Abstract
This article critically examines the lives of the three women in the television film If These Walls Could Talk (Cher & Savoca, 1996). The three protagonists, all White American women, live in the same house and are all faced with the decision of whether to terminate their unplanned, unwanted pregnancies in 1952, 1974, and 1996. Notably, three Black women were included as minor characters in the film. These foundational questions guide this film analysis: (1) What were the societal norms for US women who considered either abortion or giving birth in 1952, 1974, and 1996? (2) What barriers did women face who considered either abortion or giving birth in 1952, 1974, and 1996? and (3) In what ways does this film highlight or fail to highlight the realities that Black women faced in 1952, 1974, and 1996? This analysis not only examines the social norms and barriers experienced by these fictional White and Black women but also the potential consequences women will face today because of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade (1973) on June 24, 2022.
Recommended Citation
Chaney, Cassandra
(2025)
"If These Walls Could Talk, What Would They Say about Reproductive Justice Today?,"
Journal of International Women's Studies: Vol. 27:
Iss.
1, Article 10.
Available at:
https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol27/iss1/10