The Women and Gender Studies Department held a viewing of “The Abortion Diaries” followed by a discussion Wednesday to commemorate the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. About 50 people from USM and the community attended the event, including State Representatives John Hinck and Diane Russel.”
“38 isn’t a remarkable number but a remarkable date for the ability of women to act with full autonomy in their lives,” said Lauren Webster, Women and Gender Studies Assistant.
Roe v. Wade was a Supreme Court case involving an unmarried pregnant woman who sought a legal and safe abortion. In 1973, the court decided 7-2 that an American’s right to privacy, as established in the 14th amendment, included a woman’s decision to terminate her pregnancy. The ruling overturned many anti-abortion laws on the books. It remains one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions of all time. Some opponents of the ruling take issue with it due to their religious beliefs, while others consider the right to privacy to be outside those rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Some consider human rights to begin at conception. Still others, like Current Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a vocal critic of the ruling, argue that abortion should be decided by referendum in individual states.
In “The Abortion Diaries,” twelve women relate their experiences surrounding their abortions. According to the documentary, its mission is fight what it perceives as the silence and stigma around abortion. “If it is so common, why do I feel so alone?” asked the film, pointing out that while one in three American women will undergo the procedure, very few talk about their experiences.
Women and gender studies professor Nancy K. Gish spoke after the film about what it was like growing up before Roe v. Wade. According to Gish, opponents of abortion are mistaken in believing that abortion would disappear were it banned. “The option isn’t between abortion and not abortion,” she said. “It is an option between safe and unsafe abortion.”
Other speakers included representatives of Planned Parenthood and The Family Planning Association of Maine, who urged action against upcoming bills that would restrict access to abortion in Maine, including one that would require a 24 hour waiting period between appointment and abortion.