Trapped

Dawn Porter’s TRAPPED just received the Special Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at Sundance. The film streamlines the abortion debate by taking viewers inside clinics that face closure due to increasingly restrictive laws. Porter journeys to Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas to talk with clinic owners and employees about encroaching legislation that makes it more difficult to operate the centers. Because of TRAP laws (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers), a host of clinics have closed in recent years. “Closing the clinics will not stop abortions,” argues Gloria Gray, director of a women’s center in Tuscaloosa, AL. “Women will still get abortions, but they are not going to be safe and legal.” The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case (Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole) brought by a center in Texas challenging that state’s HB2 law, which led to the shuttering of more than 20 clinics. A decision is expected in June, and Porter’s film emphasizes it could be one of the most important reproductive rulings since Roe v. Wade, which happened 43 years ago. –C.O.