‘No Más Bebés’ to be screened at Union Cinema

News

Jasmine Aguilera, Copy Editor • March 22, 2016

In 1970s Los Angeles, Mexican-American women went to the hospital to deliver their babies, but left unknowingly sterilized.

This piece of women’s history will be examined during a Wednesday screening of the documentary film “No Más Bebés.” The documentary producer Virginia Espino, will be on campus and will host a Q&A after the screening, which will be from 5-7 p.m. at the UTEP Union Cinema.

The film features women who unknowingly signed consent forms to have their tubes tied, some were in extreme pain or didn’t know English when they signed, and all were Mexican immigrants. A young whistle-blowing doctor released records of these sterilizations, which lead to a lawsuit.

The Women and Gender Studies Program organized the event after students in the program brought the documentary to the attention of interim director Guillermina Gina Nuñez-Mchiri.

Nuñez reached out to Espino and other UTEP departments to organize the screening. Chicano Studies, Religious Studies and the UTEP Library became involved to put it all together.

“When we think Roe Vs. Wade we think abortion, we think a woman’s right to have an abortion, but how about the right to bare children?” Nuñez said.

She hopes that the screening will help students empathize with reproductive and Chicano rights issues.

“Here we have a documentary that shows, look these women were stripped of their rights without their consent,” Nuñez said. “I think it’s going to be a great experience on campus.”

Jasmine Aguilera may be reached at [email protected].

About the Contributor

Jasmine Aguilera, Editor-in-chief

Jasmine is a senior multimedia journalism major with a minor in anthropology. She began practicing journalism as a high school student when she joined the Tejano Tribune, El Paso Community College’s student newspaper. During her senior year she became the first ever high school student to become editor-in-chief of the Tribune. She moved on to join The Prospector team in the fall of 2011. Jasmine has covered national politics, immigration, poverty, human trafficking, refugees and more in her time holding various editorial positions at The Prospector and as an intern reporter at the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire and Gannett News Service, both in Washington, D.C. She aspires to become an international reporter and tell stories that do not receive the attention they deserve. Until then, she spends her time following the news and guiding a very talented team in reporting for a student audience and the El Paso community. She also enjoys a good book, art, music and the occasional Netflix binge (House of Cards and Breaking Bad remain her favorite).