Leona's Sister Gerri

Country

United States

How it feels

A documentary about a woman named Gerri Santoro who died from an illegal abortion. The film tells her life story and also examines how a photograph of her body became a symbol for the pro-choice movement.

somberreflectiveinformativepersonalhistoricalgrief-strickenunflinchingmeditative

What happens

Leona’s Sister Gerri is a 1995 American documentary film, produced and directed by Jane Gillooly. It was nationally broadcast on the PBS series POV, on November 2, 1995. The film is centered on a photo of a woman dead on a motel room floor from an illegal abortion. The original photograph, derived from police files, has been reprinted frequently in the media and by the pro-choice movement for use on placards at pro-choice demonstrations. This photograph had, until Gillooly's film was released, been anonymous. The film identifies the person in the photograph for the first time. The woman was Geraldine Santoro. The first part of the film explores Gerri Santoro's life and the circumstances that led her to attempt an illegal abortion. The second part of the film focuses on how the photograph has been used as an icon in the pro-choice movement. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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