Transcripts For KCSM Democracy Now 20160125

Abortion case that could gut roe v. Wade, we look at a startling new documentary called trapped thats targeted regulation of abortion providers. Abortion may be legal in the United States, but its increasingly difficult to access. In mississippi, there is only one clinic in the entire state. Well speak with a doctor who provides abortions there, as well the owner of one of the few remaining independent Abortion Clinics in alabama. And we will speak with trapped director dawn porter. And across the line a new , Virtual Reality project that puts you in the shoes of patients walking the gauntlet of antichoice protesters. A white male to a young woman. I dont think people understand how vitriolic the conversation is. Shame on you, you wicked, jezebel feminist. Amy we look at the growing oscarssowhite boycott campaign. For the second year in a row, no actors of color were nominated. We speak to filmmers dawn porter and Stanley Nelson. The only thing that is going to make hollywood change is the boycott and for this to make the affect the bottom line of hollywood. Amy all that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. At least 30 people have died after recordbreaking snowstorm pummeled the eastern seaboard over the weekend. In washington, d. C. , federal offices remain closed today. The house of representatives has postponed all votes this week. At least 12,000 flights have been canceled. Snowstorm jonas was the single biggest snowstorm on record for at least six locations across the east coast, including baltimore, maryland and harrisburg, pennsylvania. The highest total snowfall recorded was 42 inches or 3 and a half feet in glengary, west virginia. The weather channels lead meteorologist Michael Palmer said, quote its likely to go , down as one of the most impressive blizzards weve seen on the eastern seaboard in recorded history. The record snowstorm in the United States comes as parts of asia also experienced record cold. Hong kong experienced its coldest day in 60 years sunday. Islands across japan also experienced their most frigid days in decades, with one island, amami oshima, receiving snow for the first time in 115 years. In vietnam, farmers are grappling with the coldest winter in more than 40 years. Vietnamese farmer song a vang said the freezing weather is killing crops and livestock. Since i was born, ive never seen anything like this. This weather is badly affecting our society and my familys economy. We are in a difficult situation because our cattle, pigs, chickens and farmer dying. Amy in france, president Francois Hollande plans to Ask Parliament to extend the state of emergency for another three months. The emergency measures were approved following the november 13 attacks in paris, giving hollande a sweeping expansion of state powers, including measures that permit police raids without a warrant and allow the government to strip citizenship from dual passport holders convicted of terrorism. French police have conducted thousands of raids since the state of emergency began. It was slated to expire tuesday, but an official Statement Released friday says hollande will seek a 3month extension. Meanwhile, the media center of the Islamic State has published a video purporting to show the last statements of the nine people who allegedly took part in the november 13 paris attacks, which killed 130 people. The video also threatens future attacks against britain. The syrian observatory for human rights says at least 164 people have died in syria over the past three days in airstrikes by the assad regime and the russian military. The victims include more than 40 children. This comes as u. N. Peace talks are supposed to begin in geneva this week. The talks are likely to be delayed until wednesday amid disagreements over who will represent the syrian opposition. At least 45 people have drowned after three boats capsized off the coast of greece friday, as refugees continue fleeing to europe amid violence in syria, afghanistan, iraq, eritrea, sudan and other wartorn countries. At least 20 children were among the dead. Meanwhile, british Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the government to allow thousands of refugees living in the informal refugee camp in calais, france, to enter britain. This comes after corbyn visited the camp saturday to meet with refugees. Thousands of prorefugee demonstrators rallied in the town of calais to coincide with corbyns visit. The demonstration ended with police spraying tear gas and Water Cannons at some refugees who attempted to board a ship bound for britain. This comes as violence in the calais refugee camp intensifies. It is the largest refugee camp in france. Syrian refugee majd said attacks by french fascists have increased in recent weeks. There is so much of violence from the police and the fascists. If you like to the hospital, you would see a lot of people have been injured because of their beliefs. Fascists have some serious injuries. Some people could die, refugees could die. The hospital is full of refugees. Amy to see our full interview with majd and other refugees in wents when democracy now to the refugee camp go to our , website, democracynow. Org. See our full interview with british leader Jeremy Corbyn. In haiti, massive street protests continue as residents demand the ouster of president michel martelly. This comes after protests succeeded in postponing sundays president ial runoff vote in a race mired in fraud. The runoff vote