The Abortion Divide was a tough film to watch. My mom revealed to me some years ago that she was forced to have an abortion while I was in high school. She found out that a medical condition could potentially threaten her life if she decided to go through with having her baby. I had another friend whose mom was candid about an abortion she had after being raped by an unknown assailant. I could only imagine the position either of them found themselves in as they contemplated having the procedure. This film does a really fantastic job of capturing the tough and deeply personal choices that some women make when they seek out an abortion. Rebecca Mercier, OB-GYN for the clinic featured in the film said “Every kind of woman gets abortions: women who are young, women who are old; women of all races; women of all religions; women who it’s their first pregnancy, women with lots of children; women who never thought that they would be seeking an abortion.” This topic is not limited to a specific social group and affects women from all walks of life. 

I really enjoyed how the film showed both sides of the argument. The anti-abortion protestors were constantly present and served as a continuous reminder of how serious this conflict is. I read that Dr. George Isajiw was featured in the original production and his opinion remained unchanged after all these years. Even with all the dialogue that’s been hard and the advances in technology, he still believes abortion is wrong. However, there were also patients who shared some really personal scenarios that led them to have the procedure done. I think patient Shaharra’s reasoning, that she was unable to financially support a child, is one that I’ve heard other women mention before. I would same I’m pro-choice. I’ve seen first-hand how pregnancy can change a woman’s body in irreversible ways. I’ve witnessed couples struggling to provide for their child. Do I think adults should be more responsible when choosing to be intimate? Absolutely. But ultimately, it should be up to the woman to decide what she’d like to do with her body. My classmate, Hillary, posted a snapshot that encompasses how I feel about abortion. Additionally, I liked Sadiras choice of a snapshot which gives a visual depiction of the powers that be playing tug of war with a woman’s body.

With these things in mind, I thought John Oliver did a wonderful job at poking fun at Hobby Lobby’s bout with the Supreme Court. I don’t think businesses should have the same rights as a person. This just opens the door for people to have another way to discriminate against one another. A corporation shouldn’t be able to pick and choose what laws apply to them. We would essentially be creating mini dictatorships in the form of business entities. My favorite line was when Oliver stated, “If you really want to be treated like a person, corporations, then guess what, pay for things you don’t like is what it really feels like to be one”. We all have to do things we don’t particularly care for in order to keep our country running. I mean I’d love to not pay taxes too but would prefer if we didn’t open pandora’s box.