Abortion: Stories Women Tell (2016)

Powerful

Absolutely the worst movie.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

An intimate, revealing picture of why some women seek abortions, their reasons, their difficulties, the support teams who help them, the fundamentalists who condemn them, and the state laws that make things hard for them. Tremendous variety in their personalities and circumstances ... many have no regrets, most feel relief. Well made, draws you into the lives of these women in Missouri.

This documentary tries to examine the people on both sides of the abortion issue from the perspective of one Planned Parenthood clinic in Illinois. The reason they picked southern Illinois is that the state borders Missouri, which now has some of the toughest abortion laws on record including a 72 hour waiting period even in the case of rape or incest.I'm sure different people will get different things from this. On the pro-life side, I thought the documentary did take the time to talk to some of the people involved and get their stories, but my impression is that these people were largely living in an echo chamber. Many seemed to surround themselves with like-minded people who lived in favorable environments - not necessarily wealthy mind you - who had plenty of support from friends and family. Most of the people seemed genuinely personally charitable, they just could not fathom the kinds of circumstances that could lead a woman to make this decision because they had never confronted them. There were a few lone nuts who camped outside the clinic that just made me wonder - along with the staff - have these people got jobs? And if so when do they sleep? We also meet some of the women who are having or have had abortions. Among them are a couple of women who have discovered that their pregnancies will end in children with missing limbs and incomplete brains. One of these women was religious and said she could never see herself making that choice until this event happened and that she and her husband talked it over with their pastor who gave them his blessing, understanding completely. Another was a woman who, two days before she found out she was pregnant, found out that the father was married. Others had an abusive spouse, already had children by the abusive spouse, and did not want more because they could not afford to become the eventual single parent of that many children as they could not see that marriage lasting. Another was a woman who was college educated but could only find a livable wage by working retail and bartending and already had one child. She was barely getting by and could not afford another child.Some of the staff had stories of abortion. There was an older woman working there talking about how when she was in nursing school in the 1970s you could be thrown out of school if pregnant. She got pregnant during her last year and had an abortion as a result.At any rate, it was a very interesting timely documentary that omitted the useless politicians and put faces on the issue. I recommend it.

One of the most well rounded documentaries I have ever watched. This tells the stories of women and their right to choose whether they chose Abortion, Adoption, or keeping it. It also covers providers and care takers. Focused on a states that have made it difficult for women to be given all options. Even covers waiting periods for abortions and how that affects women. It reinforced for me why we need the right to choose from all options.

Documentary presenting both sides of the issue from the Pro-Life side and the folks in situations where they are seeking out abortions. The providers also have their say as well. Much of the focus is on the states that are making it more difficult to have the procedure done.Reasons can vary but the stories are real and compelling. From stories that can make you cry to stories that make you wonder how selfish people can be.It would have been interesting to have more time focused on the politics of it all but I am glad they didn't spend much time on that side of the issue but instead focused on the personal stories.