was slated to feature only one candidate, president martellys handpicked successor, jovenel moise, after his competitor, jude cestin, boycotted the election. The United States has been criticized for supported the disputed october elections. In the israelioccupied west bank, residents gathered for the funeral of a 13yearold palestinian girl shot dead by Israeli Security guards saturday. Israeli police say Ruqayya Eid Abu Eid was killed after she tried to stab an israeli guard at a jewishonly settlement anatot. This comes as palestinians demand the release of the bodies of at least 10 palestinians killed by Israeli Security forces since october. On thursday, families staged a symbolic funeral, carrying empty coffins on a march to the United Nations headquarters in the west bank city of ramallah, demanding the Israeli Government return the bodies of palestinians held in israeli morgues. The pentagon has asked the American Psychological association to reverse its ban on involving psychologists in National Security interrogations, including those at Guantanamo Bay and other prisons. In august, the apa approved the new rules barring its psychologists from participating in interrogations after an independent investigation showed how the apa leadership actively colluded with the pentagon and the cia torture programs. In a letter and memo, the pentagon asked the apa, which is the largest professional organization for psychologists, to reconsider their decision. To see our broadcast from candidate when the association of psychologists made their decision, go to democracynow. Org. In news from the president ial race a new cbs news poll shows , democratic president ial candidate Bernie Sanders with a 1point lead over former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in iowa. This comes exactly one week before the iowa caucus. Sanders continues to hold a strong lead in new hampshire, while clinton is well ahead of sanders in south carolina. Meanwhile, former new york city major Michael Bloomberg says hes considering a potential thirdparty president ial run, saying hed be willing to spend at least 1 billion of his own fortune on a campaign. Bloomberg says hell make a final decision by early march. Meanwhile, republican president ial candidate donald trump remains ahead in the polls in iowa. Speaking in sioux city saturday, trump boasted about being the frontrunner, claiming he could, quote, shoot people and still not lose votes. Mr. Trump my people are so smart. You know what else they say . I have the most loyal people. Ofould stand in the middle fifth avenue and shoot somebody and i would not lose any voters. Incredible. Amy and today marks the fifth anniversary of the egyptian revolution, which ousted longtime ruler hosni mubarak. On january 25, 20 11,000 of egyptians poured into Tahrir Square as the arab spring uprisings spread across the region. Todays anniversary came amid a massive security crackdown in cairo, and deteriorating human rights and press freedom across egypt, now ruled by former army chief abdel fattah elsisi. Human rights activist Dolly Bassiouny spoke out about the current repression. Dolly we have experienced a setback i never imagined we would reach. I know the revolution was going to be battled and Many Political currents would try to ride its wave. I never imagined we would reach where we are now. If we had 1 of freedom or economic power before the revolution, we no longer have this because of the current regime, not because of the resolution revolution. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from the Sundance Film Festival in park city, utah. Friday marked the 43rd anniversary of roe v. Wade, the Landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. And just weeks from now, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case that could gut roe v wade. The case is called whole Womans Health v. Cole. It challenges antichoice restrictions passed by the Texas State Legislature in 2013, despite a peoples filibuster and a 13hour stand by texas state senator wendy davis. Since the law passed about half , of the more than 40 Abortion Clinics in texas have closed. If the court allows it to go into full effect, texas could be left with about 10 clinics. It is not just texas thats at stake. Since 2010, state legislatures across the country have enacted more than 280 restrictions on abortion. But what do all of these numbers really mean . Well, a new documentary that just had its World Premiere here at the Sundance Film Festival goes beyond the numbers to look at how abortion providers in texas and alabama are fighting to care for their patients despite state restrictions aimed at shutting them down. This is the trailer for trapped. [video clip] i got a pregnancy test. I just cried. Im pregnant. Be encouraged. Dont let it destroy you. 50 of the patients i see are below poverty level. If abortion care collapses in alabama because of the legislation, it would be disastrous. In the past three years, there have been over 300 restrictions passed. Texas, oklahoma, arizona, north dakota, arkansas, alabama, mississippi. You have to be compliant. A lot of this does not make a lot of sense. My wife called. Could drugs expire because we never use them . We are looking at 35,000 worth of work. Every time the legislature meets, theres another. We had to have an agreement with the hospital. Then every doctor had to have admitting privileges. Thats the one we could not meet. We had to close down the practice entirely. Does new resolution those new regulations will reduce taxes to 6 clinics in the state, 1 per 2. 