Researcher studying abortion on TV & film @ansirh. She/her. All views are mine. Not here much anymore.
Dec 15, 2022 • 10 tweets • 5 min read
New research from @gesisson & me: we found at least 60 abortion plotlines in 2022, and for the first time since we've been analyzing abortion onscreen, more than 1/3 portrayed barriers to access. That's 20 plotlines, up from 2 in 2021 and 9 in 2019.
I had the extreme misfortune of watching Blonde on Netflix last night and let me tell you that movie is so anti-abortion, so sexist, so exploitative. CanNOT recommend it LESS. Do not watch. The abortion scenes in particular are terrible, but so is the whole entire movie.
It depicts Marilyn being coerced into her first abortion, screaming on the table that she's changed her mind & then she hallucinates finding a crying baby in her childhood home, which is engulfed in flames. For some INEXPLICABLE reason the camera pans INSIDE HER VAGINAL CANAL??
Feb 20, 2021 • 12 tweets • 6 min read
Curious op-ed in @washingtonpost's @KateCohen92 this morning that ignores 10 years of research on abortion on tv. Yes, there are fewer abortions onscreen than in real life. But they're there, increasingly portrayed by characters of color. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
First, to address the obvious, at @ANSIRH, @gesisson & I have documented decades of abortion portrayals on TV and film and put them all in a searchable database. Abortion has been portrayed onscreen for over 100 years. abortiononscreen.org
Sep 4, 2019 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
I ordered abortion pills from @AidAccessUSA to see what the process is like (not actually pregnant!). They just arrived at my house today, a minute ago.
Here's what it took:
August 11: Filled out the online consultation at aidaccess.org to request the pills.
@AidAccessUSA August 13: Received a follow up email from them asking if I still wanted help. I said yes.
August 14: They requested that I send them proof of ID. I send my NY driver's license.
Jul 22, 2019 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
As promised! Here's the latest Abortion Onscreen research, published today in @WHIjournal!
And here's what we found: (1/x)
Over the last 10 years, 40% of TV plotlines w/an abortion show some aspect of the actual procedure, most often a surgical abortion.
These portrayals often reinforce a misperception that surgical abortion is a serious surgery requiring hospital admission & multiple providers.
Jun 15, 2019 • 8 tweets • 4 min read
We have a term for this and it's called "chasing the fee."
A. wanted an abortion at 6 weeks, but had to come up with the money for it. By the time she got the $, the fee had gone up. So she had to scrape together more money. And the pattern continues.
A. is not unique in this shitty circumstance -- because Medicaid denies insurance coverage of abortion, many people are forced to cobble together more than their monthly income to cover the cost of an abortion. That is nearly impossible when you're struggling to make ends meet.
May 17, 2019 • 6 tweets • 5 min read
👋🏽 It's me again, here to share more abortion information.
Thread!
1️⃣ It's *medically* safe to take abortion pills on your own without the supervision of a clinician.
2️⃣ It's *legally* risky. People have been arrested for ending their own pregnancies.
3️⃣ If you have questions about your rights, call the @ifwhenhow legal helpline. It is safe and private: reprolegalhelpline.org
Hopping mad about dwindling abortion access? Welcome, we've been waiting for you.
Here are some ways you can show up today in your state -- please settle in for the long haul. We need you now, and we need you for the weeks, months, and years to come.
Live in Alabama and/or want to support people who need abortions there?
"The anti-choice movement has used [clinic] inspections, and the resulting reports, as a political tool to target abortion providers with false claims of unsafe practices."
Crucial reporting from @srussellkraft: rewire.news/article/2019/0…
Many state health departments find themselves in a position of “enforcing regulations passed by the legislature that don’t necessarily have a public health purpose,” - @DrSCMRoberts
Dr. Roberts has a ton of important research on this topic: (thread)
Mar 10, 2019 • 13 tweets • 7 min read
On March 10, 1993, an anti-abortion terrorist murdered Dr. David Gunn. Before shooting Dr. Gunn three times, he yelled, "Don't kill any more babies."
Dr. Gunn was 47. He provided abortions in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, when few others would. newsweek.com/death-doctor-g…
According to Dr. Gunn's son David, his dad performed abortions because other doctors wouldn't.
After his murder, local anti-abortion groups called his death "unfortunate" & also said: "quite a number of babies’ lives will be saved.” Grotesque commentary. history.com/this-day-in-hi…
