A small audience at Rodeo Cinema in Oklahoma City fell silent, taking in the moment as movie credits rolled after a Sunday matinee showing. Repro46, a group educating Oklahomans on reproductive health care amid the state’s abortion ban, was hosting free screenings of the documentary Zurawski v Texas there and in Tulsa.
That case was the first lawsuit brought on behalf of women denied abortions following the overturning of Roe. v. Wade. The goal of the screening was to build awareness about the impacts of abortion bans.
“That's probably the third time that I've seen this movie, and it hits me really deeply, and I notice something new every time,” said Janet Levit, repro46’s executive consultant.
The documentary premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last August. It follows three Texas women who were plaintiffs in Zurawski v. Texas, arguing the state’s near-total abortion ban prevented them from accessing care for their complicated pregnancies. The case, filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, sought clarification on the scope of “medical emergency” exemptions under the law.
Amanda Zurawski, the lead plaintiff, and her husband, Josh, met with Oklahomans to discuss the documentary. In it, Amanda shared how at 18 weeks pregnant, she experienced preterm pre-labor rupture of membranes and was told the loss of their daughter, whom she named Willow, was “inevitable.”
But her doctors would not terminate her pregnancy because they could still detect fetal cardiac activity. Amanda later went into sepsis.
Although doctors then performed an emergency induction abortion, she spent three days in the ICU. The infection impacted her ability to conceive.
Zurawski v. Texas now has 22 plaintiffs. The case made it to the Texas Supreme Court, which rejected their constitutional challenge in May last year.
Magon Hoffman, a partner of repro46, hosted the panel with the Zurawskis. Hoffman was denied an abortion in Oklahoma and had to travel to New Mexico to access care amid a non-viable pregnancy that put her life at risk.
Hoffman shared how her experience mirrored that of Samantha Casiano, one of the plaintiffs in the documentary. Like Hoffman, Casiano’s daughter had an anencephaly diagnosis. But she didn’t have the resources to travel out of state.
Casiano’s daughter died four hours after birth.
“Unlike the woman in the film, I don't have to be further traumatized by the hours that she was awake. Those are not things that are going to ever torment me for the rest of my life, because I had the means and the support to leave,” Hoffman said. “And that's really, really hard to come to terms with when you have to just almost consistently address the fact that not everybody has that and not everybody gets that.”
Amanda said if people take something from the film, she hopes it will be that the stories in it were experiences of real people.
“This isn't something that's a flash in the pan and then you heal and you move on,” Amanda said. “We are forever changed as a result of what happened to us and so is my family and friends.”
“You probably know better than most,” Amanda added, looking toward Hoffman.
Hoffman also said Oklahoma and Texas have seen efforts to further crack down on abortion despite their near-total bans.
In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt recently issued an executive order directing state agencies to cease public funding for any individual or organization affiliated with abortion providers. A reproductive health advocate called the effort a “direct attack” on Planned Parenthood and its ability to participate in Oklahoma Medicaid.
Josh said policies like this feel like a slippery slope.
“There's no question that once they get a little bit of success in these areas and there isn't enough pushback, they will continue the affront on people's freedom,” Josh said. “And we're seeing that every single day.”
Hoffman said it’s easy to get overwhelmed in advocacy and asked Amanda how she moves forward. Amanda said she has had various opportunities to share her story because of the documentary and her work during the 2024 presidential campaign. She said she found many people, like those in the Rodeo Cinema audience, are engaged on the issue of reproductive rights.
“When we leave Oklahoma and go back to Texas, I'll think about how each one of you now has the power to have the same conversation that we're having right now in your own community, around your kitchen table, with your own friends, in your church communities,” Amanda said. “And that's huge.”
Those conversations are part of repro46’s approach in connecting with people across the political spectrum. The organization highlighted its intimate, five-to-ten-person conversations called “Open House, Open Minds.” Levit said the goal is to help move people from judgment to empathy.
“And starting to really heighten awareness of the personal stories, and the fact that this is not about someone else or some other community,” Levit said. “This is about our sisters and our daughters and our friends and our colleagues who are going to need this kind of care, and it’s not available in our state.”
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