea Neukum • 2016 • 63 minutes
Diana Groó’s documentary tells the story of Regina Jonas (1902-1944) a strong woman, who made history by becoming the first properly ordained woman rabbi in the world.The...
