“The Abortion Divide” documentary by Frontline was a gut-wrenching watch for me. As someone who had to have an abortion myself, I can relate to the pain that these women were going through. They were so brave to agree to be featured in this documentary. I think that it’s important for people who have had abortions to share their story if and when they feel comfortable. Doing so destigmatizes the procedure. Many people who have had abortions keep their story to themselves due to all of the shame and judgment that society places onto them. 

My father is religious and tends to have a lot of viewpoints based on Christianity that reflect that. Once he saw me go through my abortion, he became adamantly pro-life. He understood why I made the decision that I made and knew that it was the right one. In the snapshot posted by Mohammed Ahmed, there are protestors on both sides of the abortion argument holding up signs. Signs from the pro-lifers read, “The future is anti-abortion”, while sides from the pro-choice protestors read, “My body, my right to choose.” Oftentimes pro-lifers are seen protesting outside of abortion clinics. 

When I had to have my abortion, there were protestors outside of the clinic I went to. I remember an old white man, just like the ones in the documentary holding up a sign. I can’t remember exactly what it said but let’s just say it was burned into my brain for a while afterwards. At the clinic, I chose to receive a medical abortion. The process was traumatic and devastating. Even as someone who has no desire to have kids, I felt as though I was going against some sort of motherly instinct by terminating the pregnancy. 

I always knew that if I ended up with an unwanted pregnancy that I would have to terminate it. As someone who is pro-choice, I didn’t know how guilty it would make me feel. I don’t believe that it’s an easy decision for anyone, as shown by the crying women and couples in the video. There is this misconception that people who have abortions are callous, selfish, and cold. This documentary proves the opposite. 

My favorite quote from the documentary was, “There’s this idea that women simply can’t make moral decisions on their own. The state has to intervene and tell them what to do.” That sums up much of my distaste for attempts by the government to control women’s bodies. In the short Youtube clip, “Hobby Lobby: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”, John Oliver discusses whether corporations should be able to claim religious exemption from paying taxes that go towards providing women with contraceptive care. It’s easier for me to understand why pro-lifer’s get emotional at the thought of dead babies, but it’s unfathomable to me as to why anyone would want to limit or prevent people’s access to contraception. Hobby Lobby really takes it to the next level with imposition of religious beliefs, and in my opinion religious extremist beliefs on others. 

The argument over whether abortion should be illegal or not has persisted for decades. Categorizing abortion as a crime in the political agenda has had a large impact on women, creating fear and uncertainty within the community. Abortion is of such significance due to the fact that much of society viewed it as an illegal taboo, a belief that still exists today. Those against abortion argue that it is akin to murder, and thus criminal in nature. When it comes to the accessibility of safe and legal abortions, women have little to no option in certain parts of the world. Even where abortion is permitted by law, women are often met with dangers to their safety due to the lack of proper regulation, health services, and/or political will.

Women’s organizations across the world continue to fight for the legalization of abortion and for the safety of those who choose to undergo the procedure. Their fight does not go unheard of as we have seen an increase in international human rights law supporting the positions of these organizations. After an immense amount of time and dedication to research and outreach from these world organizations , one thing is for certain. The common idea is that women, not society, should have the right to decide what they would like to do to their bodies as it is their own. Women should have the sole rights to decide what they would like to do about reproductive health in regards to their body.

In the Youtube video “The Abortion Divide (full documentary) | FRONTLINE”, the choice of abortion is not an easy one, however, they follow through with their decisions due to either personal or environmental factors. One of the women in the documentary explained that she was getting an abortion because she had unprotected sex with someone that she had been seeing once and she thought she would be okay. A few months later she realized she was actually pregnant. I firmly believe that she, along with all women, have the right to make their own decision when it comes to their body. The woman is the one who will take on the process of going into labor and giving birth, it is they who will have to tend to their bodies in the aftermath. Abortion is not an easy option for many, but given the emotional and physical turmoil women have to endure, perhaps it is the answer that is needed.

Abortion is a procedure that needs proper regulation. Policies that move towards informing, towards providing healthy and safe resources should be enforced rather than shamed. Encouraging an environment wherein women can feel supported and validated when going through an abortion is a step in the right direction.

