When it comes to Christians engaging the culture through the wide array of artistic expressions, not all forms are equal. Christian media, on a whole, possesses a poor resume in the realms of music and film. This documentary, however, is a noteworthy exception. Babies Are Still Murdered Here (hereafter referred to by their hashtag, #BAMH2), directed, filmed and edited by Marcus Pittman, is a needed installment to call reform and repentance, and in some places, overthrow of the pro-life movement.
BAMH2 is the second film bearing a similar name coming after the first Babies Are Murdered Here, released on the anniversary of Roe v Wade, January 22nd 2014. The purpose of the first film was simple and straightforward: babies are murdered at abortion mills. The subtext of the title is also straightforward: abortion is not a victimless crime. Both the abortionist, the mother and father are guilty of bloodshed. The backdrop of the first film provides the context for this current installment. As describes in the film by Pastor Jeff Durbin, the intervening time between the two films was filled with surprising pushback to the first BAMH, notably, calling abortion the "m-word." The pro-life movement as a whole, was (and still is) unreceptive to calling abortion murder and women who have abortions, murderers. It was during the intervening time that the End Abortion Now Facebook page began releasing a slow and steady trickle of footage from abortion clinics that show the intense barrage of women seeking abortions apathetic of the abortion they were about to have. In BAMH2, the gathered footage of pro-life leaders, local and national are coupled with the interviews of multiple pastors, theologians and abolitionists that make what BAMH2, is.
Semper Reformanda
The release date of the first film was obviously intentional. The release day of this one, is similarly deliberate. October 31st marks Halloween for most Americans, but it is also the recognized date of the Reformation's Anniversary. 502 years prior, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg, igniting the powder keg of the Reformation. Half a millennial later, this film steeps itself in that tradition reminding the viewer of a key tenet of the Reformation. That heartbeat is that it shouldn't stop, but should always be reforming. I found the film to be laced with this spirit of semper reformanda. The unfinished work of the Reformation in the arena of the pro-life movement is detailed in the film.
Evaluation and Some Talking Points
As I take it, BAMH2 is a call for consistency. It's a call for Christians who profess that Jesus is Lord to take him at his Word and appeal to biblical standards. This cry for consistency has drastic but needed changes to bring to our understanding of murder, victimhood, penology, resisting unjust laws and living in our respective contexts. I found that it was appropriate that this film was released on Reformation Day as it represents the courageous strides of an unfinished reformation.
Though a thorough discussion of victimhood would have demanded more time than could have been allotted, I think there is more to be said than the film did. Generally speaking, what is being said by the pro-life movement is, "women are victims" and what BAMH2 is saying is "women who have an abortion are murderers." There's more to be explored, here. BAMH has shattered the perception that the only kind of woman seeking an abortion is a victim who is scared and innocent. My estimate is that the End Abortion Now movement probably has thousands of hours of footage that proves that many women are vile, angry, resentful and apathetically seeking to kill their baby legally. My own experience outside of multiple clinics, however, is that there is a wider array of women in a wide array of circumstances seeking abortions. My note of caution is to avoid painting a narrative that is overly monolithic. We need to talk about the idea that a woman can be both a victim and a murderer. Is it possible that a girl can be near forcibly taken to a clinic under coercion to have an abortion? I've seen this happen at least once. An underage girl was drug in a clinic by her mother to have an abortion at the Hope Clinic in Granite City, Illinois. Is she also a murderer? I'm not sure we could use the same label. That's a discussion we need to have. I've also interacted with women who were coldly logical about the killing of their children. I've had conversations with others outside the same clinic that were a combination of scared and naïve about what was going to happen. Not everyone goes to the clinic with the same story, background or context. I don't think this takes away from the point BAMH2 has made, though.
On a whole, Babies Are Still Murdered Here is aggressively upsetting the upper card of the pro-life movement, and it deserves to be upset. Our strategies have failed. Pro-life leaders have misled and even thwarted efforts to end abortion when it was within grasp. We have been tightening the screws on abortion for over forty years and still have it. We should not be satisfied with anything less than total abolishment of abortion in America. This film is densely packed (a full 1:42 minutes) and this review merely scratches the surface. More could be said for the work of John Barros outside the mills and multiple clips of the late R.C. Sproul, but people will just have to see it for themselves. Pittman's latest installment bears the marks of a seasoned film maker who is only getting started. I look forward to seeing more of his work at Apologia Studios in the future. Though I suspect this film will be dismissed by leaders in pro-life organizations, it is time for them to examine their foundations and become consistent with the truth. Semper Reformanda.
