🔺 Problem🗞️ Important Facts❓FAQQ: What is an impact campaign?A: An impact campaign serves to create tangible change inspired by a documentary.Q: What is a Manananggal?A: A manananggal is a mythical creature in Philippine folklore, specifically in the Visayan region.Q: What are the consequences of getting an illegal abortion?A: Death, doctor and patient legal repercussions, psychological trauma, social & economical consequences, and more.About the Director
🔺 Problem
The implementation of abortion bans raises significant concerns as it curtails reproductive rights, potentially jeopardizing women's health and well-being. Such restrictions may lead to increased unsafe and illegal abortion practices, posing serious risks to maternal health, and disproportionately affecting individuals with limited resources or in states with restricted access to reproductive healthcare services.
Access to abortion is also an economic issue because it directly impacts labor market experiences and economic outcomes, affecting decisions about when to have children. Addressing these issues is essential for promoting comprehensive healthcare, safeguarding women's rights, and fostering a nuanced understanding of the implications surrounding abortion bans.
🗞️ Important Facts
- In states with more restricted abortion access, maternal death rates are 62% higher than in abortion-access states.
- Women with basic education had the highest abortion rate in all cohorts, with differences more pronounced in later cohorts. For instance, 20-year-olds in the 1950s cohort had 14 first abortions per 1,000 women if they had basic education, but 12 if it was upper secondary.
- In 2021, 53.0% of all abortions were early medication abortions, which increased 3% from 2020 to 2021 and 137% from 2012 to 2021.
- Maternal death rates were 62% higher in 2020 in abortion-restriction states than in abortion-access states (28.8 vs. 17.8 per 100,000 births).
- Children born after the Hungarian abortion ban in 1974 had lower educational attainment, higher rates of unemployment in adulthood, and were more likely to become teen parents than children born the year before the ban.
❓FAQ
Q: What is an impact campaign?
In the context of "The Last Ecstatic Days,"what is the purpose of an impact campaign and how it measures success?
A: An impact campaign serves to create tangible change inspired by a documentary.
Our impact campaign envisions revitalizing dying into a loving communal experience. We aim to raise awareness about alternative end-of-life options long before they're needed, fostering conversations on home-like care, legacy, caregiver needs, companionship, and community support.
Q: What is a Manananggal?
A: A manananggal is a mythical creature in Philippine folklore, specifically in the Visayan region.
The word "manananggal" comes from the Filipino root word "tanggal," which means to remove or to separate.
According to folklore, a manananggal is said to be a beautiful woman by day. However, during the night, especially on nights of the full moon, it undergoes a gruesome transformation. The creature is believed to have the ability to sever its upper torso from its lower body, sprouting bat-like wings and then flying off to search for prey, typically pregnant women.
Q: What are the consequences of getting an illegal abortion?
A: Death, doctor and patient legal repercussions, psychological trauma, social & economical consequences, and more.
- Health Risks: Unregulated procedures may result in infections, hemorrhage, and long-term health issues.
- Legal Consequences: Both the person and provider may face criminal charges and legal repercussions.
- Psychological Impact: Stigma, guilt, and potential mental health issues can follow an illegal abortion.
- Social and Economic Consequences: Individuals may experience social rejection, discrimination, and economic burdens.
- Reproductive Health Challenges: Future fertility issues may arise from complications.
- Community Impact: Widespread illegal abortions strain healthcare systems and pose public health concerns. Access to safe and legal abortion services is vital to mitigate these risks.
About the Director
Kristine Gerolaga is a Filipina American filmmaker and actor. Vulture called her a “creator to watch.” Her work was featured by The United Nations Population Fund, WhoHaha, TIFFxInstagram Shorts Fest, NYX Horror Collective’s #13MinutesOfHorror, ATTN, Amazon Fire TV, ALTER, and Shudder.
The idea for this project came to me around 2015 when I was volunteering as a pro-choice clinic escort and helping patients get from their cars to the clinic doors as safely as possible while anti-choice protesters harassed them from the sidewalks. As time went on, I learned more about the violent policies here in the United States, the Philippines, and around the world that forced desperate people to seek out dangerous abortion methods even if it meant imprisonment or death. It wasn’t until 2020, with the encouragement of the API Horror Screenwriters group created by Minh-Anh Vo Dinh and Regina Kim, that I began writing Lamok, a feature-length Filipino horror film based on the state of reproductive rights in the Philippines. I hope that those who watch this short film see it as a cautionary tale about the consequences of how we talk to children about their sexual health and their bodies. - Kristine Gerolaga, Nerds of Color
We invite you to be part of this journey by supporting nonprofits highlighted in the Empact campaign page.