October Baby - Two Thumbs UP!!!

My undergraduate humanities professor had a saying – “we paint what we value.”  He was referring to how we as humans use art to express what is important to us.  The word paint can be substituted for act, sculpt, sing, write and so forth. It is true - only the things that matter to us make it into our literature, music, etc.

In today’s world it is sometimes hard to determine what we as humans value through our art.  Literature is shallow and full of stock characters and undeveloped plots.  Movies are often full of violence and music is often little bit more than a few lines mixed around a chanted chorus.  Marketing and other business functions determine what movies and music will be published.  Many artists are never heard, and many values are hushed away.

This week I had a chance to see the movie October Baby.  Sadly, I read many reviews where the critics did not favor the film.  It is the story of a girl who grows up and finds out she was adopted from a failed abortion.  The girl is 19 years old when she finds out, and is a college student.  The movie shows her reaction, and her quest to find her biological mother and find out why she tried to abort her.  Not to give the whole movie away, but in the end she finds the real answers are found in forgiving herself, her parents and her biological mother.  I found the movie to be very positive, inspiring and encouraging.

So many times I have seen movies that justify or apologize for abortion.  If we paint what we value, then it would seem that we value abortion.  A Pew Research Center poll in 2009 would support that assumption, as it found only an average of 44% of Americans think abortion should be completely illegal.  I think this is where statistics can be deceiving.  The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life says about 79% of the current US population is Christian (all denominations together).  I personally have not yet found a professing Christian who knowingly supports abortion.  I think it begs the question: if more than three-quarters of us are Christians who don’t support abortion, then who values it?  My answer:  the same marketing and business groups which determine what is hip and what isn’t.

Interestingly, I think the liberal bean counters misjudged this film.  In the weekend it made a limited national release, it placed eight in overall revenues.  If the film's revenue is adjusted for the number of screens it was released on, the film actually would have placed second. 

It was very refreshing for me to see a film that made it past the liberal gatekeepers and presented some of the values I embrace.  It was also really refreshing to enjoy a film that did not have some hidden apology or excuse for a liberal agenda – except for the rented Toyota Prius!  Seriously, it’s time for the 79% of Americans who are Christian to stop accepting what the other 21% deem as valuable in our media choices.  There should be many more films like October Baby available in the mainstream market. 

Personally, I feel abortion is wrong in almost all cases and if we are a society that is based upon civil law, then it should not be long before abortion is no longer legally justifiable regardless of the circumstances.  The courts are already recognizing unborn children as people.  If a pregnant woman is killed, in most states the assailant is charged with two counts of murder - a count for both the mother and the unborn child.  

In a society based upon civil law, court rulings establish precedence.  If an unborn child’s life is ended by an act of senseless violence (murder) then what is the difference if that child’s life is ended by an intentional act of medical violence (abortion)?  Once the precedence is set by a murder conviction for an unborn child, then the question I just posed must be answered.  Further, medical advances are making it possible for a child to be born early all the time.  It seems rather obvious to me that society in general (including the courts and medicine) values life more than it does abortion.  If we paint what we value, then we better start painting more pictures like October Baby.

As always, your comments are welcomed and encouraged!