In an era when models of civil discourse can be difficult to find, this lesson provides an opportunity to practice respectful dialogue. Using film clips that humanize a topic that is often obscured by well-rehearsed rhetoric, students will examine the complex rationales for U.S. laws governing abortion. They'll reflect on which of the many competing interests they think should be given precedence and why, though the lesson is not about taking a particular stance relative to the legality of abortion. Instead, the focus is on understanding how a law intended to govern one thing also affects other aspects of life.