Many of my friends joke about the perks; I get with my job; backstage passes, lots of free swag, advance copies of books and movies to name a few. I admit that I love the perks, it is nice to be appreciated for the work I do. Recently I received a package in the mail from an upcoming movie that is being released in theatres next month, October Baby. It was an advance copy of the movie and a letter asking me to watch the movie and let them know how I felt about it.
Before I get into my thoughts, here is the trailer for you to check out:
I will admit that I normally cringe when I get a CD or movie in the mail that is supposed to be a great pro-life tool; I am kind of a snob for quality. Knowing this movie what not shot with a huge budget I was waiting for disaster when I put it into the DVD player.
The last time I was surprised like this was when I saw a pre-release of the movie Bella, one of my favorite movies of all time. October Baby is a great movie with a a great message. So many times you only get one of those two qualities in a movie but October Baby delivered both. Now you’re not going to get some high tech special effects or big name stars, but what you do get is a good, honest movie that really drives the message home.
I don’t want to give away too much of the plot here but I will tell you that this movie expresses the beauty of life in a powerful, yet difficult way. It takes you through a roller coaster of emotions that I believe will challenge the most staunch pro-choicer. I urge you to invite your friends to a evening at the movies on March 23rd.
Here is a brief description being released by the producers:
“You saw me before I was born.” Psalm 139:16 (NLT)
As the curtain rises, Hannah hesitantly steps onto the stage for her theatrical debut in college. Yet before she can utter her first lines, Hannah—unscripted—collapses in front of the stunned audience.
After countless medical tests, all signs point to one underlying factor: Hannah’s difficult birth. This revelation is nothing compared to what she then learns from her parents: she was actually adopted … after a failed abortion attempt.
Bewildered, angered, and confused, Hannah turns for support to Jason, her oldest friend. Encouraged by his adventurous spirit, Hannah joins his group of friends on a Spring Break road trip, embarking on a journey to discover her hidden past … and find hope for her unknown future.
In the midst of her incredible journey, Hannah finds that life can be so much more than what you have planned.
Here is a list of theaters it will be opening in: http://www.octoberbabymovie.net/theaterlist
Bryan Kemper
Youth Outreach Director for Priests for Life










I’m Against Abortion, but… – A response to the nonsensical excuse given by many
I’m against abortion, but…
I think the statement that bugs me most when talking to people about abortion is, “I’m against abortion, but…” I can actually respect someone’s total pro-abortion position more than someone who tells me, “I’m against abortion, but…” It just makes no sense to me at all; how can they be against something as vile and deadly as abortion and have a “but”?
My first response to them is always to ask them first why they are against abortion. What is it about abortion that would make you start your statement with “I’m against abortion”?
It amazes me when they start telling me how killing a baby is so wrong, life is so precious and we should respect it, and babies are innocent and don’t deserve to die. It would seem they have a firm grasp on the pro-life perspective, but. There it is, that little three-letter word that destroys the very foundation of what they just explained to me.
I am boggled at how in one breath you can call killing a baby murder and in the next breath you can justify this murder because you don’t want to tell others what to do. I cannot fathom how someone can say that life is precious and should be protected then turn around and support “the choice” to destroy that very life.
I have said this in past commentaries and I will say it again; this is why people can add the word “but” into a sentence about being against abortion. The problem is we are allowing abortion to fall into a different category than every other act of homicide. But abortion is not a different act; it is a different method of the act of homicide. It is still one person killing another person. Therefore, if we would feel compelled to take action to stop acts of homicide such as those in Darfur, the Congo or anywhere else, shouldn’t we also take action to stop the acts of homicide that take place in abortion clinics?
So many are refusing to take action because they have been able to infuse the word “but” in order to free themselves of the responsibility of standing against evil. As long as that they can insert that word, they can deflect or hide from the truth that is staring them in the face: innocent little babies are being destroyed.
Let’s play a game I like to call “ridiculous analogies”. In this game, I switch the word abortion for some other grave evil and see if you can justify a way to insert the word “but” into the sentence.
1. I am against child molestation, but…
2. I am against what happened to the Jews during the Nazi Holocaust, but…
3. I am against men beating their wives, but….
4. I am against slavery, but…
5. I am against rape, but…
Can you think of any situations where you can use the word “but” to justify any of these evil, deplorable actions? How about this:
A. I am against slavery, but who am I to tell someone else they can’t own slaves?
B. I am against rape but who am I to take away a man’s right to choose?
I hope you find these last two sentences make you cringe with disgust. That is the same way I feel when I hear someone say, “I am against abortion, but…”
Abortion is the act of destroying the life of an innocent human being and there is just no justification for committing this act of homicide. Just as justifying exceptions for these other horrifying acts is unthinkable, so should justifying the act of killing babies.
I truly believe that if the majority of people who claim to be against abortion (with a “but” or not) would start acting the same way we would if something like slavery was suddenly made legal again, we would see an end to the slaughter of the innocents.
When I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, a concentration camp in Poland, I stood outside the gas chambers for some time. I had just gone through most of the camp and was emotionally wrecked, to say the least. As I stood outside this building, I was looking at houses in the distance and wondering what I would have done if I lived in those houses during the time of the Nazi Holocaust. Would I have stood up and taken action, or would I have found a way to insert the word “but” into any statement I made about the mass killing taking place in my back yard?
What I realized is that I do live in those houses; there is a mass killing taking place in my back yard. There in another holocaust taking place to which I must decide how I will respond. There is a holocaust taking place in all our back yards as almost 4,000 people are killed every day in our cities and towns.
I want you to all imagine what it would be like to have a house right next to a concentration camp in Poland during the Nazi Holocaust; would you have used the word “but”? Even more important, knowing that you do have a holocaust happening in your own back yard right now, how will you respond? Will you stand up, or will you find a way to say “but…?”
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10 comments | tags: abortion, against abortion, planned parenthood, pro-choice, pro-life | posted in Pro-life Commentaries