Forced Into Motherhood | The Land of the Not So Free | ENDEVR Documentary

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:11]Plaintiff would like to call Amanda Zaroski to the stand. [music] Okay.

[00:00:15]Please raise your right hand.

[00:00:17]Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you will give in this cause will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do.

[00:00:23]Please have a seat.

[00:00:28]I was 17 weeks and 6 days.

[00:00:31]Um so, a little bit into my second trimester, and um I experienced what I thought was discharge running down the inside of my leg. Um I know now that it was my amniotic fluid leaking.

[00:00:46]The first thing I asked was what we could do, what could be done. Um and she said unfortunately miscarriage was inevitable. So, I asked what intervention we could take, and she said because of the laws that had gone into effect in Texas, she couldn't intervene because the baby's heart was still beating.

[00:01:05]Um and so, inducing labor would have been considered an illegal abortion.

[00:01:12]>> [gasps] >> They They were able to intervene.

[00:01:16]Um So, several times I just had to listen to her heartbeat while simultaneously wanting to hear it and not wanting to hear it at the same time.

[00:01:35]>> [snorts] >> Amanda Zaroski was forced to experience her future child's pain inside her womb.

[00:01:42]Her pregnancy was no longer viable at 4 months.

[00:01:46]But, she didn't have the right to an abortion.

[00:01:49]The law in Texas prohibited her from intervening while the fetus was still alive.

[00:02:03]>> And so, if the seduction The case captured the media's attention.

[00:02:07]Three other women experienced the same prejudices involving medical complications, which for some of them were almost fatal.

[00:02:16]Together, they filed a lawsuit against Texas, compelling the state to abolish its anti-abortion law.

[00:02:23]The southern state privileges the fetal life in almost all cases.

[00:02:31]It is the cornerstone of the ultra-religious and radical pro-life America, which exerts its power at the highest level of state, >> [music] >> in the Supreme Court.

[00:02:42]On the 24th of June, 2022, these nine justices compromised women's freedom.

[00:02:49]They removed the right to abortion that had been upheld throughout the country for 50 years. No political institution in the United States can counter their decision.

[00:03:06]There's no point in saying good morning, because it certainly is not one.

[00:03:11]This morning, the radical Supreme Court is eviscerating Americans' rights and endangering their health and safety.

[00:03:21]What this means to women is such an insult.

[00:03:24]It's a slap in the face to women about using their own judgment to make their own decisions about their reproductive freedom.

[00:03:36]This is deadly serious.

[00:03:39]But, we are not going to let this pass.

[00:03:44]These women have no intention of backing down. 62% of Americans are still in favor of abortion. From volunteers to nursing staff, there are millions of people trying to defend this fundamental [music] right for their fellow citizens.

[00:04:01]They are unwavering. Their faces a shield against radical ideologies.

[00:04:09]I think it's ridiculous. You shouldn't tell anyone what they can and can't do with their bodies.

[00:04:14]Like, I understand, you know, some people say that it it's a life and so and so, but are you going to be the one care of that life?

[00:04:33]>> [music] >> What they really want [music] is control over the family, control over women.

[00:04:46]They would like women to be back in the house. They would like a return to something [music] that looks more like the 1950s.

[00:04:57]White Christian nationalist mentality knows no bounds. We have to imagine a world view in which you will stop at nothing to prevent women from getting [music] abortion care.

[00:05:28]At its origin, it's thanks [music] to the legal battle of a young 22-year-old Texan woman that American women were able to experience the freedom of abortion. In 1969, Norma McCorvey wanted to terminate her third pregnancy.

[00:05:44]But the state law prohibited it.

[00:05:47]Under the pseudonym Jane Roe, she filed a lawsuit against Texas and its attorney, Henry Wade.

[00:05:54]The Supreme Court ruled in her favor.

[00:05:58]The Roe v. Wade case set a precedent.

[00:06:01]In 1973, [music] abortion was legalized throughout the country at up to 22 weeks.

[00:06:09]You are our creator.

[00:06:11]You are our giver of life.

[00:06:14]And for those who call upon you >> 50 years later, the revocation of the national right to abortion feels like vengeance in Texas.

[00:06:24]There are some in this world who choose to take the power and position calling themselves the giver of life to choose who lives and who doesn't live.

[00:06:35]You know we're in that battle.

[00:06:37]You've given us many victories. The overturning of Roe v. Wade, Lord. We thank you for that victory.

[00:06:45]But sin does not sleep.

[00:06:49]And there are many of our foes out there, Lord, who still, Lord, seek other ways, Lord, to destroy the life that you give.

[00:06:58]Amen.

[00:07:08]In this part of Puritan America, the 1973 abortion legalization was never accepted.

[00:07:25]Tonight, they are celebrating the overturning of the law. All 1,200 guests are pro-life activists. To them, life is sacred from the moment of conception because it is created by God.

[00:07:39]They are influenced by religion and support both the Supreme Court's ruling and the Texas Alliance for Life, one of the largest pro-life organizations in the Southern United States.