2 million women in the state. It is becoming the case that womens Constitutional Rights are determined by their zip codes. Theres no clinics in west texas adult. Theres no clinic, note doctor, does not matter if it abortion is legal. Roe v wade does not matter. We, are seeing women selfinduced with medication consciously induce violence to induce a miscarriage. I remember getting a call from a patient, she said i cannot get to san antonio, what if i tell you what i have in my Kitchen Cabinet and you tell me what i can do . Prior to roe v wade, women were willing to risk their lives to terminate a pregnancy. They are still willing to do that. Women have to have access. I am dr. Parker, one of two doctors in mississippi who provide abortions. My decision was based on the fact that nobody else would go. Today you see the first step in a movement to do what we campaigned, to end abortion in mississippi. You might try to do so, understand it is not going to happen without a fight. We are going to continue to stand up for women, stand next to each other and fighting for what is right. It is not right that women should have to go to court to get medical services that the constitution guarantees them. In the u. S. Right now, there are over three dozen cases on access to Abortion Services going through the courts. People do not realize we are going to continue to see these rights lost. Today it felt like somebody moved us back of the edge of a cliff. The Supreme Court is going to hear another one of these cases. It is going to be a showdown. Women should be the prolife side has won. Weve already won. I want more people to start asking who is benefiting from this. Father god, in the name of jesus. Give us peace. These are our blessings. That is the trailer for trapped, which just had its World Premiere last night here at the Sundance Film Festival. Were joined now by the films director, dawn porter, whose past films include gideons army, about public defenders in the south. And were joined by one the subjects of trapped, nancy northup, head of the center for reproductive rights, which is arguing whole Womans Health v. Cole, the Supreme Court case that could reshape Abortion Access in the United States. Nancy, i want to begin with you. Explain the decision that will be argued in march. Nancy the issue before the Supreme Court on march 2 is whether texas and the other states can pass pretextual laws amy what does that mean . Nancy laws that pretend to be about Womens Health and safety that in fact it has been enacted to have the effect it has had, to shut down clinics in texas. As you pointed out in your opening, half the clinics in texas have closed. Women are having to drive long distances, some cannot get access at all. We want the Supreme Court to say that is an undue burden and that is not constitutional for texas to try to do by the back to what they cannot do by the front. They cannot ban abortion and take a runaround to do it in another way. Amy what is the runaround . One of the restrictions put on clinics . Unnecessary medical adjustments. They say they have to be mini hospitals when in fact you can get abortions safely in an outpatient facility in the first trimester. They say the doctors have to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. The American Medical Association and other leading medical associations have come to this case to tell the Supreme Court these are Unnecessary Health galatians. And health regulations. And they are going to harm Womens Health because they are not going to be able to get access. Amy explain what whole Womens Health is, the case that is the basis of the argument. Nancy it is a case about the fact that texas pass this law. Amy the clinic itself . Nancy whole Womens Health has run clinics throughout texas. Particularly the clinic at here at issue here is in the Rio Grande Valley in mcallen, serves a very poor population. It has clinics in austin, san antonio and fort worth. There are other clinics that will be covered. It is not just texas. What the Supreme Court does much 2 and on march 2 and in june will affect throughout the u. S. Porter, you are a lawyer. You did gideons army about legal defenders in the south. Then you went on to spies in mississippi. Dawn i was shooting for spies in mississippi and i read there was one clinic left in the state. As a person who is prochoice and who, i feel like im politically aware, i had no idea about the attacks on Abortion Clinics across america. I found dr. Willie parker and clinic owners willing to let me spend time with them. I had no idea at the time that the case would end up before the Supreme Court. The timing of the film is fantastic. It amplifies the legal restrictions that nancy is speaking of. Its a complicated issue to explain to people. Regulations that feel on their face as if they are reasonable are actually intended to shut down clinics. And as the center argues, the question before the court is whether that is constitutional. Amy we are going to go to a break. When we come back, you are going to be joined by two health care providers, the owner of one of the only independent Abortion Clinics in alabama. We are going to be speaking with an abortionarker, provider at the last surviving Abortion Clinic in the entire state of mississippi. Stay with us. [music break] amy you caught the light by churches. Now,on democracy democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We