I’ve been asked to make a presentation on pro-life movies or movies with abortion as a theme or storyline.
I can think of Juno, Waitress, Knocked Up, Finding Nemo (the embryo scene in the beginning), 22Weeks, and Killing Girls.
Do you know of others? Someone, for instance, told me of a new release with a pro-life theme, but I can’t remember it.
Thanks!
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Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Don’t forget “Bella!” :)
Also, I believe there is one called “Come What May.”
http://www.comewhatmaythemovie.com/
Ah, Bella, of course! I’ll check Come What May, thanks!
Does Cider House Rules count? There was an abortion in that, but it wasn’t a good one.
No, that glorifies abortion as does If these walls could talk although one scenerio the woman chooses life but it basically glorifies abortionists as heroes.
this is an old one but look who’s talking.
Oops. I meant how abortion was depicted “wasn’t good or a good message in the movie.” Of course, all abortions are not good ones.
I can testify that “Come What May” is painful to sit through. It’s like sitting through a feature-length student film.
Volition – that short movie at TheDoorPost
Cider House Rules
Bobby – you beat me to it.
Okay – Dirty Dancing has an abortion component in it.
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days – Romanian abortion movie.
The recent “Revolutionary Road” has abortion as a subplot.
Posted by: Cranky Catholic at April 6, 2009 10:07 AM
—-
Have to agree – Come What May is hard to sit through.
There’s a couple of small but memorable scenes in “The Singing Nun” in which two nuns try to convince a young woman not to have an abortion.
Ugh! Cider House Rules was nothing but propaganda promoting abortion!
There is a Belgian movie, Le Huitieme Jour, that isn’t explicitly pro-life but it ties in, I think, given abortion rates for Down’s Syndrome babies. It’s about your average businessman who meets a man with Down’s Syndrome, by chance, and learns valuable life lessons etc from him. It’s basically about finding the beauty and dignity in human life. I haven’t seen it in years but I remember really liking it.
It is in French, but you can find it with English subtitles. And it does have some sad parts, for people who are sensitive to that kind of thing.
I should have expounded. It centers around a young man under the tutelage of a doctor (I think — it’s been awhile since I’ve seen it) who operates an orphanage and also performs abortions! Oh, they are just so altruistic, aren’t they!! Anyway, this young man is opposed to abortion so of course they use many of the pro-abortion (fallacious) arguments in the sub-plots such as for the teen-age daughter of a black man — the father and daughter are both portrayed as very nice, appealing characters — only the father happens to be molesting his daughter and she becomes pregnant. The love interest of the young man finds herself pregnant and her (again, don’t remember if it is her fiance or boyfriend who has left for the war and is killed?) former love is out of the picture so she has to abort the baby. Then they consummate their “love” and of course it happens very quickly because young people can not maintain any self-control in these situations. The point is eventually this young man becomes pro-abortion. I had to debate some of these points with Catholic friends who thought that it was a good movie!!! Then my suspicions that it was nothing but a propaganda piece were confirmed when I think that it was the director or writer who received an Oscar and dedicated it to Planned Parenthood, I believe!!!
Sorry, I should add that Le Huitieme Jour means “The Eighth Day.” I think you can find some that will play on US DVD players but I’m not sure. Maybe just VHS here.
I don’t think that I’ve ever watched Bella. My mother did and she sobbed at the end (I’m not sure if she was sad, happy, or just emotional), but she also said that it was a good movie. Is it one that any of you recommend based on its own merits and not its pro-life based arguments? I do enjoy a good movie!
Also, I think that any film that celebrates goodness in the world, that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit, and is thankful for life on this Earth is a pro-life film. Like Anne Frank. She dies, yes, and it is tragic, but it is ultimately a testament to the good of humanity, found even in the darkest of times, and that is applied to abortion, in my opinion, very well. :).
Jill:
I wrote you an e-mail a while ago asking you if you’ve seen Todd Solondz 2004 movie Palindromes. It is, by far, the best movie about abortion ever made.
The kicker: After watching it several times, I have no idea if it’s pro-life or pro-choice. All I know is it seems to enrage both sides.