[00:07:52]I like to welcome all of those who are joining us on >> Joe Pojman, or Dr. Pojman, is a former NASA engineer. Nowadays, he's an extremely active anti-abortion lobbyist.

[00:08:05]He facilitated the creation of the so-called Human Life Protection Act, which from August 2022 banned abortion from conception in Texas, even in cases of rape and incest.

[00:08:20]My name is Dr. Joe Pojman. I'm the founder and executive director of Texas Alliance for Life. We have so much to celebrate this evening.

[00:08:28]Let me begin with this.

[00:08:30]All 23 abortion facilities in Texas have ceased performing abortions.

[00:08:43]Indefinitely.

[00:08:45]All of them.

[00:08:46]The thousands of elective abortions reported each month to our state have plummeted to zero.

[00:08:57]>> [applause] >> The early numbers show that there's been a big increase in births in Texas. Very many women are giving birth in Texas as opposed to abortion.

[00:09:07]I welcome that.

[00:09:10]Those children are going to be great citizens. They're going to be our doctors, our lawyers, our plumbers, our accountants, our workers of any type, our homemakers. So, those babies that are born, I welcome that. They're going to be great citizens of our state and of our nation.

[00:09:27]Our goals are to build a society in Texas in which no person feels that he or she um has to seek an abortion because there are no way out.

[00:09:41]Uh we want to build a culture of life.

[00:09:44]And that's a a phrase that we we and a lot of us in the United States and probably across the world borrow from the Pope, St. John Paul II, who who wrote a very influential document uh about the culture of life.

[00:10:00]>> [applause] >> It's a terrible thing if society expects women to take care of herself and unplanned pregnancy by taking the life of her own child. And I want to remind everyone that we now know that that that um body in the woman's body is not her body.

[00:10:24]It's a separate body. The unborn child is a baby separate from the mother. And we could never advocate as a compassionate society that she can in the name of her own autonomy to take the life of that child within her.

[00:10:42]That's not how this goes.

[00:10:47]It's about women's rights and [music] to control their own destiny with their own health care. It's not for anyone else to say.

[00:10:59]Jordis dedicates [music] all her time to defending the freedom of choice for abortion. She is, as they say in the US, pro-choice.

[00:11:13]Jordis lives in one of the [music] 20 American states that chose to maintain access to abortion.

[00:11:19]In its decision on the 24th of June 2022, the Supreme Court eliminated the federal right to abortion, but it allowed each state to determine its own legislation.

[00:11:31]The country is now divided in two.

[00:11:34]15 states completely banned abortion.

[00:11:37]Six states severely restricted it.

[00:11:40]A complete upheaval for one in three American women.

[00:11:44]Almost 25 million women who have no option but to travel to liberal America to acquire their urgent medical care.

[00:11:59]Answering call.

[00:12:00]Carbondale Choices, this is Shawnee. How can I help you? They're out here like three or four hours away. So, how long do the procedure take? Or like how long would I have to be there? And like what all would I need [music] to bring?

[00:12:13]Okay, so schedule an appointment. Okay, were you interested in a medical abortion with the pill or surgical abortion?

[00:12:21]>> [music] >> I'm kind of scared to do either, but I didn't want to like take medicine and then Do you know how much [music] everything would be if I took the pill?

[00:12:36]In the small [music] city of Carbondale in Southern Illinois, the Alamo Women's Clinic serves as a refuge for those seeking an abortion.

[00:12:50]Oh.

[00:12:55]These guys are from Kentucky.

[00:12:58]So, that's probably three, four hours from from where we're at.

[00:13:06]Come on.

[00:13:08]You're good.

[00:13:11]Jordis volunteers in the car park to welcome patients.

[00:13:16]The clinic escort vest she is wearing can be seen outside all abortion clinics to offer support for patients as they arrive.

[00:13:24]At 69 years of age, Jordis has experienced a lot in life. She is a mother to two daughters and she has had two abortions herself.

[00:13:35]Hey guys.

[00:13:37]Welcome to Illinois and Alamo.

[00:13:40]I'm your old ass escort.

[00:13:43]Okay?

[00:13:45]No, I'm just here to love you and support you babies.

[00:13:48]Thank you. Sir, do you need to use the washroom? You're welcome to go on and use it.

[00:13:53]You good? All right, doll. Let's get you in there.

[00:14:01]You doing okay?

[00:14:03]I'm fine.

[00:14:05]It's my honor to be here for you women.

[00:14:08]We appreciate you.

[00:14:10]Thank you so much, darling. I worry about all of you more than I can tell you.

[00:14:18]The thing that gets my old arthritic body out of bed to come here is so that these women know that they're not alone.

[00:14:26]That there are other women who support them and just to be a kind word for them.

[00:14:35]It's really as simple as that. It's about love and showing people the respect that they deserve just because they're a human being.

[00:14:45]Oh.

