On October 14, Reproaction partnered with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Mizzou for a screening of the documentary Jackson at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. Ten mid-Missourians watched the film and then had an intimate discussion centered on the importance of reproductive healthcare options for women. The film took us to Jackson, Ms., where a young impoverished Black woman in her mid-20s finds out that she is pregnant with her fifth child in five years. She visits the local crisis pregnancy center, and it is the same type of anti-abortion fake clinic Reproaction has been organizing to expose for the last two years. The film also follows the managers of the fake clinic and the local abortion clinic, illuminating how the fight over access to birth control and abortion care impacts women and their families. Attendees noted the similarities between the women in the film and women in Missouri, and that’s why the hashtag for the screening was appropriately designated: #JacksonInMissouri.

Following the screening, local healthcare professionals – two nurses, a family physician, a midwife, and a local reproductive health organizer – participated in a panel discussion that covered a range of topics, including how the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is expected to decrease access to legal abortion. The best thing that came out of the screening was an expressed desire by all attendees to further the conversation of how local barriers to access to reproductive health could be addressed.

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