Please watch it Jill. I’d love to hear your perspective.
I second the mention of “Volition”. Awesome short film.
Here’s a link if you need it: http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=420351f1aefa2b42b1772fe9d5cc044a
If you ever decide to expand your Pro-life movie presentation to books, consider “Burden of Faith.”
Nobody deals with in-your-face Pro-life issues as this intense, 5-Star acclaimed novel does.
Preview chapters: http://www.deanmagdalthompson.com
Official trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aF_8ZaQHJA
And this may be off topic, but I think your story would be a great inspiration for a movie.
I agree, Steve. I think Jill’s story would make a great movie!
What about these three, which are pretty new:
-Defiance, which is based on a true story. (It’s rated R.) Its about a group of Jews who are living in the forest to escape the Nazi soldiers who are hunting them, and they end up living in the forest for a couple of years. There’s a pro-life scene in this move.
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I haven’t actually seen this one yet, but my dad told me this one had a good pro-life message. Someone was going to toss this baby into the river because it looked so terrible, but they couldn’t bring themself to do it, and they took the baby to the Old Folks’ Home, where the women there totally took in the baby and loved him.
-Last Chance Harvey, this movie was a little different but I liked it. In the middle of the movie Emma Thompson makes a confession to Dustin Hoffman that she had an abortion a long time ago and she was extremely sad about it and regretted it. The confession sort of came out of nowhere. I was really amazed by it.
Jill, I can’t think of any other “pro-life movies”, necessarily, but I remember talking about this with some teens a couple months ago. What we realized during the talk is that most movies are pro-life by default. It takes a bit of a twist of a world-view to portray abortion in a positive or even sympathetic light.
Any movie that deals with the joy surrounding a positive pregnancy test result, the excitement around the time of a birth, or the pain and heartbreak of a miscarriage subtly showcases our position.
I do remember the characters dealing with abortion on my favorite TV show, Scrubs. There was no viewpoint pushed, just three things. 1. Women that have an abortion experience pain and regret. 2. Choosing to keep the baby was the better option for the couple. 3. Jesus said “no abortions.”
If you’re looking for a movie that specifically provides a human element to the pre-born, I always immediately remember the talking babies from Look Who’s Talking Too, including the little girl in the womb (ironically voiced by pro-abort Roseanne).
But I think that’s the point – the default take on life issues IS pro-life, even and especially when it is unintentional. It’s the other side that painfully tries to normalize their viewpoint. Here’s an interesting (pro-abortion) article on that fact from the TV perspective: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1295/is_n3_v61/ai_19158819/ (“On those rare occasions when we do see women grapple with abortion on T.V., it always seems to be an ugly, violent, miserable process.”)
Maybe I am way off track here…..
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Last American Virgin
Both girls got abortions and of course it was no big deal. They “got on with their lives.”
One of my favorite romantic movies from my teenage years was “A Walk in the Clouds.” It got some good reviews in Christian teen magazines at the time because Keanu Reeve’s character tells a woman with an unplanned pregnancy that she should focus on the positive…that she is bringing an amazing and blessed new life into this world.
You might want to consider Citizen Ruth. It is not really a pro-life movie as such. However, I think that abortion supporters come off looking worse as they actually bribe the woman to abort her baby. Furthermore, I like all the trouble the pro-lifers went through to try to get the lead character to keep her baby.
One of these days, someone should make a movie about the pro-life movement.
Thanks for all suggestions! I’m going to be watching a lot of movies.
Along the lines of pro-pro-abort movies, have there been any lately, since Cider House Rules?
A commenter was right, so many movies have pro-life themes and may not even know it.
I wouldn’t really call this a pro-life movie per se, but Happy Endings w/ Lisa Kudrow and Maggie Gyllenhaal is about abortion.
Lisa Kudrow’s character lies about having an abortion when she really gave her child up for an adoption 20 years ago. She works as at an abortion clinic as a counselor.
A pregnant girl comes to stay with her gay brother, which drives the plot.
