This film is part of Take Action Day: Repairing the World One Film at a Time on July 29th. The daylong film line up embodies the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam - which suggests humanity's shared responsibility to heal, repair and transform the world. This day will screen films in collaboration with local organizations to inspire action on the issues presented in the films.
In 2014, Missouri enacted one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws, making the Show Me State one of the worst in the country for women seeking abortions. The Missouri law requires a 72-hour waiting period after consulting with a doctor before ending a pregnancy, with no exceptions allowed for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. The victory bolstered the anti-abortion movement and set it on a path to make Missouri an abortion-free state. More than 200 such restrictions have been passed by states in the last five years. The constitutionality of these laws will be considered by the US Supreme Court in 2016, making this film one of the most relevant works of the year. Award-winning filmmaker and Missouri native Tracy Droz Tragos, director of the Sundance Grand Jury Award–winning documentary Rich Hill and the Emmy-winning Be Good Smile Pretty, confronts the power of these laws by sensitively telling the poignant personal stories of the women who must surmount every obstacle to access abortion services in Missouri. The film also features the brave and committed workers who continue to deliver these services despite threats to their lives and safety. It reveals the ultimate connection between the right to choose and the right to live a fully empowered life.
—Lexi Leban