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How to Have an American Baby

Season 36 Episode 3614 | 1hr 54m 35s

How to Have an American Baby is a kaleidoscopic voyage into the shadow economy that caters to Chinese tourists who travel to the US to give birth in order to obtain citizenship for their babies. Told through a series of intimately observed vignettes, the story of a hidden global economy emerges–depicting the fortunes and tragedies that befall the ordinary people caught in its web.

Aired: 12/10/23 | Expires: 03/11/24
Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from Nancy Blachman and David desJardins, Bertha Foundation, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Charitable Trust, Park Foundation, Sage Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Abby Pucker, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.
Extras
POV
Filmmaker María Luisa Santos grapples with saying goodbye to Turbo, a dog she has come to adore.
POV
Performances by Shodekeh Talifero (breath artist), Lou Maiuri, Jesse Milnes, and Emily Miller.
POV
Ed Cage and his daughter Nicole talk about how he passed beatboxing on to the next generation.
POV
Yomi, who has a rare genetic disorder, asks her mom to tell her about the night she was born.
POV
Janaki and her big sister Melissa talk about how they really feel about each other.
POV
Aspiring social worker faces the uncertainty of life as a blind, undocumented immigrant.
POV
Lynn Weaver and his daughter talk about his father who worked as a janitor and chauffeur.
POV
At MIT, an alum follows four African students striving to become change agents for home.
POV
A message from the filmmaker.
POV
Anatomy of a Scene from How to Have an American Baby with Leslie Tai.