An Abolitionist Review of Babies Are Still Murdered Here
Babies Are Still Murdered Here is a valuable, well-filmed, but directionless documentary from Apologia Studios, Jon Speed, and Christ is King Baptist Church. It is directed, shot, and edited by Marcus Pittman.
The makers of the film summarize it as,
“After 40 years, millions of dollars, and multinational pro-life political lobbies, abortion is still alive and well in our country. Why are babies still murdered here?”
This is an excellent question to ask, and the summary of BASMH seems to indicate that at least a large part of the answer is due to the pro-life movement (PLM) and its errors.
The Good
The first half of the film does an admirable job of exposing various major PLM organizations on two crucial points:
Their failure to begin with the truth of God’s Word. The film exposes how many PLM organizations are intentionally secular.
How these PLM organizations have actively worked against abolitionist bills.
One segment of particular importance was the infamous recording of National Right To Life leader, Tony Lauinger being confronted by Operation Save America leader Rusty Thomas. Having been just a few feet off-camera that day in Oklahoma City, I recall how squirmy and cowardly Launinger was. The efforts of Launiger played a significant role in the defeat of an abolitionist bill in Oklahoma. Note that these bills aren’t defeated by the people of Oklahoma, but by underhanded legislative procedures. (As a side note, the political process is broken, and little can be done if the party leaders aren’t supportive.)
I also recall communicating with Jeff Durbin and others regarding this bill, and I’m still thankful that Durbin was able to interview Launiger and further expose him and his kind. Check out the full impromptu confrontation with Launiger and the full interview with Jeff Durbin.
The segment centering on Jeremiah Thomas (son of Rusty Thomas) was very well done. I met him years ago at an abolitionist meeting though I did not have the blessing of knowing him well. Besides telling the heartfelt and meaningful story of Jeremiah, this segment further highlights how prolife politicians are complicit in keeping abortion legal. Suffice it to say, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Representative Jeff Leach are both cowards and liars, and I’m sad to say, Republicans.
Voddie Bacham makes an appearance in this film and gives a moving monologue about the usage of graphic images. Great content, but it is also surprising to see Voddie in this film. Nevertheless, his take on graphic imagery is a good one, albeit not a novel or new take.
Some of the segments I appreciated the most was watching John Barros switch gears between sharply rebuking a cowardly boyfriend and speaking gently with others. In one scene, Barros adjusted his tone and his methods as soon as the woman he is talking to started to soften. It is good to see a faithful brother have the discernment and maturity to adjust his speech and clearly demonstrate both love and the severity of abortion. This sort of discernment and maturity on the streets is very much needed.
The Bad
To call out the elephant in the room, Marcus and I do not see eye to eye on many things. On abortion and how to fight it, however, we are at least close. There may also be some who desired more “shoutouts” or “credit” from Marcus. No matter who started what or did something first, we should be warned against such a rivalrous spirit (Philippians 2:3-5). It does not matter. What matters is if God is glorified.
That said, some problems keep BASMH from being great. The biggest problem is its lack of focus. For a film that markets itself to be confronting the PLM, it drifts significantly in that task.
While BASMH does make some strong points, it fails in clearly explaining some of the most harmful errors of the PLM. I give a hearty amen to calling out secular prolife groups and exposing cowardly anti-abolition prolifers. Still, abolitionists need to fully understand that the problem with PLM legislation is not merely that they oppose abolition, but that their incremental efforts are detrimental to abolition. This film does not do this, and for a film with this mission, that’s a shame, and a missed opportunity.
Perhaps on a related note, Voddie Bachuam has previously gone on record in favor of incrementalism. As I said before, I appreciated what he had to say about graphic images. But we should be very clear, the support of incremental legislation is a massive part of the problem with the PLM, and his support of incrementalism places Voddie squarely within the PLM, albeit in a more radical part of the PLM. To be fair of Voddie, he could have changed his mind on this vital ethical position. Still, the film does not cover incrementalism critically, so naturally, Voddie also does not mention it one way or the other.
As much as I respect the late RC Sproul, the focus of this film was very much lost when a large chunk of the last half of the film centers around clips of Sproul condemning abortion and John Barros eulogizing Sproul. While this content is excellent, it diverts from the mission of this film. Further, the film closes on the most extended Sproul-segment instead of closing by driving home the main point of the film; why are babies still being murdered? It’s great to see old clips of a young Sproul teaching on the sin of abortion, and I appreciate Barros’s testimony of Sproul and their friendship, but does that belong in this film? If it does, should so much time be dedicated to these related but besides-the-point subjects?
Conclusion
This movie is certainly worth seeing. It glorifies God by declaring truth and standing firm on hard issues. The mission of the film is both noble and needed. The filming itself was adequate and did not suffer from some of the more distracting and (frankly) obnoxious film techniques we’ve seen before in other documentaries. The camera remains in focus, and there are little frills and indulgent pretension with the cinematography. This is a good thing.
BASMH is a film that will be enjoyed by many abolitionists and prolifers, and that’s telling. This is where the film fails. As a movie meant to critique the PLM, it does a half-way job. Instead of reaching the goal, much time is spent on side topics that may be interesting to a Reformed audience, but fail to add value to the mission of the film. This is a film compatible with abolitionism, but it’s not really an abolitionist film. Radical prolifism isn’t enough.
This lack of clear direction does not ruin the movie, but it is a missed opportunity. This very well could be a symptom of the editor being the same guy who directed and shot the film. It is very difficult to self-edit. As Stephen King famously said,
“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”
As a writer, I need to hear that often, and I’m thankful I have editors. It seems to me that Marcus did not. Some of his “darlings” were excellent segments better suited for their own spotlight.
I am happy this film exists, and I pray that many people see it. It lacks direction, editing, and focus, but it shines in other ways that make it a worthwhile and helpful tool in the fight to abolish abortion. It could have been much more, but I am glad I watched it, and I can certainly recommend it to any Christian.
I pray that the brothers at Apologia, along with Jon Speed, keep their hand to the plow in this worthy fight for the glory of God alone.
To learn more about abolitionism, visit Abolition101.com