This week we looked into reproductive justice, and we watched some interesting videos, a documentary by the name “The Abortion Divide” and “Hobby Lobby on Last Week Tonight.” The documentary “The Abortion Divide” by Frontline talks about the fight over abortion and the stories of women who were struggling/having problems with unexpected pregnancies. The documentary was centered on the story of women who went to the “Abortion clinic” located in Chester, Pennsylvania to take out their babies due to one problem or another. These women decided to have an abortion because they believe they won’t be able to take care of the baby or give the baby a good life when it’s born. These women had a hard time making these decisions and had no choice because some of them can’t handle being single parents and really had no one to support them if they keep the baby. Abortion is one topic that easily becomes overlooked, what is sometimes left out in this discussion about abortion are the real experiences and the difficult decisions that women face. At the beginning of the documentary, we see the protesters outside the clinic opposing and trying to stop women from getting an abortion. One of the protesters said, “We pray for their babies and for them, and we also pray for the, for the abortionists, maybe some of them don’t realize what they’re doing.” These people really don’t know how long it took these women to make that choice. A lot of women are being judged and harassed by people just because they had an abortion without even trying to hear their side of the story and why they decided to take that step. 

 The documentary also shares the stories of those brave women who came to the “Abortion Clinic” to get an abortion. Some of these women took this step due to some personal issues or problems that they cannot control. One of the women named Shaharra said “I don’t want to bring another child into the world, and I’m not financially stable. I’m already struggling with the four that I have and I’m not sure what my other option would be, but if this wasn’t an option, then I know I would be struggling.” This woman believed that having that baby will make her struggle, so why bring in a child and then let them suffer. These are some of the things people need to understand before judging or harassing a woman. Also, some of these women who get this abortion might have been raped or left by their boyfriends and they had to do it in order not to be judged by society for getting pregnant out of wedlock. One other woman by the name of Christine shows us how difficult and emotional it can be to have an abortion after she found out she was pregnant with twins. I believe hearing that made her decisions harder but, in the end, she had to go on with it because of her son who was “More leaning towards Asperger’s and doesn’t like interacting with humans.” She thought having babies would really affect the health of her son Nobel. I think a lot of people need to stop seeing women who go through abortion as being heartless or wicked because they don’t know what is going on in their lives. 

In my classmate’s snapshot, Enrique shows some images of women holding signs that said, “My body, My choice and No to jail for abortion. I love this image because it shows that the choice is that of the woman and the body in question is hers and she should not be questioned or sent to jail because she had an abortion. 

The documentary “Hobby Lobby: Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver talks about the supreme court’s ruling hanging on the religious right of Hobby Lobby. John Oliver takes us through other ways different corporations can be more like humans/people. The video talks about the belief of Hobby Lobby about using contraception which is supposed to help prevent pregnancy. This is what the owners of Hobby Lobby had to say about it. According to John Oliver, they said that “Obamacare’s contraception mandate conflicts with their Christian faith.” All these till bowls down to the abortion talk, A lot of religious centers believe having an abortion or taking birth control pills is a sin but in the right sense, it is not because everything happens for a reason. Just because one belongs to a religion that does not give him/her the right to pick or choose the laws everyone will follow. After the company challenged the Obama Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contraception mandate in court, they also felt it wasn’t right for them to pay taxes because it was against their faith. This led to some fundamental questions; Do for profits corporations have religious rights? Do corporations have religious liberties or are they just individuals? Are corporations, as a Person, able to exercise religious rights? The answer is No. However, the Citizens United ruling made it possible for corporations to have the same free speech right as people but then it won’t be easy for corporations to have the same religious rights as people have. 

For many years, there has been a constant disagreement on whether abortion should be illegal or not. The solidification of abortion as a crime in the political agenda has affected women in various ways. This ideology has created fear and uncertainty in women’s choices. Today, abortion is a big issue concerning women because for years it had been said that abortion should not be legal. Many people feel aborting an unwanted child, or killing an unwanted child should be against the law Women’s ability to access safe and legal abortions is restricted in law or in practice in most countries in the world. In fact, even where abortion is permitted by law, women often have severely limited access to safe abortion services because of a lack of proper regulation, health services, or political will. In third world countries, it’s not safe and mostly it’s illegal for women to get abortions. 

Women’s organizations across the world have fought for the right to access safe and legal abortion for decades, and increasingly international human rights law supports their claims. In fact, international human rights legal instruments and authoritative interpretations of those instruments compel the conclusion that women have a right to decide independently in all matters related to reproduction, including the issue of abortion.

According to the Youtube video “The Abortion Divide (full documentary) | FRONTLINE” It’s not easy for all of those women to have abortions but they do it because they know that they are not ready to have children or have financial problems and believes that even if they do not get abortions they won’t be able to give their children a good life. One of the women even said that she’s getting abortions because “She had unprotected sex just one time with someone that she had been seeing and she thought, and it was just a one-time thing.” Personally, I believe that she has the right to make her own decision and not just her I believe that all women should have the right to make their own decision because after all it’s their body and they are the ones who will give birth. It’s definitely not easy for them to get abortions. It’s an emotional thing. Giving up on their unborn babies is not easy but they do it because it’s the best decision for them and for the unborn babies. 

