FROM the BACK-ALLEYS to the SUPREME COURT & BEYOND

Download a copy of this discussion guide in Microsoft Word format.

The documentaries in the Trilogy, FROM the BACK-ALLEYS to the SUPREME COURT & BEYOND, do not engage in the debate over the morality of abortion. Instead, these videos document the history of abortion rights and provide insight into the increasing challenges to the availability and affordability of safe abortion care. These documentaries can be used to generate discussion on a range of topics, including: 
 

INFORMATION SOURCES

The bibliography of this study guide lists books about the history of abortion rights, as well as current issues. Various web sites provide up-to-date fact sheets on abortion such as trends, statistics, and current legislation in the United States. 

POSSIBLE DISCUSSION GROUP FORUMS
 

PREPARATION SUGGESTIONS

If you plan to use the videos to lead into discussion, prepare a list of ideas relating to the topic(s) you have chosen. Because the discussion will tend to move toward people expressing their own feelings about these issues, it is useful for the leader to have more general topics to introduce. 

DISCUSSION LEADER NOTES and GUIDELINES

Because abortion is a sensitive and complex issue, it's useful to set guidelines before the screening for the discussion which will follow after everyone has seen the video. Such as, in order to avoid arguments which short-circuit meaningful dialogue, ask participants to agree that everyone present is responsible for keeping the discussion respectful. Ask people to speak one at time, and raise their hands to be called on. Read all guidelines to the group before, and then recap afterward. The questions in this study guide will enable you to provide additional insights into the videos.

• The point of the discussion is to expand people's thinking, to share information and personal stories, and to create an opportunity to ask questions. The subject of abortion has been shrouded in secrecy. This discussion is a rare chance for an open dialogue.
• Few people on either side of the abortion debate feel satisfied with the current situation. We have not solved the controversial issues surrounding abortion with laws, in part because laws are not really answers, but rather tools that reflect the majority opinion of legislators. To find a common ground for understanding, it is useful for people to listen to each other's concerns. A good place to start is with those who have just watched the video together. 
• Immediately following the screening, give people a chance to think about what they have seen and what they would like to say. Some may want time to share their reactions. 
• Discussions about abortion may become quite volatile. Remind everyone that strong differences of opinion are the principal reason why this exchange is so important.

• Give people time to write notes, if they wish to do so.
• Decide whether to begin with study guide suggested questions or invite students to suggest ways in which the stories in the video relate to the goals of the class, or to themselves. If necessary, guide the discussion back to the planned topic (government, history, women's studies, abortion legislation, etc.).
• By asking students to write short papers, you will provide an opportunity for them to process their feelings about their reactions to the video, their ideas about how to change existing laws, their reflections on abortion rights, or other social movements, and on their own feelings about abortion.

This guide sets up most of the questions by referring to points which interviewees brought out, or by recounting what was shown in a particular scene. If someone cannot remember the context, the leader or another participant who remembers the scene more vividly, can recall and summarize the situation for the group.