Maggie Gyllenhall is sleeping with both a father and a son and gets pregnant and comes to see Lisa Kudrows character to get an abortion.
At the end Lisa Kudrow says something along the lines of “are you sure you don’t want this baby” and Maggie Gyllenhall responds “you’re not supposed to say that, what are you pro-life?”
Lisa Kudrow responds “no, no I’m not pro-life…” but it’s obvious her feelings about abortion have changed.
Maggie Gyllenhall’s response is “who is?”
I’d recommend “Bella” and “Follow the Stars Home.” The second is a movie with Kimberly Williams-Paisley about a woman who continues with her pregnancy after finding out the baby has severe disabilities. Her husband wants her to abort, but she chooses life and clearly is thankful she does.
In Clerks 2 one of the lead characters becomes pregnant, considers abortion, but decides to keep her baby.
Of course, I would not describe Clerks 2 as pro-life as such.
I have not seen Noelle mentioned. It’s a very touching and clearly pro-life film.
http://www.noellethemovie.com/
P.S. I forgot to mention that Noelle is not merely life-affirming, but actually has abortion as a theme in the plot.
I saw the trailer for a major documentary for March for Life, but can’t seem to find it now. IIRC, it had Patricia Heaton or another actress as executive producer.
Might have seen it on MommyLife.net.
It’s me once again with another thought about Noelle.
While I do take issue with some elements of the film that I see as problematic (mostly denominational issues), I love this film because its message of grace and hope comes through so loudly and clearly.
I tell you… It’s worth your time. Put it on your Netflix list!
Thine-Eyes:
http://thineeyes.org/project-info
Jennifer O’Neill’s project.
It was shot professionally by a company called Outpost, but the trailer was removed by the user.
Hmmm.
Wrong – not removed (the production company’s demo was removed)
Here’s the trailer I saw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LXVA0fefh8
Father of the Bride Part 2 had Diane Keaton’s character get pregnant and despite the jokes about the ages of her and Steve Martin’s character abortion was never even mentioned.
Also the movie Nine Months with Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore I consider pro life. The pregnancy wasnt planned and Julianne’s character had decided to keep the baby even if she lost her boyfriend in the process.
Cider House Rules I thought was horrible. Toby McGuire’s character is against abortion but it seemed it was because it was illegal at the time, not because it was killing a baby.
And Michael Caine’s character was the abortionist who was portrayed as kindly and only wanting to help women.
From an interesting perspective, I think “A Distant Thunder” by Jonathan Flora may qualify.
He and his wife are adamantly pro life. Have you seen this Jill? I will gladly mail you my copy. : )
Is The Cider House Rules one of the books that feature abortion as brief blip in a plot that is otherwise about a young man? Or is abortion a part of the main plot? Just curious…
1. the original 1965 version of “Alfie”, but not the remake:
http://www.themediareport.com/nov2004/alfie.htm
2. there’s a documentary called “Lake of Fire” which makes pro-life advocates look like loons… but it also has some hard to take scenes which should make anyone convert to the side of life…
negative reactions from both sides:
pro-life:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2007/lakeoffire.html
pro-abortion:
http://www.timeout.com/film/newyork/reviews/84773/lake_of_fire.html
lake of fire trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b6h0lsiQcw&feature=related
pro-life interview with the director:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07101604.html
another couple of interviews with him:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/06/10/svkaye10.xml
http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Lake+of+Fire+Director+Tony+Kaye/
I haven’t seen Cider House Rules since I was 16 or so, Vannah, but abortion seemed like a kind of focal point from a character development point of view. The young man went from opposing abortion to viewing it as a necessary evil, and that development occurs roughly parallel to his development from “son” to “father” (ie, he leaves the orphanage where he was raised, does some things, and eventually returns to take over it in the end). So his gradual, even grudging acceptance of abortion is presented as part of his maturation process as he eventually becomes the father-figure of whom he once sought to break free.
“Circle of Friends” (1995) set in 1950’s Ireland has a story line (towards the end of the movie) involving an abortion. Until that point, it was a good movie.
Did anyone else HATE “Dirty Dancing”? What a dumb story.
