Jennifer Baumgardner's I Had an Abortion Project Contiues

Jennifer Baumgardner is a brave soul and also a controversial one. I've known about her documentary "I Had an Abortion" (released in 2005) for quite sometime but never sought it out. Just recently I found the film in it's entirety online.



The project is meant to spread awareness of the history of abortions, the legality of abortions, personal stories which entail shame, relief, stigma and education.

I am pro-choice but this doesn't necessarily mean that I am pro-abortion. I do believe that when one has an abortion they are taking life. I also know that if I were to become pregnant I'd probably want an abortion. Pregnancy is a fear of mine as I do not want children..ever. So, which is better? Having the child, going through the emotions and physicality of pregnancy and labor and then giving it up to strangers hoping that it will have a good life or going through a horrifying procedure which eliminates a life growing inside me? One thing I do know for sure is that a woman must make her own choice.

I believe Baumgarder's project strives to educate and explore the idea of abortion. I believe it's purpose is also meant to decrease stigma through awareness and compassion. I support this aim.

The Film
Directed by Gillian Aldrich and co-produced by Aldrich and Jennifer Baumgardner
To purchase click here.
(To my delight the film is full of instrumental pieces to the music of my favorite musical artist Ani Difranco.)



I'm familiar with Jennifer Baumgarder as I read her co-written book Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future.



From the website:
About Jennifer:

After a five-year stint as an editor at Ms., Jennifer Baumgardner began writing for a diverse array of publications, doing investigative pieces for Harper’s, Mother Jones, and The Nation. Jennifer is co-author of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future, Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism and author of Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics, as well as Abortion & Life.

Jennifer is a popular pundit and interview guest for venues from Oprah to Talk of the Nation. For two years, she was a host on She Span, a weekly political roundtable on the Oxygen Network for women. In 2003, the Commonwealth Club of California hailed her in their centennial year as one of six “Visionaries for the 21st Century”.

About Gillian:
Gillian Aldrich is a documentary producer and journalist who has worked on social justice issues in television, radio, and print. She has worked with Michael Moore on several projects, including most recently as a field producer for the academy award winning documentary Bowling for Columbine, on his television series, The Awful Truth, and on his best-selling book, Downsize This, as well as contributing to his documentary, The Big One. In television, she line-produced Trio’s The Syringa Tree, a moving one woman show about growing up in South Africa under apartheid. With Skylight Pictures, she co-produced Battle for Broad, a documentary about the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, a renowned group of homeless activists in Philadelphia who have made homelessness an international human rights issue.

The Shirt


I posted about the I Had an Abortion t-shirts in the past. To read that post click here. This is a bold statement no doubt. From what I've read the shirt is not meant to gloat about having an abortion but rather to admit rather than to hide. It's about honesty, it's about healing, it's about moving forward.

The Card
To be distributed at abortion clinics


To order cards, contact jennifer@manifesta.net


The Book
From the website:
In Abortion & Life, author and activist Jennifer Baumgardner reveals how the most controversial and stigmatized Supreme Court decision of our time cuts across eras, classes, and race. Stunning portraits by photographer Tara Todras-Whitehill of folk singer Ani DiFranco, authors Barbara Ehrenreich and Gloria Steinem, and others accompany their elucidating accounts of their own personal abortion experiences.

In this bold new work, Baumgardner explores some of the thorniest issues around terminating a pregnancy, including the ones that the pro-choice establishment has been the least sensitive or effective in confronting.

To purchase click here.

Resources


To learn more go to abortionandlife.com