broadcast from the Sundance Film Festival in park city, utah. Trapped, in this clip, dr. Willie Partner Councils a patient at the last remaining Abortion Clinic in mississippi. This packet is information that might help with your decision. You can take this, you do not have to. I am obligated by law to offer it to you. Im required by law to tell you that an abortion can increase your risk for breast cancer. There is no Scientific Evidence to support that. The state requires me to tell you that if you are having this procedure, there are plications, that is a good thing to know. You could have heavy bleeding that could require you to transfer to the hospital and need a blood transfusion. F i havent leading that can be controlled by removing your uterus, you lose the ability to have a baby in the future. Those are the same risks as having a baby. You are not taking extra risks. Abortion is safe. Amy that is dr. Willie parker counseling a patient at jackson Womens Health, the last Abortion Clinic in mississippi. In this clip from the film, june ayers, the owner and director of one of the last remaining independent Abortion Clinics in her state in alabama sits in her , kitchen, poring over a packet of regulations. [video clip] emergency lighting should be provided in accordance with section 7. 9. And theres no 7. 9 like trying to work your own crossword puzzle. I work crossword puzzles very well. I dont do it when you have to make your own puzzle up. That is what this seems to be asking me to do, which does not make a lot of sense. A lot of this does not make a lot of sense. Amy that was june ayers from trapped,umentary which had its World Premiere here at the Sundance Film Festival last night. Well, june ayers and dr. Willie parker join us now. And director dawn porter. Why did you make this film . Dawn i found it shocking that laws that could not do it directly, you cannot ban abortion, but across the country laws were closing clinics. I was struck by the dedication of these clinic providers. They take there, they risk their health and safety to protect rights for all women. There is particular impact on low income women and women of color in Abortion Clinics. And thee providers other providers in alabama are serving an underserved population and i felt it was a story that had not been explored. Amy dr. Willie parker, you have not always provided abortions. You are anan ob gyn. Talk about your history. Dr. Parker ive been an ob gyn for 20 years and a doctor for 25. It became clear to me that 1 in need abortion care in their reproductive lives. Poor women and women of color were disproportionately not having the services. It became important to me to guarantee access to these Important Health services by moving back to my hometown in birmingham and to provide services in the south. I am a person of color. I grew up in poverty and i know what it means when the services are not available. It made it important for me to prioritize these services. Amy you travel throughout the south, you go to mississippi. How is there only one clinic there . How many were there . Dr. Parker i dont know the access history of mississippi. Ive only been going there since 2012. Im told that as of the early 1980s, there were as many as 15 clinics in mississippi. It was premuch an attrition. People who founded clinics and provided services, overtime as the regulations changed and the hostility ramped up, they decided it was not worth it for them. We ended up with one clinic left and one courageous owner making sure services were available in the state. Amy one of the regulations, these trap regulations. Trap stands for dawn targeted regulation of abortion providers. Amy is doctors should have admitting privileges at the local hospital. What is wrong with that, it sounds reasonable. Limit would want women would want to know. Dr. Parker it passes the commonsense test but it does not pass the muster with regard to the informed reality of how medicine works. First of all, in an emergent situation, you would be taken to any hospital, the nearest one available. So whether the doctor has privileges there does not matter. Abortion is so safe that the likelihood of needing to manage any complication related to abortion is extremely low. It passes the commonsense test and allows people who used regulations to control access to abortion to gain public sentiment but it is unnecessary. Amy if a doctor travels and is out of state, they would not have admitting privileges at a particular local hospital . Getparker you can privileges. I would be eligible for privileges if i wasnt doing abortions amy what do you mean . Dr. Parker the targeted regulations requiring doctors to have admitting privileges if they do abortions, the primary services i provide in mississippi is abortion care. If i were not doing abortions and i were doing and auditory care, there would be other doctors willing to affiliate with me. I could have a freestanding practice. Its the fact that i provide specifically abortion care where some hospitals have as their mission if abortion care is what you provide, you are not eligible for admitting privileges. Which shows you that the regulations and the state law requires physicians to have admitting privileges. Dr. Parker applied to every hospital within the appropriate area and they all denied access. You see it is this crazy catch22. Laws that you cannot comply with and that is the runaround around the constitution. Amy june tell us your story, how did you come to own an