Undue Burdens (2019, 32min)

Director, Producer

In 2017, more than 5,500 people travelled from out of state to terminate a pregnancy in Illinois. TRAP laws (Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers) and other restrictions wreak havoc on midwestern states, causing those seeking abortions to travel hundreds of miles to the nearest clinic. Sometimes there are waiting periods, which means staying in a different city for multiple days. When time off work means not getting paid, many people struggle to deal with the costs of accessing this procedure. That’s where practical abortion funds like Midwest Access Coalition come in, filling a hole in the funding gap that so many people need.

But these abortion funds look starkly similar to something else – something that existed even before Roe V. Wade. The Chicago Abortion Counseling Service, nicknamed Jane, formed in 1969 out of a need to connect people in Chicago to the abortions they so desperately needed. They were a radical organization that provided over 11,000 illegal abortions, and even started doing abortions themselves. But they weren’t heroes – they were housewives, students, and working women that saw a need and mobilized to be the solution.

Undue Burdens follows Midwest Access Coalition, as they organize to provide funding for travel, hotel stays, childcare and food, and help people access abortions throughout the Midwest and beyond. Looking back at Jane, we can see how powerful women can be when they band together to make something happen. Undue Burdens compares these two organizations – one that existed out of necessity because of the illegality of abortion, and the other that exists out of necessity because of the failure of our legislature.