Crimes and Misdemeanors presents strong theological arguments against abortion without ever saying the “A” word.
I think I remember reading once that Woody Allen opposed abortion. His then-girlfriend Mia Farrow was also pro-life.
Ah, the Woody Allen reference made me think of Match Point.
In it, the main character kills his pregnant lover because she won’t have an abortion. He says “sometimes it’s better to never be born.” Of course, he is a murderer whose opinion should not be taken as the most ethical or sound.
Also, prior to killing his lover he asks her to get an abortion. She says “no, I’ve had 3 and I’m not doing that again!” Not sure why 3 is the line she draws…
Anyways, abortion plays a key role in the movie because her refusal to have the abortion is what ultimately results in her murder.
Oops sorry for being redundant there. I had phrased things differently, but accidently edited the wrong part of my post. Whoops!
Mmmm…so The Cider House Rules is one of those films that says, expressly, get on your holy rollers and become pro-choice, point your life forward using our awesomely more-moral-than-thou compass? I see. Sometimes (okay, all of the time) things like that irritate me. Abortion is about poverty and lack of freedom, not women’s liberation. I detest it when people try to codify an issue that has far too many shades of gray (or is it grey?) to count.
Anyways, the book that Mr. Thompson mentioned earlier sounds quite interesting. I’ll take a look at it. :)
Angele, right A Distant Thunder, of course! I have a copy, thanks.
THanks all for all the great suggestions! I have a lot of movies to watch!
Well, Vannah, IIRC the experience that changes the man’s experience is a seasonal migrant worker who has been impregnated by her rapist father. The abortions that seem to be more about just not wanting to have a kid are the ones that the young man disagrees with in the beginning of the movie; it’s the tough situation playing out in front of him, with the poor and lacking-in-options victim of incest, that convinces him that abortion is not always the worst choice. So there is an element of poverty and lack of freedom to it — though certainly an element of women’s liberation as well, in some senses of the phrase. I don’t think that abortion would have ever become legal if pregnancy/motherhood, or sexuality in general, had not been used as tools to oppress women rather than as gifts to society as a whole.
Vannah, it’s worth noting that the father figure in Cider House Rules is addicted to opiats and ends up overdosing. You can draw your own conclusions about that.
I wouldn’t wish anything such as an overdose on anyone, abortionist or not, but it is comforting to know that it was just acting. :).
Anyways, I agree with you completely, Alexandra. It is sad that pregnancy was used against women. Women ought not to be helpless, and they ought never be forced to have children against their will, but abortion is removing children’s rights and that is not something that we can condone.
Thanks for expressing that better than I can. I trip over my words and…just kind of…babble. :).
I think the overdose was used to show that he was struggling with the idea of doing abortions.
Haha yes Lauren. In my first comment on it I was initially trying not to give away the whole story, but I kind of lost that idea in the second comment. It’s kind of a downer of a movie all around, if I remember it correctly. One of those “life is hard and beautiful and mercifully, cruelly short” type things.
Alexandra,
are you pro-life or pro-choice?
Jasper,
Not that I am qualified to speak for Alexandra, but I believe she is pro-choice, although I cant imagine why. Then again, I cant imagine why anyone is pro-choice except the brainless trolls such as Reality, Robert Berger and the like.
Thanks Oliver. I remember Alexandra saying she was pro-choice in the past, but I notice sometimes she’ll make some good pro-life leaning arguments.
Maybe she is “politically pro-choice, personally pro-life” or something…
A documenary I saw on PBS several years ago entitled ‘Wings of The Spirit’
yor bro ken
Yes, Janet, I hate “Dirty Dancing”.
I believe “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” has girls going for abortions, too — Jennifer Jason Leigh’s and/or Phoebe Cates’ characters — one or both.
Stupid movies and their pro-abortion themes. Makes me sick and sad.
The Russian fantasy movie “Night Watch” begins with a magical abortion attempt when a young man on a whim visits a witch, who turns out to be a real witch. Both in the book and the movie, this attempt changes everything for the young man and his child, and he ends up verrrrrry sorry. The effects continue into the sequel, even.