Abortion Clinic in birmingham, alabama. I mean montgomery. The town of rosa parks. June i started 37 years ago. My clinic is the oldest independent provider of abortions in the state. Felts something that i like i needed to do. Its why i get up in the morning, patient care, helping women. Amy you were born in birmingham . June yes. Amy your own personal experience with the issue . June when i was in high school, 1973, i graduated. In december of that year i was pregnant. And its something ive never forgotten. I had a choice and i exercise my right to have an abortion. If i had been pregnant 12 years before that, i would not excuse me, 12 months before that. Before roe in january, i would not have had a choice. Like a lot of other women, i would have been in a situation where i would have felt desperate not to have the choice. Thats one of the thing that motivates me. My doors need to stay open so women have a safe place to come, have somebody that cares about them and somebody that will help them through this crisis. Amy how difficult is it for you to keep the clinic opened with the trap laws, how does it affect you financially and otherwise . June it is certainly overelming financially. It has been for all three of the independent providers in alabama. Just trying to pull together the pieces of any of the legislation and actually make it come to fruition in the clinic. One of the things i talk about, literally,oset door, that costs 2500 that had to be installed. Amy why . June because that was part of the regulation that came down. Amy dawn . Dawn the states are giving with a credible specificity, june had a particular closet door she had to install. In texas they had to install a negative ventilation pressure system in that clinic. Oxygen has to be in the wall, expensive medicines are required by state statute, medicine that are never used. It is amicable waste of health care resources. Ayers, talk about the blue packet of statemandated information you have to give out. June we give out two booklets, one is a resource directory which is very good. The blue did you know booklet has information that is misinformation in it. Initially it did have that abortion causes breast cancer. We finally did get that removed but it took a court case to get that removed. From 2 weeksnancy to 40 weeks. I look at it as something very coercive to the patient. Its meant for the patient, they say we get back to the semantics, that it is therefore patient information and to help her know what direction she wants to go in. I see it more as a punitive booklet. Amy june, you work in montgomery. The chief justice of alabama is roy moore. Most recently in the headlines around gay and lesbian. June he swings very much to the religious right. When i had a siege and montgomery last summer, he spoke and we hadg several antiabortion groups that came to montgomery, more than 250 of them were parked across the street from the office and were trying to prevent us from doing procedures and getting patients in, gettinghysicians in. It was a very intimidating. He is supporting them. Not only supporting them but being a spokesman for them. Dawn chief Justice Moore is the past president , his wife is now the president of an organization that funds into choice protesters and pays their legal fees. You have a situation or the chief justice, the administrative head of the courts in alabama, where a minor is required to get judicial permission to have an abortion. The man that leaves the courts that will make this determinations is solidly antichoice and not only supports with his presence but also funds antichoice activists. Parker, willie researchers at the university of texasaustin recently found as many as 240,000 women, a quarter of a million women almost, had performed selfinduced abortions in texas over the past, what . Five years. How dangerous is that . Dr. Parker we know abortion when it is done in a medical setting under the guidance of Healthcare Providers on an evidence basis is extremely safe for women. Women are desperate. When they do not have access to safe abortion care, they take Desperate Measures. Will resortt women to the same Desperate Measures that they did preroe just confirms that when a woman is determined not to be pregnant, theres no law, theres no ability to shame that would prevent her from trying to accomplish her goal of not being pregnant. Amy talk about your maternal grandmother, dr. Parker. Dr. Parker my mother, her mother died when she was four years old. She was 37 years old and had recently given birth less than a year prior. And she hemorrhaged to death trying to give birth to what would have been hurt 8th child. Its in the back of my mind that outcomesat the extreme are of women not having access to safe abortion care or even safe prenatal care. We are introduced to you in trapped when you are getting out of a car walking into a clinic. A man is screaming at you, saying you pretend to be a christian and you kill your own race. Do you face this all the time . Dr. Parker sadly, yes. But i am undeterred by. I dont take it personally because i know it is not about me. Its about intimidating me or harassing me so that i will not be available for women. It is also to double down on the moral high ground by trying to impugn my sense of christian identity. The people who are most opposed to abortion on the basis of their religion understanding assumed that those of us who provide this care do not have a moral basis or even a religious understanding. Not to take it