good morning! As the presidential election enters its final stages, a pioneering TV executive invests in women and a documentary shows the human cost of abortion bans. Let’s go pick up Monday!
– True story. In 2023, Amanda Zulawski agreed to become the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the state of Texas. The case was the first of its kind and marked the first time a woman was a plaintiff in an abortion lawsuit in post-Roe America.
The lawsuit asked Texas to clarify the medical emergency exemption in its abortion ban, which the plaintiffs argued was unclear and put lives at risk. The Texas Supreme Court in May refused to force the state to do so. But the story isn’t over. In addition to serving as the original plaintiff in the case, Zulawski also agreed to participate in the documentary. The resulting film, Zulawski vs. Texas, was released this year and has been playing in select theaters for the past few weeks.
Although the film does not touch on national politics, it is no coincidence that it was released in the run-up to Tuesday’s US presidential election. The documentary shows the real-life effects of abortion bans on people’s lives, from near-death to loss of fertility, and the impact on their marriages and families. “We really wanted to tell this story from a very human perspective, rather than getting into a political debate,” says director Abby Perrault.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc (via Getty Images)
Zulawski’s story begins when she went into premature labor at 18 weeks and was refused an abortion because doctors could still detect the baby’s heartbeat. She developed sepsis and eventually underwent an abortion, but her future fertility was compromised, a story she testified before Congress and shared in a speech at the Democratic National Convention. Another plaintiff featured in the film, Samantha Casiano, carried her pregnancy to term despite a fatal diagnosis for her unborn child, and then refused to bury her child, who died four hours after birth. was forced to. The film depicts the aftermath of those experiences, from Zulawski’s attempts at surrogacy to Casiano’s decision to pursue a tubal ligation. The documentary also features Molly Duane, lead attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Austin Dennard, an obstetrician-gynecologist who joined the lawsuit as a patient because of his own experience of being forced to travel out of state for an abortion. I’m chasing.
In an environment where abortion coverage is saturated but can sometimes be difficult to break, “we need to reach out to our viewers, not just the heads and experts who talk about why access to abortion is important.” “I wanted to educate them and take them on a journey,” says filmmaker Maisie.
Zulawski hopes viewers, and voters alike, will learn from her story. The film depicts how her family, including her father, considers their own politics and beliefs regarding abortion and concludes that an abortion ban that would endanger Zulawski’s life (and take the lives of others) is not just. It depicts how it is reached. “When people see this movie, they see themselves in my husband and my brother and see that this is not a women’s issue,” Zulawski says. “This is a family issue. This is a human rights issue and it affects everyone in this country.”
emma hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for leading women in business. Today’s issue was edited by Nina Ajemian. Subscribe here.
Also featured in the headline
– Voting report. The US presidential election continues to be a close race in the final stages. One poll shows Kamala Harris leading in Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and Donald Trump leading in Arizona, but Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania are too narrow to decide. . new york times
– From TV to AI. Kay Koplowitz is the first woman to lead a U.S. television network and has invested in women-led companies through her company Springboard. She says that while women are more competitive in technology and business, they still lack resources in emerging fields such as AI. new york times
– Confinement investigation. The Associated Press 2 years of research This revealed reports from incarcerated women alleging sexual abuse by prison staff. The report found cases in all 50 states where women were assaulted by employees, with many cases resulting in no punishment for the accused. AP
– Share your story. Former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards co-founded Abortion in America, a social media project that shares personal stories about abortion bans, and has raised nearly $1 million in support. “Stories are the only thing that people respond to and remember,” Richards said. new york times
mover and shaker
Announced by Sleep Number Co., Ltd. sherry eibach Resigns as chairman, president, and chief executive officer. She has been with the company since 2007.
D2K Traffic, a traffic management solution provider, Jody Blaskich Chief Operating Officer. She most recently served as director of Davey Resource Group’s Midwest operations.
Asset management company Glenmede Investment Management has appointed Elizabeth Eldridge as president. She previously served as the company’s managing director.
Experience management company Qualtrics takes over Rachita Sander As Chief Financial Officer. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Analytics at HubSpot.
Transportation management system provider PCS Software Daniel Villegas Chief Product Officer. Previously, Villegas served as vice president of products for SkySpecs.
Media and data company Haymarket Media Group appointed Dana DiFerdinand to the U.S. Board of Directors. Most recently, he served as Chief Data Officer at GE Healthcare.
on my radar
Why married women leave their wedding rings at home. it’s not what you think wall street journal
A new era of female rap new york times
Women over 70 are experiencing major changes in their lives. Will we have another female president? PBS
parting words
“I always ask, ‘How do I make money?’ I became obsessed with it. I want to make money while I sleep.”
— Eva Longoria, actor, producer, and director How she grew as an investor after saving john wick With an investment of $6 million
