November 27, 2023 — Plan C: A Documentary on Abortion Pill Access

On Monday, November 27th, the Shorenstein Center hosted a Film Screening and Panel Discussion on the Documentary Film, PLAN C. Issues of reproductive healthcare and access, especially in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade, are animating the public and influencing electoral politics. In the year since the United States Supreme Court overturned the almost fifty year landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, twenty states have enacted some form of abortion ban. 

Among the many contemporary challenges to reproductive health are the regulations and restrictions being placed upon abortion pills delivered by mail. PLAN C, a documentary film (Sundance 2023) by award-winning director Tracy Droz Tragos, captures the behind-the-scenes story of the Plan C campaign and the work of activists and providers who began to mail abortion pills in the face of crumbling reproductive rights and access across the United States. The film reveals the pipelines they built, the criticism they faced, and the hope they have for the future. 

In this panel and screening event, PLAN C director Tracy Droz Tragos, State Senator Shelley Mayer from New York, Professor and Medical Director, Linda Prine, MD, and Professor Emerita Ana Langer discussed efforts from policymakers that have pushed legislation towards immediate access and State Abortion Shield Laws. 

You can find more information about the film and Plan C’s work, here: https://plancmovie.com/.

Organized by the Shorenstein Center’s DFPI program at the Kennedy Forum, this event was co-sponsored by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School and the Women and Public Policy Program.