DATEBOOK: Stream it - Documentaries to watch on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade
By Jef Rouner
Jan. 22 marks 52 years since the landmark Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that enshrined reproductive choice as a constitutional right under the 14th Amendment, or the equal protection clause. That decision protected abortion access until June 24, 2022, when a conservative supermajority on the court reversed the ruling. It sent the power to ban abortion back to the states, 19 of which immediately enacted stringent prohibitions.
The new status quo has left people wondering how we got here and what the next step is. We look at a selection of abortion documentaries to help shine some light on the subject.
‘After Tiller’ (2013)
The phrases “third-trimester abortion” and “late-term abortion” are some of the most politically charged in the discussion. “After Tiller” documents the lives of the handful of doctors in America who perform such abortions after one of their own, George Tiller, is assassinated by an anti-abortion activist. In addition to showcasing the threats the doctors endure, the film highlights how such abortions are made necessary by heartbreaking and potentially fatal medical conditions.
Watch it: Streaming on Tubi.
‘Reversing Roe’ (2018)
Back when the fall of Roe v. Wade was still just a possibility on the horizon, directors Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg laid out the definitive chronicle of the road there. The film shows that when Roe was initially handed down in 1973, it was largely a nonpartisan issue widely supported even by evangelical Christians. That changed as abortion became arguably the biggest cannon in the conservative culture war machine. Though not as current as it was seven years ago, the film remains an essential historical guide.
Watch it: Streaming on Netflix.
‘Philosophy Tube: Abortion and Ben Shapiro’ (2019)
Abortion is a highly emotional subject, and that leads to arguments often not being thought all the way through. Abigail Thorn turns the entire discussion into something of a short, graphic horror film in her video essay that explores conservative oppositional arguments to abortion through the lens of a famous thought experiment by philosopher Judith Thompson. Thorn’s gleefully macabre take on the subject, focusing on the real-world questions of bodily autonomy and ethics, helps ground an emotional subject in medical reality.
Watch it: Streaming on YouTube.
‘Plan C’ (2022)
By far the most common way abortion is performed is through medication, specifically through the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. Plan C is both the name of a grassroots organization that helps people access the drugs as well as a stunning documentary by Tracy Droz Tragos. The film follows efforts to provide access under threats of violence and prosecution, a potent reminder of how dangerous helping people get medical care has become.
Watch it: Streaming on Apple TV+.
‘Zurawski v. Texas’ (2024)
Texas has been in the spotlight since Roe was overturned largely because of some of the horrific stories that have emerged since abortion was banned at six weeks gestation. Among these are a group of women who all had wanted pregnancies, but who were forced to seek abortions out of state because of near-fatal conditions that no doctor would treat for fear of being arrested. Directors Abbie Perrault and Maisie Crow chronicle their fight to prevent such medical tragedies from happening again.
Watch it: Streaming on Jolt.