DISCUSSION GUIDE

General Questions for Each Episode

How would you have reacted at County Health if you weren’t able to get the birth control you needed?
What would it have felt like for you if you were in Rebecca’s shoes and unable to get birth control without being shamed?
The mom in this story put a lot of pressure on Rebecca to not have an abortion. Do you think that was fair? How would you have felt in that situation?
It was difficult for Rebecca to come up with the $180 she needed to get her abortion. Now first-trimester abortion costs, on average, about $500. While some people can get the help of an abortion fund to pay for all or some of the costs, not everyone can. How would you come up with that kind of money in Rebecca’s situation?
Rebecca’s experience helped turn her into an activist who helps other people access abortion in Virginia. What would it take for you to get involved and take action on this issue to ensure that everyone who wants to can access abortion care when they need it?

Would you ever use the services of a doula for either birth or an abortion? Why or why not? Do you think it would be helpful to have a knowledgeable person walk you through the process?
If you were choosing to have an abortion, who would you talk to for support? Is there anyone you would keep it a secret from? Why?
Avantae describes her experience at a crisis pregnancy center. Did you know that there are centers that try to mislead people into thinking they can get an abortion there, but then try to talk them out of having an abortion? What would you do if you needed an abortion and accidentally ended up at a crisis pregnancy center?
How would you decide what to do if you became unexpectedly pregnant? Do you think 13 weeks and six days is enough time to decide whether to have an abortion? Did you know that cut off is entirely arbitrary and has no medical reason to support it? Why do you think that cut off exists?
Have you ever been someone else’s one person to support them through making a tough decision? What was that like?
How would you feel if you needed someone to drive you to your abortion appointment and they didn’t show up? What other barriers to accessing abortion do people face?

When you think of abortion, do you think of someone in Lindsey’s situation? Why do you think that is?
How would you feel if you had spent a month seeing specialists and deciding what to do only to then have to go through a mandatory 24-hour waiting period? (Thankfully, that waiting period has since been repealed so no one in Virginia has to go through that anymore.)
Lindsey and Matt had to travel far from their home to have their abortion because it was later in pregnancy. Do you think that’s fair? How would you handle that?
Why do you think politicians put medically-unnecessary restrictions on abortion access in place? Do you think they are more harmful or helpful?

How would you feel if you were on birth control and still got pregnant?
How do you think religion played into Lorena’s decision to become a teen mom and then later choose to have an abortion?
Lorena’s partner Jason was very supportive of her choice to have an abortion, but what would you do if you had a partner who wasn’t? Would that impact your decision to have an abortion or not?
Because of the restrictions like mandatory ultrasounds and 24-hour waiting periods that were in place at the time of Lorena’s abortion, she chose to have her procedure done in Maryland. Do you think the restrictions were too onerous? Would you have been able to travel out of state to avoid them if you were in Lorena’s shoes?
Lorena talks about feeling the weight of women everywhere while she was in the clinic. Do you know what she means? What is the weight of women everywhere?
Do you know anyone who has had an abortion? Have you? Would you share your abortion story openly with people in your life? Why or why not?