personally and understand it is strategic but it makes it more important that i as a person of color provide this care as well as a person of faith. I take it extremely personally. I am not as forgiving as dr. Parker. Amy were you afraid when you were filming . Dawn it is frightening, the things people yell at you. You see an increasing effort for antichoice activists to inject race and try and intimidate. There was a protester who yelled black lives matter. They are Holding Signs of black babies. It intimidates not only the patients but providers who are not minardi providers who are minority providers who are accused of committing black genocide. The effort to inject race into the conversation around abortion is an incasing frequency. Amy are you concerned for your own life, dr. Parker . Dr. Parker i have common sense concern. I look both ways before crossing the street. I choose to focus on what i am doing. If i think too much about the the, then i will intimidated like anyone else. I do not spend a lot of time. I know what i live for and i do not spend time worrying about what other people might try to do. Amy june ayers, can you talk about your daughters reaction to trapped. June i had the opportunity to view the film and i invited my daughter. When the film was over, my daughter, i had been. With the clinic 37 years my daughter is 24. She grew up knowing what i do in the clinic and when it was over, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said mother, i never understood exactly how all this impacts not only me but my patients and dr. Parker. The film is very impactful. It does affect me and my family on a daytoday basis. It was an eyeopening film for even somebody who has been sitting there watching. Amy do you ever think of closing the clinic . June no. Amy why . June it terrifies me to think i would shut my doors on the next person that knocked on them would not be up to come through. Amy dr. Willie parker, do you ever think of going back to not performing abortions . Dr. Parker you cannot put pandora back in a box. One ofels, its for me the first times in my life, my valles and my chosen craft and skills come together. This work is extremely meaningful for me. I cannot imagine not doing it. Amy ca you imaginen not having made this film, having known very little about this issue in this country, although you are a lawyer, you are a film maker and you work on civil rights issues . Dawn once you meet people like and dr. Parker, i could not step will he from the story. I feel like it is one of the most important civil rights conversations we should be having and i hope everyone who is sitting on the sidelines actually exercises their political opinion. Amy dawn porter, stay with us. We are going to play a Virtual Reality piece called crossed the line. Then i want to talk to you about oscarssowhite. The fact that no actor of color was nominated for an oscar. Theance is a feeder into oscars. And what you think needs to be done to change hollywood. Well, maybe overall to change the culture. Dr. Willie parker and june ayers, thank you for joining us. We will follow you as you try to keep womens access to health care, womens access to abortion open in the United States. He film is called trapped, it had its World Premiere here at the Sundance Film Festival. Stay with us. [music break] amy roy by breeders. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from the sundance some festival in park city, utah. Last week saw a series of antichoice protesters following the 40th anniversary of roe v wade, the Supreme Court decision that assured womens access to inrtion oliver the country 1973. In washington, d. C. , protesters bearing photos of fetuses constructionthe site for a new planned parenthood clinic. The protests forced the Charter School next door to close for two days. We turn to a project here at the Sundance Film Festival that puts you in the shoes of a woman passing through the gauntlet of antichoice protesters to reach an Abortion Clinic. It is called across the line. It is a sevenminute immersive Virtual Reality experience that uses real audio of antichoice protesters. I spoke with the projects cocreator, nonny de la pena, known as the godmother of Virtual Reality. She calls it immersive journalism. And with one of the executive producer, dawn laguens, executive Vice President of planned Parenthood Federation of america. I started by asking dawn to explain what across the line is. For its an opportunity people to experience firsthand what women and men around the , andry go through providers, as they try to Access Health care at Womens Health centers like planned parenthood. In this Virtual Reality experience, you both get to observe someone as they are at a Health Center and some of their arrival there, then you get to step into that persons shoes and experience what it feels like to walk along the line of protesters and have them shout of scene an obscene and outrageous things that you while you try to access Reproductive Health care. Amy lets go to a clip of across the line. [video clip] doesnt anyone care about the life of the child . Doesnt your child has life . How can you say protect the rights of the mom if you are not willing to protect the rights of the child . Shame on you. Just to walk in here with a smile, right . Into a murder clinic. Shame on you. God is going to destroy you and a lake of fire. You will not be smiling then. You will be wailing. Shame on you, you wicked woman. Wicked jezebel feminist. You should not