What I am looking out for in tonight’s premiere in 12th and Delaware.

Transcript after the jump.

Tonight is the premiere of the HBO documentary “12th and Delaware” a film about a crisis pregnancy center and an abortion clinic that is across the street from each other. From some of the reviews I have read, it appears that teens and young women are mentioned often when they discuss who is seeking services at these clinics. Our current media environment where pregnant teens who choose abortions are markedly absent from some of the most popular reality TV shows that engage with the topic of pregnancy. As such, it’s so important that HBO is showing a film that reminds us that some people do terminate their pregnancies, one-third of teen pregnancies to be exact. I am also encouraged that the film frames these two clinics in Florida in broader terms by informing us that anti-choice centers outnumber abortion clinics by more than 5 to 1.

However, there are three things I am going to be looking out for as I watch tonight. First, while the adversarial relationship between pro-choice and anti-choice folks is center stage, I am going to be listening for the most important voice in the abortion conversation: the women who are having abortions. Specifically, I am interested in whether these girls and women have any insights on preventing unintended pregnancies, what contributed to their situation and what their stance on abortion related policies are.

Second,  as the film is based in Florida, I will be curious to see the extent to which the filmmakers provide a context about how the towering abstinence-only presence in Florida has contributed to the unintended pregnancies that are the subject of the film. I mean, we are talking about a state that was revealed as recent as last week to be spending nearly half of a million dollars on an abstinence-only video game. Finally, is there any talk of common ground? Is there anything that the owners of the crisis pregnancy center and the abortion clinic can agree on like, say, contraception?

What will you be looking out for tonight?

Transcript below:

First woman:

We are actually on opposite sides of the street: abortion clinic, pregnancy care center, darkness and light.

Second woman:

If they would just stay on their side of the street and do what they’ve got to do.

First woman again:

Walking into an abortion clinic you’re not going to get the truth, you are going to get a sales pitch.

Second woman again:

They promise her everything in the world to be able to keep it.

Voice from unseen character:

This battle… is just so vicious.

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