The Abortion Talks, a new documentary, examines the six-year clandestine dialogue that took place between three abortion-rights and three anti-abortion leaders in the aftermath of the 1994 Brookline clinic murders. Not yet publicly released, it offers a convincing look at the value of constructive disagreement around an emotionally-charged topic that is front-of-mind for many of our students. Can we learn from these efforts?

The 90-minute screening will be followed by a 30-minute pre-recorded discussion between HxA’s Kyle Vitale and the filmmakers, HxA Member Sarah Perkins and Josh Sabey, on how the film’s topics translate to campus and higher education today.

Resources for Campus

Interested in bringing The Abortion Talks to your campus? Email us at questions@heterodoxacademy.org; we’d be happy to connect you with the filmmakers and brainstorm additional programming around the screening. 

Did you know that Heterodox Academy can help you stage tough talks like these on your campus? Check out the teaching tools and recordings below for a variety of ways to engage students and audiences in dialogue across difference.

• The HxA Way – our proven approach for having tough talks with others.
• Creating Connection to Enable Deep Discussion – a simple exercise to help you find commonalities with a perceived opponent.
• Dialectical Thinking – a classroom activity that helps students embody opposing arguments or worldviews.
• Creating Better Culture With Winsome Disruption – A quick cheat sheet to help you hack any difficult conversation.
• How to Navigate Moral Disagreements – more pro-tips for lowering the heat, keeping things constructive, and making progress in conversation.
• How To Have Conversations That Work – Glenn Loury and John McWhorter explore what makes for good dialogue across difference