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Gosnell: A Shattering Movie That Must Be Seen
I’m on the Mark Steyn cruise, somewhere between Quebec City and Prince Edward Island. We’ve just finished watching a screening of Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer.
Since I live not far from Gosnell’s clinic, I feel a little like one of those 1945 German villagers forced by American soldiers to walk through a concentration camp. Part of me wants to issue a general protest that I didn’t know. But another part, a deeper-down part, understands that it’s not okay that I didn’t know. I’m not innocent. There’s no excuse for my indifference and my inaction.
Now it seems like the very least I can do is try to make this movie better known, to urge everyone to see it. You don’t have to be a pro-lifer to recognize the evil and inhumanity of what happened there.
Please go see it. Please ask theaters near you to show it. They need 300 more in the next two weeks to get on Netflix.
Published in General
Attended an advance screening last week with two friends. Powerful. I’ll post my review today. It truly is must-see, and it must be supported in theaters, starting 12 October. Tickets are available now.
I frequently pass a Planned Parenthood slaughterhouse as well. I share your frustration.
In the case of the Nazi camp, one could kill the guards, cut the fence, or otherwise attempt a rescue. There is no similiar way to rescue a babe in the womb from his or her own mother. Killing the abortionist or mother does not save the child.
Thus, we are totally reliant on politicians and judges to forbid the vile act. Decades of advocacy have had less impact that ultrasound technology.
Our role is mostly prayer, moral education, and instilling confidence in frightened new mothers. Experienced mothers are probably best at the last.
I’d be interested in hearing a review of the cruise. No one voices my thoughts so often as Steyn. Add Sowell and it would be the perfect political conversation.
Andrew Klavan did the script writing, I believe.
Hear, hear. Review please, photos would be great too.
True.
Brad Miner has a review at The Catholic Thing:
“These Vulnerable Creatures”: a Review of “Gosnell”
I won’t pick a quote from his review but will post this addendum of his:
Thanks for posting this Katie. I haven’t seen it yet but “shattering” sounds like a good description.
Lord have mercy on us.
I want to see it, but so far the closest theater is 80 miles away.
A pre-screening was canceled in Austin, TX as it was to be held in the same venue as a dinner honoring the former president of Planned Parenthood. Then they organized a new screening, but they sent out the message about it a day before the screening. I would have totally gone, but I had other commitments at that point. I don’t know if it will make it here. The typical Austin establishment is very pro-choice. If I can’t see it in the theater, I’ll buy it on DVD.
I met Ann McElhinney in 2011 when I brought to my campus to speak. She and her husband Phelim McAleer are strong-willed journalists. They are doing hard work. I met Phelim at CPAC in 2012 when I had a chance to catch up with Ann. They are great people. And I’m sure that they did a great job with this project. I was emailed by Ann when they started the crowdfunding for the Gosnell movie. I gladly gave some so that this movie could be made. I look forward to seeing it in less than two weeks.
I saw a preview tonight and the movie is really good. The story is powerful and the screenplay is well-paced and sprinkled with humor. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.
Theres a Mark Steyn cruise! Blast!
I’ll give you another reason to see this movie. At the screening I went to, one of the actors (Alfonzo Rachel) talked about how doing this moving has adversely affected his career. He has been shadow banned by Facebook and de-monitized by Google because of his pro-life stance. The Left is trying to smoother any cultural opposition to their anti-American, genocidal ideology. Good people have to step up and support movies like this to defend the culture of life and liberty.
I read McElhinney’s book a few weeks ago largely because Andrew Klavan whom I admire greatly talked about it and the script for the movie which he wrote. I have to admit to a certain level of ignorance about abortion, particularly the prevalence of abortions after the first trimester. I had always assumed that women not wanting a pregnancy would, on most occasions, have the abortion as soon as the pregnancy was detected. What I read in that book was completely appalling, far worse than anything I could have imagined. Gosnell was a monster, no question. However, there are a lot of abortions being performed well into the second trimester and beyond, and that, to me, is horrendous.