[00:14:47]Let me see what's going on here. This Welcome to Illinois and Alamo.

[00:14:53]You're okay, baby. You're safe now, okay?

[00:14:57]All right, come with me. Let's get you in there.

[00:15:01]What? I'm scared. Oh, baby, don't be.

[00:15:05]Don't be scared. Which part are you afraid of? The procedure. I have to get the procedure. I'm too far along for it.

[00:15:13]It'll be okay.

[00:15:15]The procedure itself is short, relatively short. It's just the waiting and stuff.

[00:15:22]so take a deep breath.

[00:15:25]You're safe with us now.

[00:15:28]Okay, I'm just here to love and support you baby. Yes ma'am. And to let you know that it's okay.

[00:15:37]Okay? Okay.

[00:15:39]Come on girl.

[00:15:40]>> I'm very nervous. I know you are baby. I can see it in your eyes.

[00:15:53]The Alamo Women's Clinic performs medical and surgical abortions. The numbers have increased significantly since the Supreme Court's decision.

[00:16:03]On average, the clinic receives 30 women a day with 95% of them coming from out of state.

[00:16:12]The director of the clinic, Andrea Gallego, grew up in the world of obstetric care. She's the daughter of a gynecologist.

[00:16:21]Following the repeal of the federal abortion law, she had to shut down the two specialized abortion clinics that she and her father owned in Texas and in Oklahoma.

[00:16:31]>> [clears throat] >> So just [music] come right through here.

[00:16:35]And then I'll step out and you can place your belongings up there on the hooks or on the shelf.

[00:16:41]I'll step out, get undressed from the waist down.

[00:16:44]She will >> But Andrea is a fighter. She moved to Illinois with her family in the autumn of 2022 to help her fellow citizens.

[00:16:55]You can come right in here with me.

[00:16:56]>> Right on the outskirts of religious America. All right.

[00:17:02]We've had patients [music] come from Texas, from all of those states and all of those states are banned [music] and for many, especially Tennessee, especially Kentucky, especially Mississippi, we're the closest option for care.

[00:17:19]Yeah, right.

[00:17:22]You don't like needles?

[00:17:26]I'll make it quick and easy, okay?

[00:17:28]Okay. Patients are usually [music] exhausted because they've traveled.

[00:17:32]Appointment didn't start at 9:00 a.m.

[00:17:34]when they got here. It started whenever they left their house and drove, you know, 3 hours, 5 hours, 8 hours.

[00:17:43]I am from Memphis. Due to the recent law changes, uh it's pretty much illegal in those in the southern states. It took me like 3 weeks to get here.

[00:17:54]Transportation.

[00:17:56]And I do have other children and they're in school, so [music] it's it's hard to work around schedules.

[00:18:03]I have five. I just broke up got out of a 11-year relationship with their dad and um trying to do single mom stuff and I know that right now is not the time. I haven't shared it with any family or anything.

[00:18:20]Not even the father knows. I mean, it's just like I said, one of those situations that I know what is best for me. I know, you know, at this time in my life, I have two children. My youngest is 10 and it's it's just, you know, I didn't want another child at this time.

[00:18:36]But, you know, who knows? Maybe in a few years I I will feel more secure than that. I will want another child at that time.

[00:18:46]Get in the house. I'll shut you in, baby.

[00:18:50]Hey, peace be with you guys on your way home. And don't you be hard on yourself, darling.

[00:18:56]All right, baby.

[00:19:00]We see women getting abortions for all different reasons.

[00:19:04]It's not like they get up in the morning and say, "Hey, I'm just going to go get an abortion." That's not what's going on here.

[00:19:11]Contrary to what, you know, some people seem to think, that's not what's happening at all. These are agonizing decisions for these women. Agonizing.

[00:19:23]I I wouldn't be able to sleep with myself if I didn't come to this clinic at least two or three times a week to let women know it's okay.

[00:19:33]You have this right. It is okay.

[00:19:37]You decide.

[00:19:40]Don't be hard on yourself now.

[00:19:44]You're most welcome, baby. And peace be with you on your way home.

[00:19:49]Okay? And anytime you need me, honey.

[00:19:53]You're welcome, darling.

[00:19:58]Well, she's decided not to have the procedure.

[00:20:05]So, really tough decision for the little cookie. She just so unsure and unsure about how to take care of a baby, you know?

[00:20:19]It's not my place, like I said, to tell someone or anybody else to tell someone what to do with their body.

[00:20:25]We can give you information so you can make the decision, but abortion clinics don't tell people to get abortions.

[00:20:34]That's not the role of clinics.

[00:20:38]Um if they change their mind, love them, support them just the same.

[00:20:53]Sex education and contraception are still not taught in most schools in the United States.

[00:20:59]As a result, the rate of unwanted pregnancies is one of the highest in the West.

[00:21:05]Half of the women most affected by the abortion ban come from African American communities and live below the poverty line.