have been a sleeping with every guy at the club, you wicked jezebel. Among the things screamed at a woman, wicked jezebel feminist. Amy talk about the reality of the Virtual Reality. Dawn we really were wanting to show what really happens. Whatct, we only taped happened, the real audio of what people say. None of it is created or made up. This is actually what women face as they walk into these Health Centers. People are coming out of this experience, some of them in tears. Many of them telling their own stories. Many people saying i had no idea that that is what happened. Like i knew people sometimes protested, i did not know that was what it was like and now i feel like i have to do something. Pena, it ise la your powerful. You call this Virtual Reality piece across the line immersive journalism. Explain. Nonny immersive journalism is a concept i came up with a couple years ago to describe the use of Virtual Reality to put people on seeing as real events transpire. Across the line is an interesting piece because it does a mix of 360 video and the computergenerated material. The reason we chose the way that we put the piece together, in an interesting way it is a montage of voices from across the nation. The type of things yelled that young women across the country rather than just showing one independent scene. When you are having to walk the gauntlet in this piece, you are being screamed at in a way that women around the country are screamed at. Its an interesting amalgamation. This this i did weekend in this Virtual Reality box, i put on the goggles and suddenly i am in a clinic. I can turn my head either way and i am seeing the whole room, the doctor talking to the patient, who is disturbed about the gauntlet she had to go through to get in. And the second one is kind of sitting in the backseat of the car of these two women. The driver is holding the hand of the woman going into the clinic. You see why she was so upset when she got into the clinic room a man has got his head thrust at her by the window telling her not to go into the clinic. Not to kill babies. Im not sure which building it is. Excuse me . Im not sure which building it is. The Abortion Clinic . The health care clinic. It is an Abortion Clinic. They will do 2030 abortions there today. That is safece down the street, let me take you there. Please. I cant. Look, i know you are struggling with something. I dont want to see you get hurt. Amy then youve got the last i walk along and and being led by one of the clinic volunteers to try to make my way through the gauntlet to get into the clinic. Describe that. There i am actually walking. Nonny the headsets allow you to walk around. It is difficult to describe how impactful that experience is. You get a sense of being present in this world in the same way you would in a natural date. Its not 100 but it is very evocative. You know you are here but you feel like you are there too. Because you feel like you are there, you personally have to walk the line and everything you are hearing came from real voices across the country. You experience it in a way that is very personal. And therefore you and i love you. You are a wicked woman. What do you think you are doing . Nonny one of the designs of the pieces, it predominatelys white males yelling at young women. It just is. I dont think people understand how the true reality conversation is out there. Amy is that true across the country . In the protests . Nonny we do have women but commonly the people screaming are the white guys. I have to say the thing is that when you try to put people on scene, the idea is to understand what is happening. If theres a way to do that, perhaps we can make it into a civil conversation. It is not about who is right and whos wrong. Women need to go into Health Centers and get care. , local women are reliant on these centers and it does not seem appropriate not to get health care should experience that kind of vitriolic angry terrible stuff all that you. It is awful. You should not sleep with the guy at the club, it is pretty nasty. S thisint of the piece i is what is happening, it is journalistically appropriate. This is what we are seeing. But also does it then lend itself towards some way for the conversation to become more civil. Pena,that is nonny de la known as the godmother of Virtual Reality. She calls it immersive journalism. Cocreator of across the line. As well as dawn, executive Vice President of planned parenthood, who along with others executive produced across the line. This is democracy now, democracy now. Org, the war and peace report. We are broadcasting from park city, utah. A growing number of actors are calling for a boycott of the oscars after no actors of color were nominated for a second year in a row. While movies about African Americans like Straight Outta Compton and creed received nominations, they went to the white writers of Straight Outta Compton and white Actor Sylvester Stallone for creed best supporting actor. The africanamerican directors and nonwhite actors were excluded. Director spike lee, actress jada pinkett smith, actor will smith and others have said they plan to skip the february 28th award ceremony. Spike lee appeared last week on good morning america. [video clip] used the word boycott. I said my wife and i were not coming. I never used the word boycott. Its like do you, we are not going. This academy thing is a misdirection play. How . We are chasing the guy down the field who does not have the ball. It goes further than the academy. It goes back to the gatekeepers. The people who have the green my vote. Have you seen hamilton . I have. You know the song, youve got to be in the room . Weve got to be in the room. We are not in the room. When they have the green letters where they look at the scripts, they look who is in it and they decide what we are making, what will not make it. How about your own experience . Do you feel you have been snubbed like you have not had a fair hearing . 