Although abortion does need regulation, policies should be made towards helping and providing correct resources for women rather than trying to criminalize them. There are many reasons why women may be deciding to abort that she often does not feel comfortable talking about and that is they a friendly and trustful environment should be provided for women to be aborted. 

My classmate “Sanae” posted a snapshot that says “My body My choice Get over it” I completely agree with it. As a man, we do not have the right to decide what a woman should do with her body or what she should not do. My classmate “Enrique” posted a snapshot where it says “No to jail for abortions” I completely agree with it. Again women should never go to jail for getting aborted. We have to respect their privacy and need to understand that it’s their choice. 

There is a whole lot of controversy when it comes to matters relating to abortion. In past decades, there were views and perceptions as to whether it is right for women to have abortions. We face those same issues in today’s world. Some oppose to the idea or concept and others support it. Life changing decisions are really hard to make, nobody ever wants to have an abortion. I strongly believe that there is no person who purposely gets pregnant and then decides to go into the clinic to have an abortion for fun. There are times when people say things like, “when you are unwilling to get pregnant, then do not have unprotected sex”. We sometimes forget that some people have protected sex and get pregnant regardless. Some women may have unprotected sex because, they are either on birth control or have tracked their menstrual cycle dates and thought it was safe to have unprotected sex. I know for a fact that most people want to have children when they are physically and mentally.

There are several reasons why women may choose to terminate their pregnancies, that includes pregnancy from being sexually assaulted. One may feel the need to keep it, another may not. Many who go through such experiences develop trauma and/ or a disheartening connection to a said situation. Having the baby probably could become a daily reminder of the memory the mother is trying to forgo and thus would be terrible for her mental health. Another reason as to why a woman would decide to have an abortion is stability, financially and responsibility wise. This is one of the most common reasons as to why women decide to let their babies go. It can be incredibly frustrating to cater for oneself when struggling financially, needless to say when a baby is on the way. Babies require a lot of attention and money, as a result, some decide to go through with the termination because they feel they are not quite responsible or matured enough to take care of the baby. Talking of finance, in the video, we see that a lady who already has six kids was in to get an abortion. She talked about how it was not easy for her and could not afford to include another one. Some women abort their babies due to health-related reasons, there may be risky complications with giving birth, and they might even loose their lives if they follow through with their pregnancy. Others do it due to the plans they intend to follow (family planning, career paths and so on), the reasons are just uncountable.

It is often asked that, “Are there no other options?” Let it be known that the directors at the abortion clinic do not just go through with the processes when clients walk through their doors. They explain to them the other choices they have, like giving their kids up for adoption, making them aware of the risks involved and making sure that it is truly what the women want. Giving one’s child for adoption is another thing, it might be hard to do after carrying the baby in your womb for nine months or more. Or may be after going through with it, you are not entirely sure of how your kid would be treated.

The Frontline film “The Abortion Divide” shared two different viewpoints from both prolife and prochoice individuals on the topic of abortion, termination of pregnancy as a result of the death of a embyro or fetus. This procedure can be performed either medically or surgically by removing the embryo or fetus from the uterus. Back in the day IV sedation was not an option during the surgical procedure which meant the patients would be awake and as a disadvantage feeling more pain throughout the procedure. The film was interesting based on the fact the diversity of females who went to the abortion site were women of all ages, young and old, even those who already have kids of their own and for some it was their first pregancy. The antiabortion activists (predominately white men) outside the facility seemed to be religious and some being in the medical field as they were all against the killing of life. It doesn’t seem right to me that these prolife individuals were in some way oppressing and judging these women for their right to decide what to do with their bodies. Abortion is safe and legal however, there is a controversey that this form of contraception is a harsh, immoral, and a sin. Those women truthfully mentioned that their decision to abort is a result of their financial, emotional and mental instability to raise a baby especially if they’re single mothers with no home and no resources as they struggle to support themselves. There is also an issue that some babies are at risk of coming out with disabilities and complications due to a mother who’s undergone drug or alcohol abuse. It was not mentioned in the film but I feel like even sexually abused individuals decide that an abortion would be a more desired option for them. 

I feel like to each is their own when it comes to abortion however, there is also the opportunity for these newborn babies to be given up for adoption after birth. It is all just a very emotional and challenging decision for most of these women to go through especially after noticing that some women in the film are pregnant with twins. I just think some people need to be more responsible and sexually educated to avoid unwanted pregnancies so it can work out for both the man and woman because it does not just happen on its own. 

