It’s no secret that Hollywood’s worldview has a distinct leftward tilt. From the big screen to the small, you can pretty much expect stories to be told from a perspective more friendly to blue-state voters than those of the redder persuasion. After all, the vast majority of movies and TV shows are produced in the bluest precincts of two big blue states—New York City and Los Angeles.
When it comes to dealing with the highly politicized topic of abortion, the pro-abortion perspective is well represented, from the recently released movie Coach Carter, which flippantly talks about a girl being “brave” enough to get an abortion, to a slightly older episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent that features stereotypes of abortionists as loving family men and pro-lifers as cold-blooded, gun-toting fanatics.
But I've noticed that such heavy-handedness isn't always the way things are, particularly on TV. Even programs known for featuring gritty and disturbing material have, surprisingly, come out with remarkably vivid pro-life statements. For example, an October 2002 episode of CSI: Miami contained this strong pro-life scene: After watching a co-worker remove a 7-week-old baby from the womb of a woman killed in a car crash, Horatio Caine (David Caruso) remarks, “Not just skin cells, is it?”
Not Just What the Pope Thinks
NBC’s American Dreams also made a resounding statement in a March 2003 outing. Helen Pryor (Gail O’Grady) discovers that a friend has had an abortion. After the conversation turns to Roman Catholic doctrine regarding the preborn, her friend implies that such edicts are merely rules made up by men who don’t understand. Helen will have none of that. She insists that abortion is “murder”; she doesn’t say this because the Pope says so but because she believes it to be true.
Perhaps most remarkable is a stunningly powerful scene featured a few years back on HBO’s otherwise morbid Six Feet Under. Nate Fisher (Peter Krause), part of a dysfunctional family that runs a funeral home, has been pressuring (unsuccessfully, I might add) his girlfriend, Lisa, to abort her most recent pregnancy. (She has apparently had an earlier abortion.) Working late one night, he is confronted by a young girl whom he doesn’t recognize. “You killed me,” she says matter-of-factly in a devastatingly honest bit of dialogue. “Remember, seven years ago when you drove Lisa to the clinic? Don’t worry, though. I don’t have any hard feelings—I’m pro-choice.” She then laughs, “Well, I would be if I were alive.” Nate, who has no living offspring, then meets a host of children who greet him as “Daddy.” One little girl says, “I know the secret to everything, but you’ll never know it because you killed us.” Nate suddenly awakens from his nightmare, left to think about the consequences of his selfish lifestyle.
And while Law & Order: Criminal Intent did a bit of a hatchet job on pro-lifers, franchise linchpin Law & Order has been known to present good pro-life arguments. In December 2002, Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries, praised the show for presenting issues such as embryonic stem cell research and abortion in a fair and balanced manner. “I don’t know who is writing these scripts,” Colson wrote in his Breakpoint commentary, “but I hope they keep it up. ... Viewers are getting a fairer presentation of the issues during prime-time drama than they get on the nightly news. This is especially important since popular culture increasingly shapes Americans’ attitudes and beliefs.”
A Steep Climb, But There's Still Hope
To be sure, the pro-life cause still faces an uphill battle. Take, for example, the remake of the movie Alfie. In the 1966 original starring Michael Caine, the predatory ladies man is confronted with the consequences of his lifestyle when one of his many girlfriends has an abortion; this brings him to tears when he realizes what he’s caused. Today’s version, starring Jude Law, reduces that story line to little more than political propaganda that abortions should remain “safe, legal and rare.” (“Why rare?” I always want to ask.) It took something profound and made it trivial.
Hollywood will continue to slant its perspective toward Left Coast sentiments. TV series and movies will continue to encourage death. But it is heartening that the pro-life voice is still being heard. And that sometimes it is being heard in the most unexpected places. Let's hope that continues, too.
To be a voice for those who can't speak for themselves, link to Focus on the Family's beavoice.net.