[00:21:14]Their lack of security means that they can't get medical insurance, which is very expensive in the United States.

[00:21:22]This is yet another obstacle to accessing abortions, which cost around $600 on average, not including transportation costs.

[00:21:34]I'm about a 6 hours from home. I must cross two state lines to be here. I've spent about $200 in hotels because I had to stay in a hotel on the way here and then I'll have to stay in one obviously this evening after the procedure and then you know food and on top of that missing work is costing me. I would estimate Oh man.

[00:21:58]A good over a $1,000.

[00:22:02]We don't want costs to be what prevents somebody from getting what they need.

[00:22:08]So that's why we have a lot of partnerships with funding organizations to help with those burdens if someone can't do it by themselves. You could get the entire procedure covered or maybe a portion.

[00:22:24]There's always some sort of funding available to help with not just the cost of the procedure, but even the cost of travel.

[00:22:33]After we do the ultrasound today, we'll verify that the pregnancy is in your uterus and verify how far along you are.

[00:22:42]And then once we do that, we'll give you the first pill.

[00:22:45]I always worry about the patients that can't make it to us and what happens to those patients. What happens to somebody physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, economically when they're forced into pregnancy.

[00:23:06]So, you're just going to edit those place those now and then come back at 12:20.

[00:23:19]Disappointed that I had to make the decision.

[00:23:23]Because you know, it's not something I grew up believing in at the one time.

[00:23:28]I was against it at first, but then I grew up in the church, so I wasn't really aware of what goes on in the real world.

[00:23:39]I wasn't aware of that and so now that I do know as an adult, I feel like it should definitely be an option. People are very stuck on religion.

[00:23:51]I feel like so much of of this law is determined from religious influence and and I don't think that it should be at all.

[00:24:01]You love your families. You love your neighbors. You love our nation and you love every child born and unborn because you believe [music] that every life is sacred, that every child is [music] a precious gift from God.

[00:24:18]>> Donald Trump was the clear driving force behind the eradication of the right to abortion across half of the United States. The New York billionaire stood as a pro-life supporter purely for electoral purposes.

[00:24:32]Mariana was 17 when she found out she was pregnant. Mariana bravely chose life and soon gave birth to her son.

[00:24:41]>> He was able to appeal to the country's religious electorate, which represents a quarter of the votes.

[00:24:49]Like his Republican predecessors, he adopted an ultra-conservative doctrine following the moral majority.

[00:24:57]Eyes for our ways I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States. the office of President of the United States. And will, to the best of my ability, >> Spurred on by the extremist lobbies that brought him to power, Donald Trump's undermining began.

[00:25:17]He gave the Supreme Court, the highest institution in the country, which presides over society's major debates, its new conservative configuration.

[00:25:27]In April of 2017, he appointed Neil Gorsuch, a justice opposed to company insurance coverage of contraception.

[00:25:36]In July of 2018, Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh, an opponent to same-sex marriage, to the Supreme Court. Then in 2020, Donald Trump didn't wait for the presidential election results, as is custom, before nominating a new justice consistent with the political inclination of the vote.

[00:25:56]>> [cheering] >> Succeeded by Joe Biden, Trump managed to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court 45 days before the end of his term of office.

[00:26:09]As a mother of seven children and an affiliate of a radical religious movement, the Supreme Court justice is a committed pro-life supporter.

[00:26:18]She is against same-sex marriage and contraception.

[00:26:23]Thereafter, the Supreme Court's majority shifted. Six of its nine members are now anti-abortion fundamentalists.

[00:26:31]Appointed for life, their decisions hold the force of the law.

[00:26:45]Almost immediately, Donald Trump's Supreme Court [music] revealed its new position.

[00:26:50]An anti-abortion law came into force in Texas unopposed by the Supreme Court a mere 8 months before the right to abortion was revoked throughout the state. The anti-abortion law SB8 took effect in September 2021.

[00:27:06]So, we're going to do some smiling and some not smiling. Let's start with the not smiling. [music] >> Two years later, six Texan women started to revolt. None of these women had the right to an abortion even though their pregnancies were deemed non-viable and some had even become dangerous. In front of the nation's media, they filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas to block the SB8 anti-abortion law.

[00:27:32]Over a period of two days, three of the plaintiffs testified in civil court.

[00:27:44]Yes, Mhm.

[00:27:45]You swear or affirm that the testimony you will give in this cause will be the truth, the whole truth And then she said, >> [clears throat] >> "I'm sorry, but your daughter's incompatible with life.

[00:27:59]So, she will pass away before or after right after birth."

[00:28:06]I didn't have any options because there was a law >> [snorts] >> that the the Texas abortion law prohibited. So, I I felt like I was abandoned.

[00:28:25]>> [cough] [clears throat] >> Oh, yeah.

[00:28:32]>> [snorts] >> Yes.

[00:28:39]Samantha breaks down haunted by the memory of her baby dying in her arms.

[00:28:45]But the diagnosis was clear.

