From DANGER to DIGNITY: The Fight for Safe Abortion: Even though most abortions were illegal in the United States before 1973, they were still available. The outcome, however, often depended on a woman's financial situation. Most women who sought abortions risked their lives by going to practitioners who had little or no medical training. Hospital wards were filled with victims of unsafe procedures. There were some skilled physicians who agreed to terminate pregnancies for their wealthy private patients, charging thousands of dollars. And a small number courageous individuals - doctors, midwives, nurses and others – provided relatively safe, low-cost, humane but still illegal care.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.All public, educational, and government access television stations (PEG) and community media stations have permission to broadcast this film and any of Dorothy Fadiman's other films

Producers: Dorothy Fadiman, Beth Seltzer, and Daniel Meyers

Production team: Danielle Renfrew, Kristin Atwell, Nila Bogue

Executive Producer: Danny McGuire

Music: Erika Luckett

Produced with KTEH-TV (PBS)

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Reviewer: Rosemary Vivianne - favorite - December 15, 2014

Subject: Purpose of Film The creator of this film is a non-Christian who murdered her own pre-born baby and has been trying to justify and rationalize her own actions ever since -- and also has been trying to convince the Christian culture that they should do likewise. The Christian culture allows her to get away with this. - December 15, 2014Purpose of Film

Reviewer: Apeism is Stupid - favorite - October 2, 2013

Subject: How Can It Be Safe If Someone is Killed? There is no such thing as a safe abortion. In every abortion there is a life killed, many women go through the rest of their life being depressed and emotionally torn because of the fact that they did kill their baby, and some women still die while in the process of having an abortion. Abortions just aren't safe. Just type 'died during abortion' into GOOGLE, and there are almost 13 MILLION results because of botched abortions, where the mother dies, along with the baby.



Abstinence is the safest way, and adoptions are also another 'safe' option. Abortions should still be illegal, except for when the mother's life is endangered, which is well under 1% of the time. Rapes are another excuse for keeping abortions legal, even though those are also less that 1% of the time. The truth is, abortions are legal out of convenience for those 99% who didn't want to keep their pants on... and used as another form of birth control. Abortion is not health care for the mother... and it's a holocaust for 60+ MILLION innocent babies (in the U.S. alone) that are conceived, are alive, and then torn apart, limb by limb, by abortionists, and thrown in the trash can.



Abortions should never be used as birth control, and should never be considered as health care, since at least one life is ALWAYS taken.



As I type this, I'm reminded of when Steven Tyler, the lead singer for Aerosmith, forced his girlfriend, Julia Holcomb, to have an abortion while she was in the hospital after almost losing her life in a house fire. The saline abortion FAILED, but Tyler proceeded to have his baby son killed OUTSIDE the womb, which he continues to not tell the truth to what actually happened (watch the YouTube video: watch?v=ga2ETgekOgg). Such people are worse than the most rabid animal.



The only people who come out ahead in the deal, are the abortionists who make MILLION$ of dollar$ each year from killing babies. Judgment Day is still coming, though. - October 2, 2013How Can It Be Safe If Someone is Killed?

Reviewer: passionatefilms - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - December 4, 2012

Subject: Let's Be Honest Some form of abortion has been around since women discovered herbs and tinctures that could help them when something wasn't right. What ever the reason or need, every women has and should keep the right to choose. That means every single option needs to be made available. But abortion is not going to just magically go away, even when it was not legal. This is about making them safe when they are needed. This film is sensitively done, and I for one am thankful for Dorothy's work on this issue. - December 4, 2012Let's Be Honest

Reviewer: Dorothy Fadiman - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - November 26, 2012

Subject: Safety Is An Issue I can remember the time before Roe v. Wade, and how terrible and frightening it was for women. It was a horrible time. Like others have stated, it is not about abortions being legal or not, because the incidents of abortions was not less before Roe v. Wade, but the deaths and the incidents of women who lost the ability to have children in the future was. Women died, senselessly. Women were mutilated, senselessly. This is an important film for people to understand what we faced and what we could loose if Roe v. Wade were ever overturned. It was a nightmare time. - November 26, 2012Safety Is An Issue

Reviewer: elisabethgb - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 27, 2011

