The 40 Film

This evening, I attended a screening of the film 40, which talks about the issue of abortion in the United States, compiled over the past two years.  It is a very well-done work, discussing the issue from various angles, including those who support abortion, and many groups within the pro-life movement, even those of humanists, feminists, and atheists.  It also sheds a lot of light on the how the abortion proponents tailor their message to distort the truth.

The film makes it clear that abortion kills innocent lives (now 56 million in the almost 41 years since Roe vs. Wade) and hurts women at the same time.  (The most revealing moment in this regard was when the film talked about Kermit Gosnell.)  There is an especially negative impact on racial minorities, even as Planned Parenthood clinics are deliberately located in minority areas of cities.  There were women featured in the film who testified about how they regret their abortions.  Others featured in the film were conceived as the result of rape, and testified to the positive impact of adoption.  And people from various pro-life groups shared their perspectives in the film, including the Scheidlers of Pro-Life Action League and Lila Rose, president of Live Action.

There were many heroes who appeared in the film to take a stand for life.  But there was a hero present at the screening: John Morales, the film's director.  He spoke about how his adopted son inspired him to create this film--this having come after a devastating time in his life when he helped make an abortion possible.  And while its intention was not to be a religious film, Mr. Morales made it clear that it was the work of the Holy Spirit that ultimately made it possible.  It is that same spirit that will carry us on in the fight to make abortion a thing of the past.  And that will happen through things like this film.

I hope this film is shown everywhere across America, so people know the truth about abortion.  In the discussion after the film, the hope was expressed that this film will be shown at every university in the United States, to get this message across to young people.  Thanks to the Respect Life committees of the various parishes in Oak Park and River Forest that helped put this event on so we, a crowd of over 100 people, could have the opportunity to watch this powerful film.

To learn more, visit the film's website: http://www.the40film.com/