[00:28:48]5 months into her pregnancy, the cranial malformation of her fetus left no chance of survival.

[00:28:56]The court will be in recess until 1:30 this afternoon. Thank you.

[00:29:02]The abortion ban in Texas had left Samantha in a state of destitution.

[00:29:07]Neither she nor her partner had the money to travel to a liberal state.

[00:29:13]Samantha was forced to give birth to a little girl who only survived for 4 hours.

[00:29:33]Elizabeth Weller is another one of the six plaintiffs to have suffered under the SB8 anti-abortion law.

[00:29:41]At 18 weeks pregnant, Elizabeth suddenly lost her amniotic fluid.

[00:29:46]Then, home alone with her husband, she came close to contracting sepsis.

[00:29:54]So, I got to the ER. A doctor comes in, and he says, "Okay, your water broke.

[00:30:01]Your cervix is still closed.

[00:30:03]All we can do now is just hope and pray that things get better."

[00:30:09]I told him, "You know, I'm not religious, but I guess I do have to pray now, right? Because that's all I have."

[00:30:19]And my doctor is crying.

[00:30:22]And she's looking at me, and she's telling me, "I'm so sorry. I can't touch you.

[00:30:28]I can't do anything."

[00:30:33]She told me that administration told her that they didn't believe her that I was sick because on paper, I had opted for the antibiotics to stave off any future infection then tell me the only way that I could get help is if I came back sick enough.

[00:30:56]What was sick enough was they told me probably sepsis.

[00:31:10]>> [music] >> I went from a hospital bed to my own bed in my own environment, but I can't believe my baby is actively, you know, she's alive, but she's dying. I can't believe that this is happening to me right now. I How did I end up in this situation?

[00:31:32]And we we had realized, oh, one of the part the the health parameters that we had was we need to be checking my fever every 2 hours.

[00:31:40]Because if it gets to like 104, that's, you know, you need to go.

[00:31:45]Um the parameters were to wait for my discharge to turn yellow. There was nothing worse for me as a husband than hoping my wife would become sick. Because if she became sick, that means that we go to the hospital get treatment.

[00:32:01]Every time we we took her temperature, it came back completely normal. And that was somehow worse.

[00:32:09]And there it is.

[00:32:10]Yellow on my pad.

[00:32:13]And I look down and I sniffed it and I almost threw up and I was like, James, it's happening.

[00:32:21]And we hug each other and we're saying, thank you. Thank you. And it's this moment of elation of celebration and yet it is the most horrible moment of our lives because we are happy that we can finally end this process.

[00:32:51]Elizabeth was finally able to get an abortion, but [music] only when the fetus no longer showed any signs of life.

[00:32:58]For now, she has decided against making any plans to have another child. She does not feel safe in Texas.

[00:33:13]In theory, Elizabeth should have benefited from the exception to the SB8 anti-abortion law, which authorizes an abortion exclusively in cases where the pregnancy becomes dangerous to the mother's health.

[00:33:26]But this notion is medically vague, too unclear for gynecologists who fear the criminalization of their practice.

[00:33:35]Like all her colleagues in Texas, Dr. Carson works under the threat of severe penalties for illegal abortions.

[00:33:44]The penalties are so severe.

[00:33:46]99 years in prison, [music] uh losing your medical license, so no no longer being able [music] to practice medicine, and um $100,000 fine. It's trying to scare [music] people with the severity of the penalties into you know, silencing inaction.

[00:34:10]Damla is a well-known physician in the field of reproductive health.

[00:34:15]She is a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and she runs her own private practice inside the Women's Hospital of Texas in Houston.

[00:34:26]She is one of only two doctors pleading the cause in Texas, joining the other victims decrying the SB8 law.

[00:34:41]In your experience, is pregnancy dangerous?

[00:34:45]Well, in Texas it is.

[00:34:48]Our maternal mortality rate is abysmal. It's actually one of the worst in the country.

[00:34:54]And the US is is the worst in the developed world and and I I fear it's getting worse.

[00:35:02]And after SB8 took effect, did you offer abortions for the medical conditions listed in plaintiff's demonstrative exhibit one?

[00:35:10]>> I did not.

[00:35:12]Well, it heightened, it amplified um the fear and reluctance to to offer a patient an abortion even if I thought um it might pass the exceptions within the law.

[00:35:28]Under SB8, were you afraid of civil lawsuits? Yes.

[00:35:37]But it's it's hard. I mean you're asking physicians to put themselves on the line to save their patient or to advocate for their patient's safety.

[00:35:52]I I think that's unfair. I think we should be supported.

[00:35:55]There are cases where I know absolutely don't meet any exception to the law.

[00:36:03]And there are cases where a patient is on death's doorstep and I know they do meet the exception. However, in between it's so gray. Every case is nuanced and complex. I've met a couple of people who were near death. So, I'm sure there are cases out there we haven't heard about.

[00:36:23]ICU admissions and you know, a certain percentage of patients that go to the ICU don't make it out. So, I'm sure there are.

