There are few things scarier than not being in charge of one’s own body.
It is one the most poignant examples of loss of autonomy and identity, an unwilling relinquishment of self that can lead to trauma that can take years to undo. All too often, this is a situation women in particular find themselves in because of laws and regulations from governmental agencies they themselves had no say in creating.
The U’s Office of Equity and Diversity is exploring the concept of loss of autonomy through “The Political Body,” the theme of this year’s Women’s Week, with art exhibits, lectures and two films: “The Hunting Ground” and “No Más Bebés.”
The films deal with the epidemic of sexual assault and rape on college campuses across the nation and the forced sterilization of Latina women in California hospitals in the 1970s respectively, and ask viewers to question the ways in which systematic sexism and racism lead to the violations of women’s bodies.
“The Hunting Ground”
This documentary follows Andrea Pino and Annie Clark, both victims of sexual assault and students at the University of North Carolina. They are anti-rape activists who use Title IX, the prohibition of discrimination in education on the basis of sex, to file complaints against theirs and other universities for their negligence in pursuing justice for them. The testimonies from the victims, both men and women, of all backgrounds are heartbreaking and painful to hear. But perhaps more disturbing than their accounts is the lack of action on the part of the schools and the implication that the administrations are more concerned with concealing the crimes than seeking justice for victims.
“The Hunting Ground” is playing in the Social Work Building’s Okazaki Community Room at 4 p.m. on Monday.
The film is also currently available on Netflix and for free through the Marriott Library’s reserve desk.
“No Más Bebés”
Produced as a part of the PBS documentary series Independent Lens, “No Más Bebés” looks into the events that led to 10 Latina immigrants being sterilized through Tubal ligations without their consent and the lawsuit that followed. Issues in the case ranged from a lack of Spanish interpreters for the nonnative English speakers, to indifferent hospital staffs and the idea of eugenics, which advocates the controlled breeding of people to “improve the human race,” often meaning restricting the number of children born from minorities and people with disabilities. Pushing against the grain of mainstream white feminist ideology, which advocates for reproductive rights and immediate access to all forms of birth control, this documentary pushes the idea of reproductive justice, wherein everyone has access to contraception but also has informed consent, as the effects of those procedures are a critical component.
“No Más Bebés” is playing in the Marriott Library, Room 1120 on Tuesday at 2 p.m.
This documentary is also available for free through the library’s reserve desk.
@Ehmannky