The Russian cut of the movie is a lot better than the American one. But the American cut is still pretty good — easier to understand although much more surface-y and less quirky.
For Keeps? (1988)
Hi Jill, while abortion was not the dominant storyline for Saturday Night Live or Dirty Dancing, they definitely give some attention to the topic at hand. LL
I meant Saturday Night Fever above…hee hee. I just woke up. :)
Hi Ruthanne,
Yes, Janet, I hate “Dirty Dancing”.
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one!
I second Bella, but would discourage thinking of Juno as a pro-life film. Yes, she has the baby but… there’s something about it so course, etc., and the idea that everything that just works out even though life totally sucks.
Last Chance Harvey has a subplot about abortion regret, and it was a lovely film (in some ways, similar themes covered as in Juno, albeit a very different perspective – but just.. gentle, softer). There is a brief bit about abortion in this great Russian film called Ostrov (The Island) but I don’t think it’d be useful for your talk.
I almost forgot — there is a nice pro-life message in North Country (also a tough film to watch). The protagonist’s oldest son discovers he is the product of a rape, and a very poignant conversation occurs.
Apparently someone started a pro-life film festival– http://www.ignatius.com/cinemavita/ .
August Rush is subtly pro-life.
Another link about recent pro-life films: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/february/10.35.html
Good luck and keep up the good work, Jill!
Ron Howard’s Parenthood has “choice” as a subplot. One of the moms, finding she’s pregnant, asks her husband if she should keep their baby. There’s a predictable give and take: it should be a woman’s choice… but I want to know what you think… well, I want what you want… Thank goodness, they do ultimately decide to let their baby live.
eek. Dirty Dancing? Ruthanne, I’m with you!
I thought Children of Men was extremely pro-life. The scene near the end
(SPOILER)
where the soldiers and everyone practically kneel in adoration as the newborn is carried through the hallway was extraordinary.
I believe the film ‘Cabaret ‘ involves the female lead getting an abortion. The male lead, who begged her to keep the baby, leaves her because he cannot bear to be with a woman who killed her child. (He was willing to help her, even though, given her promiscuity, it’s doubtful that the baby is even his. ) The whole movie is set in Weimar-era Germany, and the abortion is shown as one more step down on the way to the horrors of Nazism.
There’s also the 1987 comedy, ‘Innerspace ‘, in which a “Fantastic Voyage “-type adventure is played for laughs. The character who is traveling in the tiny ship ends up inside the body of his girlfriend, and comes face to face with their developing child . Striking pro-life moment in a rather lightweight film. The movie ends with the wedding of the baby’s parents.
“Horton Hears a Who” There is a line that is repeated multiple times – “A person’s a person no matter how small.”
Children of Men is pro-life, but doesn’t deal with abortion. It’s set in a future where women can’t get pregnant and shows how bleak the world might become without children or babies. The story line follows a woman who miraculously was able to become pregnant (she was promiscuous but the fact that she conceived was a miracle) and a man who is helping to get her to safety. The movie is fairly violent at some points but has many moving scenes that show the value of life.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206634/
Though I didn’t enjoy it as a whole, in Rob Roy the main character’s wife becomes pregnant by rape, and when she broaches the possibility of abortion, he says something to the effect that the child shouldn’t be punished for a crime he didn’t commit.
Black Snake Moan, starring Samuel L. Jackson.
I remembered another pro-life comedy – “Look Who’s Talking”. In that one, we get to not only see an unborn child develop all the way from conception to birth and beyond, but we also hear his thoughts, as voiced by Bruce Willis.
While it does not deal directly with abortion or unborn life to a great extent, I’d say the original film of “Yours, Mine and Ours ” is certainly life-affirming, not to mention hilarious. (Henry Fonda delivers one of my favorite movie lines of all time in this movie, ‘It’s not going to bed with a man that proves you love him – it’s getting up with him in the morning !’ ) (Unfortunately, the recent remake seems to have stunk to high heaven….)
