Planned Parenthood To Host World Premiere of Stigma
For Immediate Release: Jan. 14, 2020 (Updated: Jan. 14, 2020, 4:18 p.m.)
Documentary short features five Maine women talking about their experiences with abortion
On Tuesday, January 21st, the eve of the 47th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision, the Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund and SPACE gallery will host a free movie night featuring two documentary shorts about abortion, including the world premiere of Stigma, a film featuring five Maine women talking about their experiences with abortion.
The second film, Dear Dr. Spencer, is about Robert Spencer, a Pennsylvania doctor who dedicated his life to providing safe abortion care at a time when abortion was illegal. One of his abortion patients is featured in Stigma.
While one in four women will have an abortion by age 45, stigma and shame about the procedure and people who have abortions persist.
New results from the Turnaway Study, a landmark body of research about how abortion affects women physically, socially, emotionally and economically, explored women’s emotions in the long term following their decision to have an abortion. Immediately after their abortions, 95 percent of those who agreed to interviews said they had made the right decision. At five years, that percentage increased to 99 percent.
Following the film, three of the women from Stigma will lead a panel discussion about their experiences, how far we've come in the fight for access to abortion--and the work we still need to do.