Do you that many states in the United States have just one abortion clinic?
Abortion and Politics
The US elections of November 2020 are trending on every media channel. Biden vs Trump might mean something new but the key factors are quite the same. One of these is abortion. It has been a debated issue among the Democrats and Republicans.
An August Pew Research Center poll discovered that 35% of Biden’s supporters and 46% of Trump’s supporters say abortion is a key factor in this election. As a result, this will severely determine the votes this November. Republican candidate Trump has imposed many restrictions on reproductive rights including abortion in his tenure. While Biden ensures protection of a women’s right to choose. Moreover, he will fight to protect access to abortion legal.
The documentary
Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision that legalized abortion. This debate seems like one between pro-life (anti-abortion) and pro-choice ( pro-abortion). However, the 2018 documentary ‘Reversing Roe’ puts the issue in a political landscape. This opens up the issue to the overlooked field of politics which probably lead to the demand of overturning Roe. The documentary has a scattered narrative as it tries to show both sides of the abortion debate. Lack of personal stories reduces the emotional charge that other abortion documentaries provide to its viewers. But the one hour and thirty-nine-minute long movie have a completely different motive which it does complete justice.
The platform given to pro-life advocates delivers their tone and approach to the issue. As a result, it highlights the main concern of the movie. Political and religious force drive wombs aka personal choice into courts. The combination of all leads to this politics of abortion which ultimately hijacked the right to abortion. Agreement for a personal choice forms the core of the argument.
Heroes of the Documentary
Pro-life supporters give a flow and an unbiased opinion. However, the heroes of this Netflix Original Documentary are all the women. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Wendy Davis are one of them.
‘Reversing Roe’ questions and criticizes the very idea of a bench of white men deciding the life of millions of men. This is similar to Ginsburg’s comment for her male colleagues’ insensitivity regarding a girl’s strip search. She said, “They have never been a 13- year-old -girl.” This leads us to question ‘Have women’s bodies and lives ever been their own?’
Conclusion
The documentary is a great watch considering the elections and the demise of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It allows us to relate everything to the headlines today. But this is a must-watch for everyone who believes in fighting for a personal choice. As one of the interviewees says: “If you don’t have control over your own body, what do you have control over?”