One of my favorites has been Gattica, the movie is 12 years old now but it’s utterly timeless. the film deals with a society that has the ability to pre-screen all children. by selective breeding (read abortions and eugenics powered by genetic engineering) parents have the ability to create the “perfect” child. in essence because of this mentality, Children who are not aborted or are born without genetic engineering are considered second class citizens. the story focuses around a man born naturally who takes on the identity of a genetically engineered man so that he can fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut. What I found great about this film is that I have also heard that it is part of the course curriculum for many students taking genetics classes at universities.
One of my favorites have been Gattica, the movie is 12 years old now but it’s utterly timeless. the film deals with a society that has the ability to pre-screen all children. by selective breeding (read abortions and eugenics powered by genetic engineering) parents have the ability to create the “perfect” child. in essence because of this mentality, Children who are not aborted or are born without genetic engineering are considered second class citizens. the story focuses around a man born naturally who takes on the identity of a genetically engineered man so that he can fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut. What I found great about this film is that I have also heard that it is part of the course curriculum for many students taking genetics classes at universities.
It’s not about abortion, but Life is Beautiful is a beautiful pro-Life movie. And I second Volition and Bella.
It’s not about abortion, but Life is Beautiful is a beautiful pro-Life movie. And I second Volition and Bella.
I would like to Second “Black Snake Moan”
The Movie was MUCH better than I would have ever thought, and I would suggest that it is pro-life from all ends of the spectrum.
I’d like to second the original “Alfie”. Michael Caine’s face when he sees his aborted child is one of the great moments of film, in my opinion. The movie as a whole is pretty good, though not for children.
Speaking of children, the book Children of Men is much more pro-life (especially with respect to sexual mores, children vs. pets, and society) than the film, which is essentially a neutered version. It’s worth reading. You’ll never look at the cat lady the same way again.
Kill Bill vol 1 & 2. It’s not really pro-life (as murder for revenge is glorified), but the way that the Bride reacts after finding out she’s pregnant, and its role in driving the rest of the plot is very anti-abortion.
COME WHAT MAY, should be the new anthem for the pro-life movement. It is not “hard to sit through,” as said above. It actually gives us a way legally to overturn Roe vs. Wade while including an underlying theme of living chastely until marriage. And isn’t that the real cause of abortion.
The sci-fi movie The Forgotten has a pro-life theme at the end.
There is a splendid pro-life movie classic. Kitty Foyle with Ginger Rogers. This is a movie worth watching.
Escape From The Planet of the Apes (1971), in which question of whether to permit the birth of the offspring of the chimpanzees Cornelius & Zira (played by Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter) to be born becomes a matter of presidential policy.
I Googled pro life movies and came to “Christianity Today” for April 8, 2009. They have an entire list of movies.
Hope this helps!
Truly enjoyed seeing you in Wilsonville, Oregon on Saturday! (remember, you said, “thanks for being a great focal point!”) Your story is awe inspiring. God Bless you!
My favorite pro-life movie is To Each His Own, a B&W drama made in 1946. It stars Olivia de Havilland, who plays Jody.
The story follows Jody for 3 decades of her life, beginning as she falls in love with a visiting WWI flyer. Jody learns she is pregnant on the same day she learns of his tragic death. Jody has only her wise father to confide in. He is the town pharmacist. (Get it? He would have known some drugs with abortifacient effects! She could have quietly gotten rid of her problem, even in 1917.) Jody takes an extended trip out of her small town before her condition becomes apparent.
She thinks up a plot to allow her to raise her newborn without his growing up labeled a bastard, but circumstances intervene so that her married friends wind up adopting the baby. She is forced to love her child from afar throughout his life. She is no whiny weakling, she creates a successful career, all the while holding the invisible bond of love for her son as he grows to manhood a continent away.
The movie immediately draws the viewer in to Jody’s life, and builds to a highly satisfying conclusion. I know the plot sounds like a soap opera, and it is a bit melodramatic for the guys, but especially for female viewers this is a 4 star movie. My husband and I owned a classic video store for 18 years, and To Each His Own was on my Top Ten list out of 6,000 titles.
It’s not on DVD. It’s out of print on VHS, but these can be purchased online.
