9 Movies About Abortion That Illuminate the Vital Need for Safe, Legal Access Nationwide
1) Obvious Child (2014)
Writer and director Gillian Robespierre delivers a heartfelt take on abortion in this indie comedy film. Following an emotional break-up and a one-night stand, Donna (Jenny Slate) discovers that she’s pregnant. A bookstore employee by day and aspiring comic by night, Donna knows she is not emotionally — nor financially — ready to care for a child, so she immediately schedules an abortion at Planned Parenthood. Obvious Child is a real, honest account of a woman who has the power of choice.
2) Grandma (2015)
After her 18-year-old granddaughter (Julia Garner) announces that she’s pregnant and wishes to terminate the unwanted pregnancy, Elle (Lily Tomlin) agrees to take her on an unpredictable trek through Los Angeles to secure the money she needs for the procedure. Giving LGBTQ+ representation, exploring the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, and tackling the hardships of funding an abortion, Grandma is an emotional comedic drama to watch ASAP.
3) Plan B (2021)
Sunny (Kuhoo Verma) is not a rule breaker. But after she discovers that last night’s sexual encounter was unprotected, she enlists her best friend Lupe (Victoria Moroles) to break all the rules, and steal her mother’s car to try and secure the nearest carton of Plan B in South Dakota. Although not a direct portrayal of abortion, Plan B illuminates the lengths that those in conservative states must travel — and the dangers they encounter — to receive proper reproductive healthcare.
4) Reversing Roe (2018)
“It’s the basis of democracy that you control your own body,” feminist activist Gloria Steinem says in this documentary from Netflix. Reversing Roe explores the history of abortion rights in the United States, and how politicized the issue became, especially following the 2016 presidential nomination of Donald Trump. Considering where we are now, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, it’s a comprehensive account that helps explain how we got here.
5) The Janes (2022)
In the early 1970s, a group of seven brave, smart women organized an underground network in Chicago named “Jane” to provide abortion care for women with unwanted pregnancies. Documenting a pre-Roe world, The Janes shows how terrifying it will be — and in some states, how dangerous it already is — when a person is stripped of their constitutional right to a safe and legal abortion.
6) Lingui, the Sacred Bonds (2021)
In Chad, Africa, Amina (Achouackh Abakar Souleymane) discovers that her 15-year-old daughter Maria (Rihane Khalil Alio) is pregnant. Knowing that abortion is condemned by both their country and their religion — but understanding that Maria wants the procedure — Amina does everything she can to secure a safe abortion for her daughter. Showcasing the fierce love between a mother and daughter and the great lengths we go to for the ones we love, Lingui, the Sacred Bonds is a captivating watch.
7) Abortion Helpline, This Is Lisa
This short documentary centers on the Women’s Medical Fund in Philadelphia, as counselors answer nonstop calls on their helpline from those seeking an abortion, but are unable to afford the procedure. Although its run time is less than 15 minutes, Abortion Helpline, This Is Lisa is a poignant, staggering reminder as to why it is so crucial to keep abortions accessible for those in poverty and low-income communities.
8) Unpregnant (2020)
Similar to the storyline of Plan B, the HBO Max film Unpregnant chronicles the road trip Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) takes with her former best friend Bailey (Barbie Ferreira) to receive an abortion. But the nearest clinic that does not require parental notification for minors is in Albuquerque, New Mexico — hundreds of miles from her hometown in Missouri. Unpregnant is yet another film that offers a striking reality of what many women will have to do — if they’re financially capable of doing so — to secure a safe, legal abortion procedure.
9) Abortion: Stories Women Tell (2017)
Abortion: Stories Women Tell is a powerful, raw documentary that follows a handful of different women faced with unplanned pregnancies and those seeking an abortion, while also giving focus to abortion providers, those who tirelessly work at reproductive healthcare clinics, and those fighting to protect abortion rights for all.
On Friday, June 24, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade. To learn more about how we got here and the decades-long movement for abortion rights, we've started a list of essential movies to watch about abortion.