Contractions(2024)

Bella's Daughter(he)

Nineteen-year-old Tzalah is faced with an unwanted pregnancy, which prompts her to re-examine her co-dependent relationship with her mother, Bella.

7 Reasons(en)

Evangelist hack Ray Comfort addresses seven questions, reasoning with college students and people on the street about whether such objections are justified. Seeing those who are ardently pro-choice change their minds in moments is both compelling and convincing. What reasons would you give for/against abortion?

No Such Right: The End of Roe in Appalachia(en)

“No Such Right” is a snapshot of a region in crisis. In the aftermath of the stunning Dobbs v Jackson decision, doctors, lawyers, activists, and young people across Appalachia had to come to terms with what the future of their region and their rights would be. ‘No Such Right’ is our search for answers, highlighting the voices of those impacted by Dobbs and their efforts to reckon with and remedy these issues. This story is a single piece of a much larger national narrative, but it is a story that few others are in a place to tell.

Just Don't Fuck!(fr)

Documentary about the practice of abortion in France in the early seventies, at a time when it was still illegal.

Me Time(de)

In this documentary, 6 protagonists tell their personal experiences of abortion and sterilization, from unplanned pregnancy to a happy mother and vice versa from the wanted child to regretting motherhood.

Verde-Esperanza: Aborto Legal na América Latina(pt)

Children of the Decree(ro)

Procreation is the social duty of all fertile women, was the political thinking during the 1960s and 1970s in Romania. In 1966, Ceaucescu issued Decree 770, in which he forbade abortion for all women unless they were over forty or were already taking care of four children. All forms of contraception were totally banned. The New Romanian Man was born. By 1969, the country had a million babies more than the previous average. Romanian society was rapidly changing. By using very interesting archival footage and excerpts from old fiction films and by interviewing famous personalities from that time – gynecologists or mothers who were part of the new society - the director revives this period of tremendous oppression of personal freedom. Many deaths were caused by the mere fact that women, including wives of secret Romanian agents, famous TV presenters, and actresses, had to undergo illegal abortions. Many women were jailed for having them.

Some Things Are Hard To Talk About(en)

Some Things Are Hard To Talk About is a personal documentary about the secrets of abortions in my family over three generations. After I had an abortion I find out that both my mother and my grandmother secretly had abortions. An intricate story of family history, choices and resulting effects uncovers.

The Juanas(es)

This film shows the work done by the "socorristas" feminist network. Through informative talks and stories about the actions of emotional containment these women have with others who need support, it seeks to eliminate the stigmas on abortions while also bringing out the reality of the clandestine abortion.

Stories of A(fr)

French documentary campaigning for the liberalization of abortion and contraception, directed by Charles Belmont and Marielle Issartel in 1973.

Cuerpos juzgados(es)

Eugenika. W imię postępu(pl)

Jane: An Abortion Service(en)

This fascinating political look at a little-known chapter in women's history tells the story of "Jane", the Chicago-based women's health group who performed nearly 12,000 safe illegal abortions between 1969 and 1973 with no formal medical training. As Jane members describe finding feminism and clients describe finding Jane, archival footage and recreations mingle to depict how the repression of the early sixties and social movements of the late sixties influenced this unique group. Both vital knowledge and meditation on the process of empowerment, Jane: An Abortion Service showcases the importance of preserving women's knowledge in the face of revisionist history. JANE: AN ABORTION SERVICE was funded by the Independent Television Service (ITVS) with funds provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Leona's Sister Gerri(en)

Millions have seen the photograph, and no one who has seen it will ever forget it. A naked woman, dead from a botched illegal abortion, lying on a motel room floor. The picture appeared in Ms. Magazine in April 1973, and quickly became a symbol for the abortion rights movement. LEONA'S SISTER GERRI tells the dramatic story of Gerri Santoro, a mother of two and the "real person" in the now famous photo. Should the media have used this image? What circumstances led to Gerri's tragic death? Powerfully addressing issues of reproductive rights and domestic violence, this video is a moving portrait of Gerri Santoro's life and society's response to her death.

How abortion bans make inequality worse(en)

"And the study that offers a glimpse into a post-Roe v. Wade future" (Vox).

Seeing Allred(en)

Gloria Allred overcame trauma and personal setbacks to become one of the nation’s most famous women’s rights attorneys. Now the feminist firebrand takes on two of the biggest adversaries of her career, Bill Cosby and Donald Trump, as sexual violence allegations grip the nation and keep her in the spotlight.

A Woman Like You(en)

A drama documentary illustrating the difficulties experienced by a married woman with two children who tries to get an abortion on the NHS. A series of slides show an outpatient abortion procedure and there are interviews with a local woman doctor and a consultant gynecologist. —Cinenova

La peur au ventre(fr)

Exploring the rise of anti-abortion groups in Canada, the filmmaker also presents the feminist and pro-choice response that is being organized across the country.

Backroom Troubles(en)

Women talk about the circumstances that drove them to seek illegal abortions and the often traumatic result. Interwoven with historical photographs and newsreel footage, the stories expose how the reality of women's lives were counterposed to what was socially and morally expected of them.

A Quiet Inquisition(es)

At a public hospital in Nicaragua, Ob/Gyn Dr. Carla Cerrato must choose between following a law that bans all abortions and endangers her patients or taking a risk and providing the care that she knows can save a woman's life. In 2007, Dr. Cerrato’s daily routine took a detour. The newly elected government of Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist revolutionary who converted to Catholicism to win votes, overturned a 130-year-old law protecting therapeutic abortion. The new law entirely prohibits abortion, even in cases of rape, incest, or when a woman’s life is at stake. As Carla and her colleagues navigate this dangerous dilemma, the impact of this law emerges—illuminating the tangible reality of prohibition against the backdrop of a political, religious, and historically complex national identity. The emotional core of the story—the experiences and situations of the young women and girls who are seeking care—illustrate the ethical implications of one doctor's response.