abortion and film

So I guess that’s why the characters in the film keep talking about Bella’s choice, huh? Weird stuff happens when you superimpose choice language into an anti-choice plotline. (Because of how it’s only a "choice" when abortion is an option, too.) It's true that while the books create an anti-choice moral universe, nothing in the film itself suggests that Bella's options would have been limited even if her life wasn't in danger. But regardless of all that, everyone can agree that Bella’s choices weren’t appealing. Or, as Alex Cranz at fempop.com puts it—"‘So women should choose eh? 'WELL HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS CHOICE?’ was the feeling I was getting from the movie."

Which brings me to Game of Thrones, in which Daenerys "Dany" Targaryen experiences a birth situation that is (no joke!) eerily similar to—and just as bad as—Bella’s.

What's wrong with this picture? (Hint: it's not the competing fonts).

This still, taken from the trailer of the film South Dakota: A Woman's Right to Choose might be the first time I've seen "a woman's right to choose" accompanying an in utero photo. Those are both articles of rhetoric from opposing sides of the abortion debate. Could this be a movie aiming to "edify, inform and not take sides?" Yes, according to director Bruce Isacson. But after reading Robin Acabin's assessment of the movie in the L.A. Times ("Creators of abortion film say they want honest debate"), I'm going to go ahead and say that it's not only unbalanced, but entirely pro-life.

Quiz: Is this still from...
a) Jenny Slate's new short Eff-You you Effing Eff-wad?
b) a promo from the 2009 Quirkfest Filmfest?
or c) Juno II: All Grown Up?

It's actually from Obvious Child, a short film by Gillian Robespierre which combines a little of all of the above, but with one major difference: it's a funny, well-made movie that deals with unplanned pregnancy. (Spoiler alert: she gets an abortion and doesn't think twice about it!) Read on for the full film!