John Oliver’s comical video on the “Hobby Lobby” as they refuse to provide their employees with contraceptive services as a violation to their religious beliefs. Oliver clearly makes a joke out of it because the company is trying to strive for religious rights but yet a corporation can’t just pick and choose what laws to obey or deny if it’s already embedded in the given city or state. Overall I feel like religion should not interfere or influence a woman’s contraceptive decision. I wouldn’t want someone to try and control my personal preference that may have an impact on my own health and lifestyle. Fawzina shares an image that states “NO TO TEXAS ABORTION BAN” “OUTRAGED!” as this is a current issue that the state is trying to pass a law to restrict women from an abortion, I honestly find that so crazy it is unbelievable. 

This week we entered a timeless controversial topic: reproductive rights/justice. This week we watched one short video called, “Hobby Lobby on Last Week Tonight” and a documentary called, “The Abortion Divide.” The documentary started off explaining the abortion clinic that is shown in the documentary is located in Philadelphia, where it is said the state is divided on reproductive rights/justice. With two sides explaining their beliefs. The pro-life and pro-choice say their sides, throughout the documentary, there were heavy discussions. The first people we hear from are the doctors from the abortion clinic. One doctor explains the women who come to the clinic saying, “women who are young, women who are old, women of all races, women of all religions, women’s first pregnancy, women who have many children already… .” What this clearly shows the audience is that ANY woman can get an abortion and ANY woman does get an abortion(s). I think it also stops the stereotypes that can be heard when abortion is spoken about. For example, I have heard the stereotype that only black women get abortions; which is completely false. Another doctor explains the relationship they have with the patients, they are respectful, welcoming, and comforting. The feel I got is these doctors care for the well-being of their patients. 

The documentary continues by telling the stories of women who are getting abortions. These women are brave by agreeing to tell their stories. Many people judge without knowing the circumstances. I think it was very personal and moving hearing these women’s stories. They look genuinely afraid and nervous. One woman named Shaharra came into the clinic to get an abortion. She has four children and could not finically be capable of another baby. This is understandable, babies are not cheap. Another woman Christine shows the emotions women go through in the process of making a decision. It was very emotional, she was receiving an ultrasound and was told she is expecting twins. Immediately hearing that Christine started to cry, and I got emotional seeing this. She is clearly is conflicted and scared. I think it’s very important that the document shows this part. Another stereotype I’ve heard is people assume that women who get abortions are called “heartless” or “soulless.” After hearing that she is expecting twins I believe she felt like the decision was even harder. Her partner is with her named Micah also says this decision is hard. The doctor and nurse were completely understanding and reassured her to take as much time to decide and they are there for her. In the end, both women decided to go through with the abortion. In my classmates’ snapshot,  Mitch Tsao shows a photo of women protesting for reproductive rights. I love that in the photo there are women of all types of representation, there are young women, older women, different nationalities. We come together to fight for our rights. I also love the photo shows pure emotion, pure frustration, and pure anger. I understand how frosting and angry I get that as a woman I have to fight for my body rights. It blows my mind. This image connects to the documentary because we’ve seen the struggles that women go through in this difficult process. The image shows women should protect each other, protesting our rights can be a way. The document ends by saying only these women can decide what is best for them, I one hundred percent agree!

The document was also upsetting however because of the people who stand outside the abortion clinic and harass women. I was frustrated seeing old white men are trying to guilt-trip women to change their minds. They call out saying “Your baby has a heartbeat”, “don’t do this”, “there are other options.” What frustrates me is that, why do these men think the doctors in the clinic do not provide that information to the women? Doctors are professionals and give all the information possible to their patients. These women don’t want to hear it from these creepy old men. Sadly, there has to be escorted to help the women safely go into the clinic. The one-man that stays out of the clinic is Dr. Isajiw tries to even persuade the men partners to persuade the women to change their minds. That’s disgusting and so immoral. I agree partners should have a say in the situation because their feelings should be validated. However, in the end, it’s the women’s decision and no woman should have their partner “change their mind.” I was also infuriated at the other clinic “Amnion” in the documentary that provides free services for pregnant women. I did not like the way the clinic was running. When pregnant women would get ultrasounds, this clinic has a huge flatscreen that shows the ultrasound to the patient. I felt like this was honestly propaganda. This clinic is trying to get women to see this is real, this is a baby, they have a heartbeat, you cant have an abortion, they are trying to get the mothers to make that emotional connection that might stop them from getting an abortion. I think it’s just wrong and not professional at all. Their job is to provide health services to women that’s it. Their religious beliefs should not be mixed with health resources because they created biases. It is very frustrating and sad that places like this exist and this is still a debate. It’s nobody’s choice except the woman who is pregnant. 

In the short video “Hobby Lobby on Last Week Tonight,” the host John Oliver makes jokes about the Supreme Court ruling hinging on the religious rights of Hobby Lobby and the ways corporations can be more like people. He jokes around saying corporations pick and choose their religion but also want to choose which laws they want to follow. I think John Oliver was very funny but makes valid points through jokes. He wants to address this as an issue.