Dr. George Tiller was killed in 2009 by anti-abortion extremists leaving behind only four doctors in the U.S. who now provide third trimester abortions. “After Tiller,” the film screened on campus, focused on the four doctors who risk their lives every day to continue late-term abortion practices.

The film screening co-sponsored by the Political Science Club and the Sociology Club was held on Monday in Room 1440 and sparked a conversation among faculty and students of the different viewpoints behind abortion.

Third trimester abortions are a controversial practice but the film brought awareness to the issue in this country.

Crystal Brisbane, a literature major, came upon this film while conducting research for one of her class assignments.

When asked why she decided to bring the film to such a public platform, she said, “If nothing else but to bring awareness to this entire conversation and remove the stigma attached to third term abortions.”

The discussion which followed, involved topic such as, what the cutoff point should be for abortions, the right of the woman to choose, the rights of the fetus and the stigma attached to abortions.

“If we can’t even see it in the media, I think that [abortion] stigma is really deep,” said Jodi Balma, instructor and advisor for the Political Science Club.

Both Balma and the student panel members, Brisbane and Daphne Ruiz, cultural studies major, emphasized that an open discussion of abortion in the media is what will allow the stigma attached to it to really change.

Most of the discussion leaned towards pro-choice, advocating for a woman’s choice but there were a few voices contending for the opposite side.

“We all look at this from our own point of view,” said Callista Lee, psychology and human sexuality instructor. “But what do we want to have in the law?”