Making The Film
Directors' Statement
While I was making
When Abortion Was Illegal, I learned about underground networks of courageous people helping women who desperately wanted and, in many cases, needed safe abortions. I did extensive research in order to find and interview these people. And so
I put together a network of supportive contacts nationwide, in order to make the film
From Danger to Dignity.
My research led to many surprises, such as clandestine networks of clergy, rabbis and ministers who were in contact with courageous doctors who provided safe care. I also discovered those who laid the groundwork to enact legislation to make safe abortion legal, as well as those who focused on judicial decisions. I felt like I was doing a treasure hunt! I needed to find out who these individuals were, how to reach them and learn how their underground networks operated without ever being discovered.
Why was this research so important to document? As safe abortion abortions are becoming less and less available in the United States and many other countries, it is important to learn and share how this situation was handled before Roe v. Wade, when most abortions became legal.
I made this film to inform people of the endless struggles to make abortion legal, to inspire action and to support the doctors, clinic workers and other who devote their lives to providing safe reproductive care today.
Dorothy Fadiman, Director
From DANGER to DIGNITY weaves together two parallel stories: the evolution of underground networks that helped women find safe abortions outside the law, and the intensive efforts by activists and lawmakers to decriminalize abortion through legislative and judicial channels. This film combines rare archival footage with interviews that document the courageous efforts of those who fought to break the silence, change the laws and end the shame which surrounded abortion when it was a crime in the United States.
