Short film shows doctors forced to break their Hippocratic oath two years after fall of Roe

Two years after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court ruling overturned the right to abortion established 50 years earlier by Roe v. Wade, a campaign from sexual and reproductive healthcare brand Wisp offers a glimpse into the lives of doctors forced to break their Hippocratic oath—and the lives of their patients.

A five-minute short film, titled “Hippocrites” and directed by Julieta Casalia and Lucía Valdemoros, tells the story of a broken Hippocratic oath in reproductive health. The film begins with a young doctor reciting the oath during his medical school graduation in 1990s Texas.

Muffled audio of the oath fades into the background as the film jumps back and forth in time and the scene shifts to a young girl who is pregnant in a post-Roe world. The film shows how she visits the same (albeit now much older) doctor for help and he is forced to turn her away. The rest of the film depicts his internal conflict and her difficult journey across state lines to obtain an abortion.

Also read: 72andSunny ad targeting anti-abortion movement funds abortions if viewers press skip

The campaign shines a spotlight on how doctors are being forced to break the oath they solemnly swore to uphold, against their will, and how women’s health and lives are increasingly at risk. Throughout the film, shocking headlines show how total bans force women and girls to keep pregnancies even in the most horrifying situations, including child rape, poverty and more.

Meanwhile, the doctor’s hesitation to fill out appointment notes or even speak to the patient around other medical providers reflects the true fear that in providing abortion care, doctors could lose their medical licenses.

The campaign comes as women have increasingly faced dangerous risks due to abortion bans, including being forced to carry to term fetuses with terminal conditions or being denied abortions even after experiencing a miscarriage.

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