Aftershock, a documentary out now on Hulu, follows the widowed husbands of Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac as they seek to raise awareness of the high maternal mortality rate of Black women and how the crisis can be solved.
The documentary’s director, Paula Eiselt, tells ABC Audio the film “comes at a really crucial time in this country,” noting, “with the overturning of Roe v. Wade our reproductive healthcare is under complete attack.”
As for what she believes the doc adds to the conversation going on right now surrounding reproductive rights, Eiselt says, “It’s really important that we speak about full spectrum reproductive rights in one conversation. That means talking about abortion care and maternal healthcare ’cause they’re one in the same. Abortion is healthcare and maternal healthcare is healthcare. We have to talk about this together.”
Adds Eiselt, “In the same way that a woman has the human right to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy, if she does choose to have a baby, then she has the right to a safe and dignified birth.
Her hope is that the film acts as “a conversation starter within our communities and also with the power structure of this country.”
“I hope that after watching Aftershock, more women and families understand that there are choices around birthing and that women feel empowered to make those choices, demand autonomy, and human centered care in their birth,” she adds.
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