The abortion industry did its best to pitch the movie Obvious Child as an “unapologetic” but “hilarious” romantic comedy about abortion, even as the director and star eschewed such a depiction. See headlines right.

And therein lies the irony.

Abortion proponents want desperately to remove the stigma surrounding abortion, and they desperately hoped Obvious Child would be a “game-changing” vehicle to entice and persuade pop culture.

But those who invested and starred in Obvious Child pragmatically knew aversion to abortion would be exactly what kept pop culture from attending, thus their attempts to back away from the odious A-word. (The film distributor’s synopsis of the film doesn’t even include the word “abortion.”)

Neither tactic worked.

by Susie Allen, host of the blog, Pro-Life in TN, and Kelli

We welcome your suggestions for additions to our Top Blogs (see tab on right side of home page)! Email Susie@jillstanek.com.

• Americans United for Life applauds a coalition of black pastors and leaders in Illinois who are urging the passage of laws to protect women from the same negligent treatment that resulted in the death of Tonya Reaves at a Chicago Planned Parenthood. Reaves died as a result of a botched abortion. Reaves’ family filed a wrongful death suit and PP paid $2M. The coalition is seeking passage of two bills that would require informed consent before an abortion and would also require abortion facilities to have the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers.

by Susie Allen, host of the blog, Pro-Life in TN and Kelli

We welcome your suggestions for additions to our Top Blogs (see tab on right side of home page)! Email Susie@jillstanek.com.

• At National Review, Michael New remarks on President Obama’s frequent mentions of Planned Parenthood during the second Presidential debate, stating, “The fact that federal funding for Planned Parenthood is now a salient issue during Presidential debates is good evidence of pro-life progress.”

• Our newest addition to Top Blogs, Voice of Hope, notes the unfortunate editing of the televised premiere of October Baby, in which a pivotal scene was omitted (spoiler alert at link).

GMC has since apologizedand plans to run the movie in its entirety in the future.

Jon Erwin, co-writer/director of October Baby, and actor John Schneider, who had a starring role in the film, appeared together this weekend at the Catholic Pro-Life Committee’s annual Bishop’s Dinner in Dallas.

As you can tell by the picture, I got to briefly meet John, who was very nice.

I’ve been curious about Schneider’s thought processes these days. The former Dukes of Hazzard heartthrob has been making some interesting film choices of late, such as pro-life bookends, Doonby and October Baby; the soon-to-be-released pro-family film, Hardflip; and the sex trafficking film, Not Today.

I’m sure October Baby producers loved that headline, which sandwiched their little pro-life movie between one of the top box office draws of all time and the sequel to another box office smash.

Here’s another one for their scrapbook…

UPDATE 3/26, 10:45a: October Baby did very well at the box office this weekend. According to The Hollywood Gossip:

The anti-abortion drama October Baby opened in 390 theaters nationwide this weekend, earning the second-highest per-screen average behind The Hunger Games.
Samuel Goldwyn released the movie, starring Rachel Hendrix, John Schneider and Jasmine Guy, primarily in favorable political environments, earning $1.7M….

The movie’s overall gross is technically $1.9 million now….

In an effort to finance a wider release, filmmakers were able to raise $3 million from investors. To promote the film, its backers screened it for church groups and ran advertisements on networks such as Fox News.

While its niche may be relatively small, it is that dedicated, laser-targeted audience that helped make fellow faith-based fare Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron, one of the most successful independent films of 2008, grossing $33.5 million.

According to Box Office Mojo, October Baby landed in the top 10 for the weekend, quite respectable.

UPDATE 3/26, 10:27a: I went to see October Baby Saturday night with a group of pro-life friends and was pleasantly surprised by a bonus feature that ran during film credits but was not in the cut I was sent to review.  Actress Shari Rigby spoke of her own abortion and the healing she had received.

by Susie Allen, host of the blog, Pro-Life in TN, and Kelli

We welcome your suggestions for additions to our Top Blogs (see tab on right side of home page)! Email Susie@jillstanek.com.

• The Teenage Life Club is hosting a 2012 Pro-Life Letter Campaign with the goal of having 1 million letters sent to the White House and the Supreme Court this month.
• The Abolitionist Society points out a severe lack of decorum at an Oklahoma anti-personhood rally in February. Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre (pictured far left) of Tulsa happily posed holding a vulgar sign.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJkN5N6WMOc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube] I laughed so hard, and cried so hard, and healed. ~ Abortion survivor Gianna Jessen’s blurb about the upcoming pro-life film, October Baby, via Live Action, October 11 [HT: Lisa Graas]