1989 . T won best film i dont know. Driving miss daisy. Which film did you have in 1989 . Do the right thing. That film is being taught in colleges and schools no one is watching driving the daisy now. The work is what is important. That is going to stand for, years, not an awarda, a grammy, a tony. Even if you get the oscar there is success but there is problems. From top to bottom. Amy spike lee by George Stephanopoulos of abc. The largely white male academy of Motion Picture arts and sciences responded by pledging to overhaul its voting requirements and to double mentorship of women and people of cover people of color by 2020. The board of the academy is currently 96 white and 71 white male. Here at sundance i spoke with Award Winning documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson and asked him about his thoughts on the academys response. Mr. Nelson that helps address the economys problem the academys problem that im not sure it addresses the problem in hollywood. It is media that is dominated by white people, light white m en. Those are the stories that been telling for over 100 years. Amy how does that affect our culture . Mr. Nelson it makes us used to having a Certain Group be in the dominant role. Us but that media travels all over the world and that is what the world sees. Hollywood is very influential. Hollywood has to want to change. What is happening now that is good is people are saying to hollywood you need to change. Hopefully it will. Amy what you think of the boycott . Mr. Nelson individuals should do what they want. I would have a hard time with what is going on to go and sit there with my fancy dress and clap. I think there are a lot of people who feel uncomfortable and they should. Also the thing that is important is there are white people joining. If you care, you need to join in the boycott and making hollywood change. Amy what would make hollywood change. What would change society . Mr. Nelson the only thing that is going to make hollywood change is the boycott and for somehow this to affect the bottom line of hollywood. The problem with hollywood and the success of hollywood, hollywood is making more and more money every year. Why should they change . Once the bottom line is affected in hollywood, it will change. Amy filmmaker Stanley Nelson, director of black panthers, it airs on pbs on february 16. His other films include freedom riders. Still with us is dawn porter, the director of trapped, which just had its World Premiere here at the Sundance Film Festival. She has directed other films including gideons army and spies of mississippi. Your response, all 20 actors and actresses, not one a person of color. Dawn it goes beyond actors and actresses. Theres a lack of recognition of screen writers and directors. I have to say that the day the Academy Nominations came out i had a sinking feeling of despair. I really was hopeful last year with the oscarssowhite and with the conversation and everybodys pledges to do better, not only did they not do better, they did worse. How could it be that in a year find work is emerging from actors, directors, producers and writers of color, that no one is recognized for their achievements . That is a real problem. Into thee are feeders oscars like sundance. While there is a hashtag oscarssowhite, at sundance, sundancenotsowhite. Dawn that is true. In the documentary field wher e trapped is competing, 40 of directors are women. You also have directors of color. Move throughyou that part by, those people disappear. It is as if sundance did not happen. Festival, one of the premier film festivals and the country, where is that talent being recognized . Amy do you support a boycott of the oscars . Dawn i support a boycott. This reminds me when baseball was segregated, the negro league. Does anyone really think that all the talent in the sport was being recognized . How can you possibly look at the films coming out and think that the best, the oscars are supposed to represent the best of what we have to offer. How can that be if none of these films are recognized . Amy and spike lees comment that it is about the gatekeepers. Dawn it is but i do not think we should observe the voting members of the academy. Amy dawn porter, thank you. Her film is called trapped, it airs on pbs in june. We will talk about it when it comes out. That is it for our show. Very happy birthday to charina nadura. Democracy now has two job openings director of finance and , operations and a director of development. Visit democracynow. Org for more information. Democracy now is produced by mike burke, carla wills, laura mike burke, carla wills, laura gottesdiener, deena guzder, amy today on americas test kitchen, julia uncovers the secrets to making foolproof new york cheesecake. And bridget shows how to make the best new york bagels at home. Right here on americas test kitchen. Americas test kitchen is brought to you by dcs. Dcs manufacturers of professionally styled indoor and outdoor kitchen equipment. At dcs, our mission is design that delivers,