It Happens to Us (1972)

This documentary features women of different ages, races, and economic backgrounds who boldly speak about having had an abortion. This diverse collection of stories articulate and connect the viewer to powerful, sometimes graphic, recollections of the physical and emotional experience. The different types of procedures are also plainly described by doctors who counsel women and provide valuable information that was mostly unavailable at the time. Some stories are marked by pain and shame, others by relief and gratefulness that the option is available. As the film was made before the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, most of the procedures described are illegal. The film documents a powerful argument for women’s right to choose that is still markedly relevant today. It offers significant reflection on abortion, a topic some have wished, and may perhaps still wish, not to address.