"After Tiller" Reflection

1.     The one scene that really got to me in the documentary was the one where a woman came into the clinic for an abortion because the baby inside of her had a rare disease. She really wanted a baby and was trying to start a family with her husband for some time, and finally when it happened, she had to make the hard choice of either keeping a baby that will suffer if brought into this world or have an abortion. It was evident that she had a very hard time with the decision of having an abortion but she thought it was the best choice. It just breaks my heart to see someone who really wants a child having to make this decision. I could not imagine having to make such a hard decision. No matter the choice, both results end up causing heartbreak for people that have been wanting a baby. The couple was very excited to have this child. They already had the babies room ready, clothes bought, and were just now waiting for their baby to arrive. With their hopes being high so far into the pregnancy and being told such bad news, they were devastated.

2.     Something that really surprised me after watching this documentary were my feelings towards the doctors that perform abortions. I could never justify how a doctor could kill innocent babies for a living, but after watching this documentary, I started to understand why they do what they do. I was always close minded about this subject and after watching this documentary, my eyes really opened up. These doctors do not necessarily enjoy the actual task of killing a baby, it is the outcome of providing such a service to women that they find rewarding. In many cases, the doctors are saving the mother’s life because of a pregnancy complication, or they are preventing a sick baby from suffering by not bringing them into this world. It’s a job that many cannot handle, but these four doctors believe in what they are doing and want to continue to provide these services for women.

3.     The biggest question that remains with me after watching the documentary is, how these doctors are able to deal with what they do mentally. One of the doctors in the documentary said that her job is very hard because these are already babies and not fetuses in the mother’s stomach. Although these doctors are doing what is necessary and for good reasons most of the time, I can imagine that it probably still takes a huge toll on them. I do not believe that just because they have been doing this procedure for many years, it gets any less hard.

Some problematic concepts I noticed in the documentary are:

-       Threats the doctors receive.

-       The abundance of the doctors who can perform third trimester abortions.

-       Women without serious conditions wanting to get abortions so far along in the pregnancy.

-       Women’s mental state after having an abortion.

-       Abortion laws in certain states.