“Love Is A Choice.” Beautiful film about Italian mother, also a physician, who died to save her unborn child.
Gianna Molla is now a saint – beatified in 2004 – http://www.saintgianna.org/
DVD’s about her life can be purchased online at the Store at that site. Also http://www.ignatius.com sells 2 of them. I’ve only seen the film “Love Is A Choice,” which brought me to tears. It is the most familiar one.
‘The canonization of Saint Gianna is the first of its kind. Many mothers have been beatified for their heroic virtues but they entered religious life after becoming widowed. In St Gianna’s case, the very condition of her being a spouse and mother is being exalted and highlighted. St Gianna is the first canonized woman physician and professional who was also a “working mom.”‘
“Juno” is not considered a pro-life movie because there is “choice” in the plot. Read review here: http://amywelborn.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/juno/ It is still worthwhile as a discussion piece.
Cassy,
I wish your recommendation was available on DVD. Sounds good!
Check out the youtube.com movie: 99 Balloons
and the feature film Henry Poole Is Here (it’s not pro-life with abortion in mind, but its about a man that thinks he is about to die of a terminal disease.
And like above, BELLA!
“Fools Rush In” is a romantic comedy, not a movie with a deep message. But it’s about a couple that decides to get married when they discover she is pregnant after a one night stand. In one memorable scene, the man (Matthew Perry) tells the woman (Salma Hayek) that he will support her “choice,” to which she adamantly responds that she is “choosing” to keep her baby.
Thanks for all you do!
Frequency. Though abortion isn’t the topic, the importance of growing up with both parents is shown.
It stars Jim Caviezel and Dennis Quaid.
Oh, and Janet–the book “Circle of Friends” is MUCH better than the movie. Hollywood changed the ending, and I was quite disappointed after seeing it.
“The Island” is not about abortion, but deals with the cloning issue surrounding ESCR in a disturbing sci-fi way. The movie was released in 2005 and stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. The movie is pro-life from the “all life matters regardless of how or why it was created” viewpoint.
Two of my favorite movies:
1. Pan’s Labyrinth
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (concerns a paraplegic)
Both are beautiful movies with powerful life messages. Both contain adult content.
Robyn is right. The Forgotten had a profound pro-life message that was unexpected. My wife and I watched anticipating that it was just a suspense thriller–which it was–but we were struck by the pro-life underscoring.
An odd suggestion, but what about Junior? Most of the morals in that movie are downright wretched and the plot completely unrealistic, but the man does declare the child to be alive and his and refuses to simply “allow it to die”.
Did anyone else HATE “Dirty Dancing”? What a dumb story.
I used to love that movie and now believe it’s about as wretched as a movie can get. I think my mind started to change when I actually listened to the monologue at the beginning…she’s 15/16 and sleeps with a 22 year old man (they hide it by making her appear early 20’s). Then, after I became fully pro-life, I noticed that she took her father’s money and paid for an illegal abortion, in the process showing how horrible it was for women back then. And worse, the father caves at the end and supports all this sin and doesn’t protect his young daughter. I can’t even stomach this movie anymore.
Don’t forget Seals and Croft’s 1974 “Unborn Child” album re-released last year. Their title song, “Unborn Child” came out months after the 1973 Roe vs Wade decision. Seals and Crofts were courageous enough to show their viewpoint by writing a song about giving an unborn child a chance. I remembered reading their careers suffered because of this, but what is so striking and admirable was their bravery to take a stand for the unborn during the height of their career. How many main stream artists would do that today? It would be so incredible to see them perform again and receive recognition for their song, “Unborn Child.”
Hello Jill Stanek and other folks,
I know that most people associate pro-life as pertaining to just abortion; but we really must include other life issues such as human cloning, euthanasia, and possibly even capital punishment, to back up our claim that ALL life is precious, from beginning to end.
