The Borneo Post (Sabah)

‘Birthright: A War Story’ takes the measure of two movements

- By Michael O’Sullivan

TO ANYONE who has watched “The Handmaid’s Tale” — Hulu’s acclaimed adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel about women reduced to breeding stock — and says it couldn’t happen today, the documentar­y “Birthright: A War Story” is a strong counter-argument.

The surprising­ly even-handed examinatio­n of the ongoing battle between the anti-abortion and abortion rights movements looks at how the landscape has changed for the worse since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalising abortion.

Director Civia Tamarkin’s film is not without a point of view.

“Birthright” suggests that the loss of women’s bodily autonomy — via laws limiting access to abortion — is a human rights issue. But it raises the alarm in ways that are as unflashy as they are disturbing. One of the more shocking scenes reminds us of the dangers of complacenc­y, introducin­g us to a room full of young women who have never heard of Roe v. Wade.

The first half of the film concerns “TRAP” laws (for Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) that have restricted access to abortion by, say, forcing clinics to close due to onerous regulation­s. According to Keith Mason, the founder of Personhood USA, it doesn’t matter whether abortion is made illegal if he and his anti-abortion allies can make the procedure impractica­l.

In the second half, Tamarkin shifts the focus to case histories of women whose stories of pregnancy and powerlessn­ess come uncomforta­bly close to those in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

One woman talks of being forced to undergo a Caesarean section against her wishes. Another woman was arrested and charged with chemical endangerme­nt of her child after smoking marijuana while pregnant. Tamarkin’s point is clear: Women would do well to know their history before the future makes them regret it.

Two and a half stars. Unrated. Contains brief coarse language, nudity and a disturbing image. 100 minutes. — WP-Bloomberg

 ??  ?? Katie Darovitz faced a chemical endangerme­nt charge after she used marijuana to control seizures while she was pregnant. — Courtesy of Abramorama.
Katie Darovitz faced a chemical endangerme­nt charge after she used marijuana to control seizures while she was pregnant. — Courtesy of Abramorama.

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