I originally posted this more general query to list users, but I am now dealing with this very question about teaching about abortion rights. Some background:

 I am teaching an introductory women's studies course entitled "Gender in Everyday Life" -- there are 35 students in the class (4 men, 31 women, about 85% white, and most identify as coming from middle-class backgrounds). On Friday, I showed "A Passion for Justice: 21st Century Feminism" (film produced by California NOW, 1999). The film itself showcases young women and men who identify as feminists and what they see as the most salient feminist issues; one of these issues is abortion rights and reproductive freedoms. In today's class, we started with a discussion of the film, and one young woman -- who contributes regularly to the class discussions -- spoke up to say that the part about abortion "infuriates" her because she identifies as a feminist but is "pro-life and do not support abortion whatsoever." While I do not shy away from controversy in class discussions, I'm in a new space here because it is the first time in my teaching that I've had a student be so forthright about her position on abortion and her identity as a feminist. (By contrast, last semester I taught this class and every student in the room supported abortion on demand for any woman at any stage of her pregnancy!)

How have you taught about abortion rights in the classroom? Any experiences you can share? Any insights on how discussions about abortion have gone down in the class setting?

 Thanks -- Stephanie Gilmore

How do your (French) students respond to the leaflets? Do you use them in the classroom?

I tend to approach abortion rights from the perspective that women must have full and complete reproductive freedom in order to be liberated (although they argue that women need only to be "equal"). So I hadn't thought about using antiabortion propoganda as a tool in the classroom. That this propaganda is so anti-woman and anti-feminist could be very powerful. Do you, or anyone, have such posters, flyers, and/or leaflets available that they can upload or email to me? We did have a discussion today about Plan B, which is available in a limited basis, and pharmacists who were refusing to dispense it. This one student agreed that the pharmacist should have to dispense the drug, so she's not opposed to "the abortion pill" -- I think it is the idea of a woman knowing she is pregnant and deciding to abort. And to be clear: I'm not trying to reconsider my teaching based on this one student's perspective -- instead, I'm aware that if one student is saying it, others may well be thinking it -- and this prompts me to think about how we all teach these "hot topics" in our classrooms.  

 I did show "Speak Out: I Had An Abortion" last semester, which was fantastic. (I'll put up a link to the video, available through [Women Make Movies.]) And it sparked great discussion about women's emotional responses to abortion and how much they value having health decisions, including reproductive ones, in their control. I'm hoping that sparks similar discussion in this class. Should be interesting!  -- Stephanie