A new moving documentary about three American women who were victims of a tragedy, because they were unable to have an abortion in Texas, is released in theaters on Friday, in the home stretch of a presidential election marked by the questioning of abortion in the United States.
“Zurawski v. Texas” follows Amanda Zurawski, Samantha Casiano and Austin Dennard through hospitals, court battles and grief, in the months following the decision by the US Supreme Court — made up of several justices appointed by Donald Trump — to put end to the federal guarantee of the right to abortion.
These three women learned early on that their pregnancies were not viable due to serious and incurable medical problems. But the doctors refused them an abortion, because they were too afraid to intervene because of very strict new laws in Texas.
Ms Zurawski suffered septic shock after her cervix was dilated at just 18 weeks. She fought for several days for her survival in intensive care. Her uterus is damaged, and it is now unlikely that she will be able to give birth.
Ms. Casiano was forced to carry her pregnancy to term, after learning at the twentieth week that her fetus had no chance. Once delivered, her daughter was deprived of air for four hours before she died.
Despite her status as a gynecologist, Ms. Dennard had to travel to another state to have an abortion when she learned that the fetus she was carrying was missing parts of the brain and skull, making its survival impossible.
“Devastating”
“Watching what was happening in Texas was devastating,” Abbie Perrault, co-director of the film, told AFP, still overwhelmed by this trio of women. “Despite all the pain they felt, they were ready to reveal their faces and their names, to resist and try to make change in Texas. »
Kamala Harris will be in Texas on Friday, the day of the release of this documentary co-produced by former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
During a rally in Houston, the American vice-president must denounce the almost total ban on abortion adopted by the Republicans in this southern state.
A symbolic visit 11 days before the presidential election, in a conservative stronghold that she has no chance of winning, to recall the importance of issues linked to abortion in the race for the White House.
Ms. Zurawski has become a public figure in the United States, as she is at the center of a high-profile class action in Texas. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate, even cited her case last month to warn of a possible spread of Republican restrictions across the country.
The documentary notably follows these women during merciless court hearings. They appear there in tears, forced to relive their trauma in front of prosecutors who question them coldly and relentlessly.
Overwhelmed by grief and mourning, Ms. Casiano even ends up vomiting on the stand.
Another striking scene shows the corpse of his daughter, who died four hours after her birth.
She “was convinced that people needed to see her daughter’s face and understand that she was a real person who had suffered from these laws,” explains Ms. Perrault.
“Eerie” silence
In addition to these three women, the documentary follows their lawyer, Molly Duane. And shows how the few legal victories obtained at first instance are quickly swept away by the Texas Supreme Court.
Texas prosecutors consistently place blame on hospitals, saying the plaintiffs should have sued their doctors, rather than the state.
Texas technically has rare medical exceptions allowing an abortion. But they are so vague that the medical profession is often terrified of operating, explains the lawyer in the documentary.
When asked to clarify these exemptions, the Texas Medical Board denies responsibility or maintains a “sinister” silence, she laments.
Ms. Perrault and co-director Maisie Crow hope the film will help Americans “understand more deeply what current laws do” before voting.
“People wanted to pretend that these women’s stories didn’t exist,” she sighs.