[00:36:30]It's just a matter of time for them to come to light.

[00:36:33]You know, when you're dead, you're less vocal.

[00:36:39]Doctor, is it fair to say that what you want out of this lawsuit is for Texas to create a medical exception where it's left entirely up to the medical provider to determine whether an abortion is medically necessary pursuant to the standard of care.

[00:36:53]That would be wonderful.

[00:36:55]15 days later, the civil court in Austin granted the plaintiff's request. The SB8 anti-abortion law was blocked while the medical exception, which would allow physicians to perform abortions with peace of mind, was clarified. However, the state immediately appealed the decision, backed by statements issued from pro-life lobbies, Joe Poyman and Texas Alliance for Life. The court's final decision was made on the 31st of May, 2024. The claims were rejected regardless of pregnancy complications, and the court refused to say whether the exception would apply in the case of a patient's health deteriorating.

[00:37:35]These women had circumstances in which the pregnancy was difficult, they were losing the baby, but because they received very poor care and advice from their own personal physicians, they almost lost their lives. I listened to that and it breaks my heart how those women had very difficult circumstances, and it made it uh clear to me that our law really is drafted very carefully and very well.

[00:38:07]The law has to work in as a deterrent, and the goal is to prevent abortions.

[00:38:12]So, how do we prevent how do we address the issue of women going out of state for abortions? There are about 4,000 that went out of state in neighboring states, probably. We don't know exactly which states. What is the makes a woman that desperate that she would drive many, many hours to another state?

[00:38:37]Answering call.

[00:38:38]Shelby, how can I help you?

[00:38:40]>> Yes, I'm here about getting my daughter an appointment for an abortion pill.

[00:38:44]Okay, how old is your daughter? 15. And has she had a history of ectopic pregnancies? No, ma'am. This is the first one that I've known about.

[00:38:53]Answering call.

[00:38:55]You're looking into the medical abortion with the pill, is that correct? Yes, ma'am. Okay, the cost of that is $550.

[00:39:03]Uh but I do have financial assistance [music] for out-of-state residents if you'd like to see if you qualify. Okay.

[00:39:10]There may be protesters outside the facility. They are not affiliated. Keep your window up, ignore them, drive into the parking lot, and then come [music] inside to the front desk to complete check-in, okay? Okay.

[00:39:24]Just beyond Texas and Oklahoma, the state of Colorado serves as another refuge for women who have been deprived of the right to an abortion in their home state.

[00:39:33]Here, abortion is still possible at all stages of pregnancy.

[00:39:38]Motivated by the conservative configuration of the Supreme Court, the pro-life activists in Colorado are constantly mobilized, just as they are in all the liberal states in the US.

[00:39:50]Lord's creation reveals [music] that you're great.

[00:39:54]And that conscience reveals that you are good.

[00:39:58]And Jesus Christ reveals that you are love. So, if we just pray that Jesus' name be lifted up through my speech, and I pray that you'll use this documentary, Lord, to to accomplish your will as well, Lord.

[00:40:19]Kevin claims that he received a divine revelation in the Colorado mountains. A revelation that led this former meth addict to redemption and on to a new path. Kevin proselytizes to dissuade his fellow citizens from terminating their pregnancies.

[00:40:40]He is part of a pro-life group that protests outside the Planned Parenthood in the city of Fort Collins.

[00:40:54]Morning.

[00:40:57]Feeling better?

[00:40:58]>> Oh, I'm feeling much better. Lord, we do pray for the closing of Planned Parenthood, Lord, because nobody would want to come and have abortions. Show them there's another way, Lord Jesus.

[00:41:07]Show them there's another way. Soften hearts.

[00:41:10]>> These anti-abortion activists have joined together as part of a collective named 40 Days for Life.

[00:41:16]The name relates to the 40 days of continuous prayer campaigns held outside the health center twice a year.

[00:41:25]Jesus, we pray, Lord Jesus, that these girls would know that we are here for them. They don't have to do this and there is support.

[00:41:33]Come, Holy Spirit.

[00:41:37]Hi there. We love you. Have a blessed day.

[00:41:40]Hi there.

[00:41:42]Say your rosary, say your heart be free.

[00:41:46]Have a good day for you. We love you.

[00:41:48]We're here to help you.

[00:41:50]Kevin and his fellow activists try to intercept visitors as they arrive at Planned Parenthood without ever crossing this yellow line. Colorado has enacted a law that prohibits pro-life activists from getting within at least 200 m of abortion clinics.

[00:42:08]Hi there. How are you? I have a gift for you.

[00:42:12]And there's one more. Are you here for a pregnancy test?

[00:42:15]Birth control. Let me give you something else. There's uh This is really healthy way to space children. Natural family planning and this There's a lot of harmful uh harmful stuff about uh Most contraceptives are carcinogenic. They can cause an early abortion. Well, look at it if you have any questions in that little rose packet, my phone number is in it. I'd be happy to to give you more information, okay? God bless you.

