Reversing Roe, a documentary about the anti-choice movement’s determination to overturn Roe v Wade by stocking the Supreme Court with ultra-conservative justices, will shock you, infuriate you and, hopefully, cause you to fight like hell to ensure that never happens.
This is a movie about the politicization of abortion, and it needs to be seen and shared and discussed and absorbed.
The parts that will infuriate you — women being forced to have babies they don’t want to have, abortion providers being killed, women hurting and killing themselves because they can’t afford a legal abortion — are no surprise.
The part that will shock you is this: the anti-choice movement was really born out of racism. After Brown v. Board of Education forced schools to integrate, religious white academies were under threat of losing their tax exemption.
Republican strategists realized that evangelicals, who were frustrated about this situation, were an untapped voting bloc. But they couldn’t come right out and be overtly racist about it (although they apparently can now). So, instead, a light went on in their heads and they used abortion – an emotional subject that could be milked unapologetically – as the way to galvanize the religious right. What could be more worth fighting for than saving “the unborn?” They had found their issue.
Before then, Republicans and the Church – the Church! – were actually pro-choice, viewing abortion as a medical issue. In fact, the first legal abortion clinic in New York was opened by the clergy in 1970.
But, once it became political and the GOP saw they could gain a significant number of voters, Presidents like Reagan and Bush changed their positions.
Strategists came up with the term, “partial abortion,” which every doctor interviewed decries as 100% fake news.
The whole politicization of a basic healthcare issue exclusive to women will make you sick.
Reversing Roe matter-of-factly goes through the history of this subject, interviewing people on both sides, and featuring important moments like Wendy Davis’ passionate filibuster.
Thank the doctors like Colleen McNicholas
The truth is coming out, says a self-proclaimed “huge Trump supporter.” Well, let’s make sure it does.
Truth:
. No federal dollars go toward abortions at Planned Parenthood
. There is no other medical procedure legislated like abortion
. 7 states only have one abortion provider
. In 1965, there were 5000 deaths a year from complications from illegal abortions
. Partial birth abortion is not a real term
. Women will continue to have abortions, no matter what the law says. Laws governing abortion broken at least a million times a year
. The hypocrisy of the evangelicals is astounding, with many of them having abortions themselves
. The Republicans flip flopped on the issue of abortion to get the evangelical vote
. We must make sure there are always five SCOTUS justices ready to protect Roe v. Wade
Thank you to Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg for making Reversing Roe, to the doctors who continue to provide safe abortions and to the lawmakers who fight for the rights of women to control their own bodies.
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