Subject: It boils down to ONE reason People here (and everywhere) can list a million reasons why abortion is immoral and wrong, or they can list a million reasons why a woman has the right to choose what happens to her own body. Both lists would, hopefully, make some good points and hold merit in some way or the other. What this documentary is stating, however, is that none of that really matters when you get down to it. Abortion needed to be legalized for ONE single predominant reason. It's going to happen whether it's legal or not. Women are going to abort whether or not they have the legal right to do so. Statistically, a large number of those women who sought abortions when it was illegal, died. When those women died, their fetuses died. Today, regardless of whether it's right or wrong, women can get safe abortions and live through it. For those who choose to see it as murder, then you're essentially choosing between the murder of one person or two. There's no choice to stop women from doing it, there's no choice to save the woman and her fetus. The choice is simply, how many lives do you want to lose through abortions? One or two? - March 27, 2011It boils down to ONE reason

Reviewer: nighthouse66 - - January 1, 2011

Subject: How About Some Real Reviews, Not Politics? For those of you determined to preach your beliefs in your review, i suggest going to a forum for that for two reasons- first, this is not the place, and second, you aren't going to change anyone's mind. Maybe you get a little self-satisfaction, but NO one is going to be swayed toward your point of view simply because you choose to pontificate about it on a website. Do you go to your grocery and step on a soapbox and start windbagging? No. Don't do it here. But since you are, I will say, to every pro-lifer who values human life- put your money where your mouth is. Do not interfere with a woman's legal right to abort a fledgling that is not even a child yet. Should we force the women to give birth to 2, 3 and 4 month old fetuses so you can raise them? You are in the court of absurdity when you waste your time interfering with the rights of adults when you COULD be out campaigning for the end of the death penalty, or the end of war, or the end of hunger. Every pro-lifer I know is also pro-war. And none of yas have EVER given me a viable reason for why that is. Put up or shut up. Go take in a crack baby, go help out a homeless person. Don't get in the face of a woman who is exercising her legal right.

(Stepping down off soapbox) - January 1, 2011How About Some Real Reviews, Not Politics?

Reviewer: mrmr44 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 30, 2010

Subject: Five Stars Thank you! - May 30, 2010Five Stars

Reviewer: DiamondPaul - - October 22, 2008

Subject: Why stop at partial birth abortion Why stop at partial birth abortion? Why not fight for rights to kill after the birth?. Horible you say? How twisted can the human mind get? Kill and call it a right. (While you are at it, why not lobby agaist the states who charge a double homicide for killing a pregnent woman). Maybe you could fight for rights to kill your elderly parents who are a burden. - October 22, 2008Why stop at partial birth abortion

Reviewer: joseppe - favorite - June 1, 2008

Subject: Truly it is a fight... I thought the purpose of abortion was to kill the baby so you can get on with your life without any further inconvenience?



So this is truly a paradox as there really is no way to make abortion safe for the baby.



Maybe someday you'll get it, but its not about your rights, its about your responsibilities. - June 1, 2008Truly it is a fight...

Reviewer: Braders - favorite favorite favorite - November 17, 2007

Subject: One or Two There can be no right or wrong with legal abortion. We, as a society, have decided that the health of two should prevail of the health of one.

The 13 year old who may have been "forced" into pregnancy should not have to be "forced" into a life of being unable to support herself and her child in todays world. The likely result would be the premature death of both, not one. - November 17, 2007One or Two

Reviewer: Within Temptation - favorite - October 2, 2007

Subject: "Dignity"? There's nothing dignified about abortion -- neither for the mother to be or the shredded unborn baby. There's also nothing remotely in the "minority" about those who oppose abortion. Buddhists look askew at it as a violation of the First Precept. Christians (Catholic and Protestant) take a dim view of it as well as a violation of one of the Ten Commandments. The so-called "back-alley" abortions so touted by pro-abortion factions are also a myth. However, even if they did occur, why should everything that takes place in a back alley be legalized? Prostituion? Drugs (sale and use)? Crime (rape, mugging, assault)? Bringing something from the back alley and making it legal does NOT make imbue it with dignity. Abortion will be a tragedy wherever it occurs. - October 2, 2007"Dignity"?

Reviewer: xuxu102 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 2, 2007

Subject: A brilliant, moving piece I have had 20 years of Catholic upbringing, and I can say that I am very glad that this film was made. The only person who should decide whether or not to have an abortion is the woman who is facing that decision, and her alone. No man, no institution, no system, NO ONE should take that decision away from her. - October 2, 2007A brilliant, moving piece

Reviewer: McCully - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 1, 2007

Subject: With Dignity I can't imagine a more difficult topic than abortion for a documentary -- but this truly was done with dignity. Thank you for offering a perspective that is so often drowned out by a vocal minority. - October 1, 2007With Dignity

Reviewer: scifigrrrl - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 1, 2007

Subject: Safe Abortions = Humane, Legal Medical Care This documentary exemplifies the reason abortion MUST remain legal and accessible. - October 1, 2007Safe Abortions = Humane, Legal Medical Care