--- title: "\"After Tiller\" Focuses on Real Life Stories of Abortion Doctors and Their Patients" date: 2013-09-25T21:37:28-04:00 author: OBOS Admin canonical_url: "https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/after-tiller-focuses-on-real-life-stories-of-abortion-doctors-and-their-patients" section: Blog (Archive) --- [Donate](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/donate) [From the Archives of Our Bodies, Our Blog](/blog)# "After Tiller" Focuses on Real Life Stories of Abortion Doctors and Their Patients By Rachel Walden • September 25, 2013 Please note: This entry -- originally posted at [Our Bodies, Our Blog](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog) -- has not been updated since the publication date listed above. "[After Tiller](http://youtu.be/xf3rETOO62s)" is an important new documentary that explores the controversies around third-trimester abortions in the wake of the [assassination](http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2009/05/abortion-provider-george-tiller-67-murdered-at-church "Abortion Provider George Tiller, 67, Murdered at Church") of [Dr. George Tiller](http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/george_r_tiller/index.html?inline=nyt-per "NYT coverage of Dr. George Tiller"). Only four doctors in the United States now offer the procedures; the filmmakers explore how these providers "risk their lives every day in the name of their unwavering commitment toward their patients." Reviewing it for [The New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/movies/after-tiller-is-a-documentary-about-abortion-doctors.html "Heroes or Killers? Can We Try to Discuss?"), film critic A.O. Scott, referencing a scene in which a young, pro-life woman's request for abortion is discussed, calls it "one of the most illuminating discussions I have seen about the complicated reality of abortion." He concludes: > Documentaries can rarely be judged as works of dispassionate, neutral reporting since few of them aspire to uphold those journalistic criteria. Rather, a documentary should be assessed as a representation of the world as it is, from a perspective that is itself part of that world. “After Tiller” is impressive because it honestly presents the views of supporters of legal abortion, and is thus a valuable contribution to a public argument that is unlikely to end anytime soon. New York Times editorial page editor Dorothy Samuels [praises the film](http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/see-after-tiller/?emc=edit_tnt_20130925&tntemail0=y&_r=1 "See the Abortion Documentary ‘After Tiller’") for taking "a complicated subject beyond the familiar muck of abstract and often ill-informed talking points to deliver a frank portrayal of the real life situations of the physicians and their desperate patients." Similarly, Jason Bailey, [writing in The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/09/a-films-simple-question-what-makes-a-woman-want-to-have-an-abortion/279826/ "A Film's Simple Question: 'What Makes a Woman Want to Have an Abortion?'"), calls it "a rare consideration of the abortion debate that moves past labels and abstracts and takes a long look at the people involved. It is a showcase for empathy, a quality lacking in many conversations on the subject." The film premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival and is starting to open around the country. Scheduled [screenings are listed online](http://aftertillermovie.com/screenings "After Tiller screenings"). Not playing near you? You can [request a screening](http://aftertillermovie.com/request_screening "Request a screening") to bring "After Tiller" to your town. You can also follow [@AfterTiller](https://twitter.com/aftertiller "@aftertiller") on Twitter, and like the [documentary's page on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/AfterTiller "After Tiller on Facebook"). Want to learn more? Head over to PBS, where Tom Roston talks with "After Tiller" filmmakers Martha Shane and Lana Wilson [on the Doc Soup blog](http://www.pbs.org/pov/blog/docsoup/2013/09/directors-martha-shane-and-lana-wilson-on-after-tiller/#.UkMVDW2O5Lc "Directors Martha Shane and Lana Wilson on ‘After Tiller’"). --- #### 0 Response Our Bodies Ourselves is no longer able to accept comments. ![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)Topics - [Abortion & Reproductive Rights](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/abortion-reproductive-rights) - [Media](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/media) ![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)### *Why You Can* **Trust Us** - We rigorously evaluate all content - We embrace a reproductive justice framework - We don’t accept ads or sell products - We reject funding from the pharmaceutical industry - We counter misinformation and disinformation - We address the social, political, and economic factors that affect health and sexuality [read more](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/why-you-can-trust-us) Share [](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)