Written by Kearin Green
The recent overturning of Roe v Wade in the US, in which the Supreme Court voted to overturn a 1973 law which gave people access to safe and legal reproductive healthcare, sent shockwaves through the world. Members of the Supreme Court who voted in favour of this motion have been accused of using their personal and extreme religious beliefs to justify a decision which affects an entire nation of people with diverse religious and secular beliefs. Overall, this change in law was officiated simply to control women.
The aftermath of this ruling is already showing devastating consequences, with many in states where abortion has been prohibited being forced to have what is now being branded ‘government-mandated pregnancies’. A recent, horrific outcome of the post-Roe v Wade regime includes an abortion being denied to a 10-year-old rape victim, who ended up having to travel from Ohio to Indiana to access abortion healthcare.
As a result of this catastrophic event, conversation regarding reproductive rights has peaked across the globe; including in the UK where our favourite Tories are now feeling the need to express their opinions. This includes Nadine Dorries, who felt the need to express her interest in decreasing the UK’s legal abortion term limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks. Dorries was heavily criticised for this comment, considering she chose not only to express this opinion at an inappropriate time, but also for not taking into account that many people seeking an abortion this late into pregnancy are often doing so in urgent and often emotionally devastating circumstances. Dorries absurdly still considers herself pro-choice in spite of her comments. In addition to these comments, the UK government has also been lambasted for removing commitments to reproductive and sexual health rights in an officiated statement on gender equality; just a month after the overturning of Roe v Wade. People have become scared- and they have every right to be.
Anne in Happening
In the aftermath of these events, I watched Aubrey’s Diwan’s brilliant Happening. The film, based on French writer Annie Ernaux’s memoir, details the experience of Anne, a French university student who finds herself pregnant in 1963 when abortion was still illegal. Determined to carry on her studies and pass her final exams, she takes matters into her own hands, even if it lands her in prison.
The film won the prestigious Golden Lion at last year’s Venice Film Festival and has been added to streaming services in the UK at the best possible time. As well as being extremely well-made, having a great score and an excellent leading performance, it approaches a topic as delicate as abortion with grace and fierce honesty.
Happening promises a raw and brutal telling of the impact of denied abortion; specifically at a time when women all over the world really had limited and often life-threatening options. Being part of a community of young female students who consider becoming pregnant ‘the worst possible thing that could happen’, Anne is rejected and tricked by doctors who don’t support her. She faces the harsh reality that without an abortion, she will have to sacrifice her entire future and ambitions to raise a child she is not yet ready to have.
As I watched this film, I didn’t consider Anne to be selfish, I didn’t perceive her as a villain for the human desires which led to her pregnancy, nor her subsequent plans for an abortion. I saw Anne as an ambitious and bright student who deserves empowerment. She comes from a working-class family and having grown up watching her parents, has realised she wants more to the life they’ve had access to. In her society, contraceptives are not commonly known about and are considered taboo by conservative doctors and people. She keeps her pregnancy a secret from her closest friends until she is at her wits end, and doesn’t even tell her loving parents what is happening to her- she is completely on her own. She knows how limited her life has the potential to become if she follows the path of being an unmarried young mother, and she would rather risk her life than choose that path.
Anne states that she would like to have children one day to a doctor, just not instead of a life. It is a simple yet pivotal moment in the film, but it is immensely profound. The film is not about the anti-choice approach of ‘you’re killing a baby’: it’s about Anne, her body, and her future, and how these things connect in ways those who oppose abortion rights are too indulged in their own fog to see.
Happening coldly reminds us of a fact that has to be repeated thousands of times and is obviously not always understood by all: you can ban, limit and deny abortions, but they will carry on happening. When they are less accessible, those undertaking them will simply suffer to take control of their health and their lives.
Happening is available to stream on MUBI UK and Ireland and is available to rent or buy on multiple other platforms. Check out Justwatch to see where you can access it from in the UK.
About The Author: Kearin Green (she/her)
Hi, I’m Kearin and I am the magazine’s Welfare Officer! I am a second year Film Production student and am currently committed to using our support platform to give mental health a louder voice at our university. I also write about cinema, political issues, humour pieces and whatever comes to mind.
(This piece was edited by Amber Turner-Brightman and George Wilson)
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