I grew up in an age when abortions were illegal and, probably, relatively infrequent. Roe v. Wade, I thought, was a reasonable thing, not realizing that it would become a sort of de facto birth control measure. Stopping an unwanted pregnancy shortly after conception when what was present in the womb was unrecognizable as human seemed a not unreasonable solution. In no way did I suspect that it would become an industry that slaughtered very recognizable human embryos at such a rate that they could sell body parts to other growing industries and gain hugh returns. What little tolerance I had for abortion and Roe v. Wade has diminished to nothing. I would far rather that we return to a time of alleged “coathanger” abortions than to allow the continuance of this appalling blot on modern civilization.
Eugene, your story is exactly why I think we all need to see this movie. The left gets its policies by euphemism and deception and disinformation. I think support for abortion would plummet to insignificance if Americans really knew what it is.
Not to hipster you, but their best work, at a showing of which I met them, was in 2006, so I’ve cheerfully supported everything they’ve done since (despite Not Evil, Just Wrong, being kind of a dud).
Its a less emotive issue, and I haven’t made it to any of the screenings of Gosnell I’ve been invited to (DC is a good place for that), so I can’t compare those two films. Still, I can say confidently that if you haven’t seen Mine Your Own Business, you should. It’s a particularly good documentary to watch with liberals because it really shows rather than telling. It’s very persuasive in its claims about how terrible environmentalists are, even to people who believe their cause to be great (just as a documentary about bad priests might be an effective way of discouraging pro-Christian activists).
Really looking forward to the show, and I’m glad that they managed to do it in a gore free horror form. Kind of like the way that I appreciated Branagh’s Conspiracy as a Holocaust treatment.
@katievs If you didn’t see it already your post was mentioned in the latest Mark at the Movies.
Hi @katievs. I didn’t watch on the cruise as I was invited to the premiere tonight in LA. Most of the actors were in the crowd; “Woody”, the policeman, joined Ann and Phelim and Michelle Malkin on the stage after for questions.
I had expected the scene where the prosecutor is ignorant of the abortion laws and looks up the statute, as I had heard Ann tell the story. In an interview, Ann once said that one of the most effective pro-life campaigns she could think of would be to buy billboards and advertise the law as most people would be appalled by what is legal. A fact that was made clear when actress Jeanine Turner describes legal abortions.
Ann made a point to thank Magda (their collaborator) for all her hard work. In responding, Magdalena Segieda said “I’ve done my job; now all of you go home and do yours and make sure everyone sees the movie.”
At a minimum, I plan to contact all the Catholic schools my kids attended.
I see I failed to link my promised review: “Gosnell: Averting Our Eyes from Serial Killer.”
I bought two tickets in advance for this week’s opening, and dropped them in the offering plate this past weekend, with a note directing their use by the pastor or staff.
Clifford – that is a brilliant idea. I am meeting my Rosary friends this am – I am going to suggest we all do the same.
i was looking up Janine Turner’s name on IMDb and noticed your review is linked there. I hope everyone reads it
IMDB picked up a R> review? Very cool. Thanks for pointing that out. If politics is downstream of culture, although there is also political action to shape culture, then supporting this piece of culture, by buying tickets for this opening week, is a great response to the Kavanaugh smear campaign, and to Murkowski and Collins fetishizing Roe.
here’s the link: IMDB
I am not sure who the Master of Ceremonies was last night introducing the movie, but he quoted Andrew Breitbart and gave him a huge shout out. Standing ovation and a few tears.
These were Hollywood Conservatives and Andrew Breitbart was instrumental in helping them all find each other. It was at an AB event where I first met Ann and Phelim.
I hadn’t seen that. I’ve been traveling non-stop for the last few weeks, and have hardly had time to do more than skim headlines. Thanks very much for the heads-up. I’m sure I would have missed it otherwise.
So encouraging to hear. Thanks, Anne.
I saw the movie today. Very good. Just told the story. I cried at the horror of it, but nothing was too heavy handed. (Granted I am very, very, very pro-life, but I didn’t find it preachy at all. Just… the truth.)
I had the opportunity to see Gosnell on the Steyn at Sea Cruise where we met. I’m Susan Cassan. Your posts are very interesting and I am glad to be able to “follow “. Cheers! Susan
Fun to see you here too, Susan!