Filmmaker Fernando López Escrivá's The Abortion Hotline offers a reminder that even where there is no avenue available for safe and legal abortions, some women will seek them out while others try to help. This tough-minded documentary focuses on Chile, where laws against abortion are the most extreme. Once liberal concerning abortion, Chile changed under the dictatorship of Pinochet, and those restrictions have remained absolute, outlawing abortions even in cases of rape, incest, or the compromised health of the mother. The documentary follows the work of pro-choice activists in an organization called Lesbians and Feminists for the Right to Information, where young women put their lives at risk by running an underground hotline that serves thousands of desperate women who are inquiring about where to can get an illegal abortion or induce one at home. The group advocates the use of a drug called misoprostol, which is commonly proscribed for treating ulcers but can also induce abortions. In addition, the film captures acts of public advocacy, as well as guerrilla tactics such as plastering city walls with instructions for women about how to self-terminate a pregnancy. A sidebar on the black market for misoprostol offers an interesting look at the criminals and con-men providing relief, while Chile's ongoing debate over abortion gives some insight into the country's presidential politics. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
The Abortion Hotline
(2016) 57 min. DVD: $99.95: public libraries & high schools; $350: colleges & universities. The Cinema Guild. PPR. Closed captioned. ISBN: 0-7815-1547-5. Volume 32, Issue 3
The Abortion Hotline
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