by Noma Faingold

There is a growing network of women in the United States doing their part to combat the growing obstacles to reproductive freedom. They are brave. They are smart. They are resilient. 

Once Roe vs. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in 2022, documentary director and producer Tracy Droz Tragos felt an urgency to complete her latest film, “Plan C,” which follows the grassroots organization, Plan C, as they fight to expand knowledge of and access to the abortion pill in the U.S.

The Plan C abortion pill, RU486 (Mifepristone) used with Misoprostol, approved by the FDA since 2000 and available in 90 countries, safely and effectively ends a pregnancy up to 12 weeks. Yet very few American women know about it. As nearly 20 red states have implemented extreme laws banning abortion with few exceptions, the Plan C group has had to devise creative, legal ways to get the pills to the most desperate of women.

The patients featured in the film are taking this step only because they have to, like the God-fearing, working woman with children, who lives below the poverty line in a red state. 

The film, which will be screened at the 43^rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival on July 22 at the Castro Theatre, follows the Plan C organization, led by co-founder and public health specialist Francine Coeytaux, over four tumultuous years, as they are forced to be increasingly creative and resourceful, as laws continue to shut down options for women to get safe abortions. The Plan C pills can still be mailed in most states, allowing women to take the drug in the privacy of their own homes. They can schedule when to take it (without jumping through hoops of state-mandated medical exam regulations and harassment of pro-life demonstrators outside of abortion clinics).   

For instance, the team organized mobile vans to serve as clinics, especially for women in rural areas. The clandestine meet-ups required stealth measures, such as parking the unmarked vehicle in various parking lots (never the same one twice) and texting the patients when they could pick up the medication. 

“It’s like we’re running a drug cartel to help people,” was a memorable line in the film.

Tragos views the current laws as draconian, setting up a new McCarthyism, where women are in danger of being turned in to authorities by a neighbor, friend or physician. Also, miscarriages are now being questioned. 

“It doesn’t seem very American to have laws like this,” said Tragos. “In Texas, it probably isn’t safe to speak freely about it. Are we going to allow this to happen to each other?”

For Los Angeles-based filmmaker Tragos, who grew up in Berkeley, choice has been an important subject in her work for several years, having directed HBO’s “Abortion Stories Women Tell” in 2017.

The married mother of two teenagers funded much of the plan “Plan C” production. She wanted to offer hope and information to women, despite the roadblocks they are facing now. 

“This is not your average abortion film. This is about people power,” she said. “I hope audiences will be inspired and come away with a mission of what they can do during this really hard time.”

Coeytaux, a longtime activist on the front lines of the reproductive freedom issue, and the underground network continues to gain momentum. 

“When I met Francine, my mind was blown,” said Tragos. “There are people in the organization with big ideas. They are heroes. What they are doing makes so much sense. It’s a work-around to give women access.”

The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Despite being in red state Utah, “Plan C” was well received. The same reaction occurred when it was screened in March at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. 

“The reception couldn’t have been warmer,” said Tragos. “The questions from the audience were surprising. People want to recommend the film.”

Tragos plans to attend the Bay Area premiere in San Francisco. After continuing on the festival circuit, the film is expected to have a theatrical release, followed by securing a streaming platform. She knows the San Francisco audience will be like “speaking to choir,” anticipating viewers might be moved to act. 

“Everybody can do something. It’s about speaking truth to power. People are going to have to do what they can and not stay on the sidelines,” she said. “It’s a very crucial moment. It takes everybody keeping the pressure on, no matter where you are.”

The hope the “Plan C” documentary conveys is that a grassroots movement can result in change. 

“Everyone needs to come together and do what they can now,” said Tragos. “I’m optimistic because it feels unstoppable. People can spread the word. So many people believe in access. Is the minority going to continue to have control?”

“Plan C” will premiere in the Bay Area at the 43rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, July 22, 11:30 a.m., at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St. Tickets: jfi.org/sfjff-2023.