Also, while it is best to highlight movies which stress the pro-life viewpoint, it is also fine speak about movies which are not pro life, but do stir up discussion… such as The Cider House Rules, which shows the false reasons the abortion industry gives to support abortion. Or Milion Dollar Baby, which shows the false reasons people support euthanasia. This being said, here are my suggestions for great “Life issues” movies >>>
— August Rush —- about two musicians who fall in love, she has a child but he doesn’t know about it…. * flash forward * the child, now age 11, is a musical prodigy, whose dream is to play his music in public concert so he can attract his parents, meet them, and hopefully reunite them. Stars: Robin Williams, Freddy Highmore
Life Issues: abortion, adoption My comments: I loved this!
— Bella —- about a man who working as a chef, shows a pregnant female friend in the restaurant industry that life is precious, and in the process, begins to confront and heal from a terrible incident in his past. Stars: Eduardo Verestagi (really hot Latin American star)
Life issues: abortion, adoption
My comments: I liked this movie, great pro-life message!
— The Sixth Day —-about a man living in the future, where animal cloning is allowed, but cloned human embryos must be destroyed by the 6th day of development by law. He discovers that a bio-tech firm is in violation and doing a coverup, so he must race to protect his family, and in the process, discovers something interesting about himself….
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenneger
Life issues: human cloning, embryo destruction
comments: this is a great action movie, both entertaining and informative, gives a glimpse of the legal (and ethical) messes human cloning will cause.
— The Island —-about the future, where most of the world has been destroyed by nuclear fallout / pollution, so the remaining humans live in an underground bunker, where they work on staying fit, learn basic skills, and generate their food source. However, there is a far-off Island which escaped the massive destruction, and every so often, one person “wins” the lottery, and gets to go to the Island. But, one man and woman discover that things are not what they seem….. and go on a dangerous journey to save themselves and their society below……
Stars: Ewan McGreggor and Scarlett Johansen
Life Issues: human cloning, embryo destruction, surrogate pregnancy
comments: This is an EXCELLENT science fiction and action movie, really personalizes the dark side of human cloning and makes the audience think.
— Extreme Measures —– about a young doctor and his lady friend, working at a neurology clinic who after hearing of numerous homeless people in his city getting mysterious injuries and even disappearing, begins to discover that something is not quite right about his work place…. Things get dangerous as he gets closer to the truth, but he risks his own life for the sake of justice.
Life Issues: eugenics, human experimentation
Stars: Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Gene Hackman
comments: the main character (Hugh Grant) has some EXCELLENT quotes in the last ten minutes, about how doctors should not play God…. sums up a few of the MAJOR ethical points of the pro-life movement.
— Bi Centennial Man —- about the future society, where a robot and the family he serves, find that he is different from the other robots, and decide to help him on his quest to learn about humans and eventually how to become human himself.
Life Issues: what makes us human, euthanasia, life-sustaining medical technology
Stars: Robin Williams, Sam Neill, Halle Kate Eisenberg
comments: this film shows what secular society falsely (or rather, insufficiently) believes makes us human…. it really helped me gain some insight!
— Forrest Gump —- about a mentally retarded man who goes through life facing many challenges, but meets and influences great people, and shows what is positive, good, and true in almost every situation that comes his way.
Stars: Tom Hanks, Haley Joel Osment
Life Issues: retardation and abortion, relating to today and how 90% of unborn babies who test positive for mental retardation are aborted….
comments: This nostalgic movie touches everyone who sees it, and pro-lifers should use it to show the proven fact that mentally retarded people have a wonderful outlook on life, can bring great joy to those in their lives, and can make a positive difference in the world.
Well, these are my picks, I REALLY hope you seriously consider my suggestions here. Thanks!
ps. I got my degree in PR and marketing… I guarantee these movies are entertaining and also make people think about the issues involved.
New Stanek WND column, “Eight new pro-life films shine”
Many excellent pro-life movies and documentaries have been recently released covering a wide spectrum of our issues. In fact, the movies seem to be coming so fast I have delayed posting this column several weeks to try to catch…
The Wedding Banquet directed by Ang Lee. In it, the main female character makes an appointment to have an abortion but does not go through with it, instead choosing to raise the baby with her green-card husband and his gay lover. So, not a movie for everyone, but it does have a pro-life theme.