[00:42:47]Such a sweet spirit, isn't she?

[00:42:51]One out of five stops and we'll take a rose. We've had a lot more baby saves since we started giving out the roses because it's a it's a sign of goodwill.

[00:42:59]A lot of girls can't resist a rose.

[00:43:02]We even we even put holy water in these little gizmos.

[00:43:06]We have a a fetal model and there's a card that explains the the development of the of the baby from conception on. There's a gospel tract in there and there's my own my own personal testimony and story and there's We can help you.

[00:43:30]Did you see where they parked? They went around the corner.

[00:43:43]If you come here this morning for an ultrasound, we have free ultrasounds, free pregnancy testing, loving, confidential counseling.

[00:43:55]And you run away from this dark and evil place and never look back and never have any regrets.

[00:44:02]In fact, you should celebrate this day for the rest of your life. Every time she throws her little arms around your neck and squeezes you tight and says, "I love you." You celebrate the day that you left Planned Parenthood.

[00:44:16]Now, we don't wish that pain and regret This pro-life propaganda is set up to make women feel guilty. And it doesn't stop there.

[00:44:25]Kevin also promotes women's testimonies on a website called conceived in rape.

[00:44:32]These are people of faith.

[00:44:34]When I was 12 years old, I was [music] uh I was walking down the street and I was abducted.

[00:44:40]I was brutally raped by two men.

[00:44:43]I was taken to the hospital [music] and the doctor told me that I was pregnant from the rape.

[00:44:49]And I asked the doctor, "If I had abortion, would I forget the rape?

[00:44:54]Would I forget all the pain and suffering?" And he said, [music] "No."

[00:44:58]So, then I thought, "Why should I kill my baby? Why should I give my baby the death [music] penalty?" At the age of 17, after having lived most of my life in an abusive [music] situation with extended family, uh I conceived through incestuous rape.

[00:45:14]I had been raised in the church.

[00:45:16]Uh I was a born-again Christian. And I understood that this was a life and [music] I understood at 17 years old that I wasn't going to take that life.

[00:45:23]It's not the child's fault. It wasn't my fault and I didn't want to kill my baby.

[00:45:29]So, I chose to keep my baby and he's now 3 years old. To be completely honest, there's days that I don't even remember how he was created.

[00:45:39]I don't think about it. There's This is a vicious propaganda.

[00:45:44]Women who have been raped or the result of abuse uh a sexual abuse, they they're terrified of being pregnant. This is the poison in me.

[00:45:53]It's a parasite. I want to end the pregnancy. They're relieved and happy.

[00:45:57]The woman's life is worth nothing.

[00:45:59]Worth nothing. All she is is an incubator for another baby.

[00:46:04]That's all she is. Livestock.

[00:46:07]There's no difference between a woman and a cow under that philosophy, okay?

[00:46:12]That's what cows are for, to have more cows.

[00:46:15]That's what women are for, to have more babies.

[00:46:17]They forget about what the woman wants to do, okay?

[00:46:21]And if you don't have the means, the resources to raise a child right now, we have couples that are willing and approved to adopt a baby.

[00:46:32]you!

[00:46:38]It's religious fanaticism. The anti-abortion movement in the United States is dominated by the Catholics and the white nationalist, white supremacist, Christian evangelicals.

[00:46:49]It's a fascist movement.

[00:46:51]There is no such thing as an abortion debate. It's a civil war.

[00:46:55]And one side is using bullets and bombs.

[00:47:00]And death threats.

[00:47:05]>> [music] >> An hour away from Fort Collins, in the city of Boulder, Dr. Hern works as a gynecologist, barricaded inside his clinic.

[00:47:19]He is frequently targeted by the pro-life activists. Dr. Hern is one of the last remaining American physicians to perform abortions until the end of pregnancy for incurable fetal anomalies.

[00:47:31]At the age of 85, he's still [music] working and is more motivated than ever since the Supreme Court's decision.

[00:47:42]He is a key medical and political figure in the fight for women's freedom in the United States.

[00:47:48]A pro-choice doctor who has faced religious fanaticism many times.

[00:48:00]>> In 1988, there were five shots through fired through the front of my office with a high-powered rifle. The bullet just missed a member of my staff, and I had just walked through.

[00:48:10]They were trying to kill somebody.

[00:48:12]It was a clear sign of disapproval.

[00:48:15]But, I put in bulletproof windows, and I had a press conference, and I announced a $5,000 reward for the information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who who shot the bullets.

[00:48:29]Dr. Hern works behind bulletproof windows and has double doors security.

[00:48:35]He didn't allow us to film his staff to avoid putting them in danger.

[00:48:44]In 1988, fanatics from a movement called Operation Rescue blocked access to Dr. Hern's clinic.

[00:48:52]The movement was led by an ex-car salesman who advocated for the harassment of any person linked to abortion.

[00:49:04]And when he sends you to hell for you for murdering children, you're going to wish that you had listened to the people who are trying to tell you to repent for your own good.

[00:49:13]Randall Terry, the leader of Operation Rescue, stood in the street surrounded by his followers and prayed for my execution.

[00:49:24]And I was sure that I was going to be assassinated. I started sleeping with a rifle by my bed.

[00:49:30]One day bring you down on your knees, and you will be begging God for mercy.

[00:49:38]And you must repent.

[00:49:45]When I park my car, I park in a special place that cost me a lot of money to fix so that when I get out of my car I can go right into the office instead of walking across the parking lot. Because there's a there's a garage that's a great place for a sniper that the hospital built, and I can't be exposed to the fire. So, when I park my car, I get my keys ready so I don't have to look for my key.

[00:50:10]When I'm at home at night, I close the I close the blinds. We can't have the blinds open at night because the the anti-abortion fanatics shoot the doctor through the window.

[00:50:25]A right-wing religious fanatic said, "We can't allow abortion because then there wouldn't be enough people to fight the wars and pay the taxes.

[00:50:36]That's what women are for. That's the Republican attitude. That's the Republican policy."

[00:50:44]And this Supreme Court, which they the Republicans achieved by using the abortion issue, and they together want to give us a a fascist Christian theocracy.

[00:50:55]That's the plan.

[00:51:05]When the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, they prayed. When the founders wrote the Declaration of of Independence, they invoked our creator four times. Because in America, we don't worship government, we worship God.

[00:51:24]In God we trust. And it's why we proudly proclaim that we are one nation under God.

[00:51:40]Throughout the liberal states in the country, from Colorado to Illinois, the pro-life activists are not backing down.

[00:51:48]They are on the rise. Their mentor, Donald Trump, is back.

[00:51:52]He is well placed in the polls for the next presidential election.

[00:51:56]This presents a threat to the right to abortion, which could be eradicated throughout the entire country.

[00:52:03]Hi, did you get this on your way in? Can we speak a second?

[00:52:09]Women's Care Connect, we have free resources.

[00:52:14]Confronted by an obscurantist America, Free America has no intention of giving up. The fight to preserve the dignity of its fellow citizens and their human rights is continuing everywhere.

[00:52:26]And what state did you come from?

[00:52:28]Louisiana. Like in the city of Carbondale, where Andrea Gallegos has set up her refuge clinic. This morning, she received a surprise visit from the mayor, who was concerned about the safety of the clinic patients.

[00:52:43]I was actually in a meeting for someone mentioned that they had passed by and saw the people who tried to stop people from coming here. And I said, "Okay, I'll just cuz I've passed by before, but never saw them." So, I thought, "Okay, I'll just go and see for myself."

[00:52:59]And it's not something that I really endorse.

[00:53:06]Carolyn Harvey is responsible for a law that compels protesters to stay a reasonable distance from health centers.

[00:53:14]A practicing Christian herself, the mayor is perplexed by the arguments of the pro-life activists in her city.

[00:53:22]They said, "We want to help people who want [music] to get an abortion."

[00:53:27]My reply to that is, "What type of help do you offer?"

[00:53:32]They say, "Oh, we'll help pay for this and that." Will you help for 18 years until the child is an adult? No, they won't.

[00:53:41]And they are paid protesters. Well, some of them are paid to be out there. It's not like this is something I really believe in. And they may really believe in it, but somebody's paying them to be out there.

[00:53:54]>> [music] >> Carbondale has always been a liberal enclave. In the 70s, its university became known for its anti-military stance during the Vietnam War.

[00:54:07]Now, another abortion clinic has been set up >> [music] >> and a Planned Parenthood has just been opened.

[00:54:13]It's the picture of a multi-faceted America where tolerance is cultivated as a virtue against all forms of fanaticism.

[00:54:23]>> [singing] >> I am a Christian. I believe in God. And again, I think it's an individual decision. Just like my individual decision to say I am a Christian, I believe in God. And if you choose to have an abortion or to do whatever, use the other [music] services, that's your personal opinion and that's between you and your God. I don't need to be involved in that.

[00:54:59]>> [music] [music] >> We women [music] are resilient creatures, pretty tough.

[00:55:21]Given the opportunity to control our own bodies, >> [laughter] >> we can do amazing things.

[00:55:33]You [music] all done with that snack?

[00:55:36]>> [laughter] >> Hello, are you doing okay in here?

[00:55:50]You need anything, baby? [singing] Listen, if you need to use [music] the washroom, you know, it's just through that front through those doors and in the front hallway.

[00:55:59]You're more than [music] welcome to.

[00:56:01]Okay. All right. Well, it's time to go see see the woman.

[00:56:06]>> [music] >> Cute old furry big old baby girl.

[00:56:11]You're going to be okay now. Come on.

[00:56:14]Look at her.

[00:56:16]Hey, baby.

[00:56:17]Welcome to Illinois [music] and Alabama.