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Pro-Life Message Breaking Through in Hollywood

Written By Sam Kastensmidt

In recent weeks, many people have been surprised—or downright stunned—by hints of a light shining in the typical Hollywood darkness, namely pro-life messages being released by a predominantly pro-abortion entertainment industry.

For example, the show House, which is the most popular television show in its 9:00 p.m. primetime slot, featured an atheistic and pro-abortion doctor and his medical staff which has few qualms about recommending abortion to one of their pregnant patients. During the show, Dr. House repeatedly insists upon using the term “fetus” rather than “baby.”

When the patient refuses to have an abortion, the doctors are required to perform surgery to save the unborn baby. During the surgery, the lead doctor is stunned and deeply moved when the unborn baby reaches from the womb during surgery and grabs his finger. The show couples this scene with touching music and a deeply reflective doctor who is left staring at his bloodied fingers and rubbing them together in complete awe of the unborn life.

After the surgery is completed, the patient offers her heartfelt appreciation for the successful operation, but Dr. House affirms the show’s pro-life message—by responding, “Don’t thank me. I would have killed the kid.” According to the Nielsen Media Research ratings system, this show reaches roughly 25 million viewers.

As incredible as this particular scene may seem to its skeptics, it was based on a true story. Doctor Joseph Bruner was in a similar situation, with the hand of an unborn baby extended from the womb during an August 1999 surgery. A photographer captured the image, and pictures of this surgery are now famous.

House is not the first show to feature an overtly pro-life message. According to Chuck Colson, host of the BreakPoint radio program, other pro-life scenes have been featured on popular shows like Scrubs, CSI: Miami, and others.

While this is not typical of Hollywood, it is certainly refreshing!

As Colson noted, “When you have watched Hollywood for a while, you learn that one praiseworthy moment does not mean everything is rosy…. And yet—doesn’t that make what’s happening all the more remarkable?”

“If you’re talking about life and death these days, you cannot escape the fact that what is in the womb is life,” he added. “Science has made it obvious. When truth is breaking out even on primetime television, that’s a real and important breakthrough.”

Pro-life messages are also breaking out in the most unexpected of places — rap music. Popular hip-hop artist Jinho “Piper” Ferreira, singer for the group Flipsyde, wrote a painful song, “Happy Birthday,” to express his regrets over paying for the abortion of his first child.

The song features lyrics like: “Please accept my apologies … I paid for the murder before they determined the sex. Choosing our life over your life meant your death. And you never got a chance to even open your eyes. Sometimes I wonder as a fetus if you fought for your life.…. I got a million excuses as to why you died. Other people got their own reasons for homicide…. My vision of a family was artificial and fake, so when it came time to create, I made a mistake.”

Nick Cannon, another hip-hop artist, wrote a solidly pro-life song, “Can I Live,” thanking his mother for choosing life over abortion. The song closes with the words: “I love life. I love my mother for giving me life. We all need to appreciate life.”

Proverbs 31:8 instructs, “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die.”

While we certainly disagree on much, the Center would like to thank those in the entertainment industry who have expressed enough courage and love to open their mouths for the speechless.

I pray that more in Hollywood and the world over will take this message up.

Wow, this is really great to hear....it was also very moving and touching to read the scene on House and to read the rap singers' lyrics!  Praise God, lives are changing.  I thought I heard something about some rapper (or maybe more?) wanting to get rid of the obsene lyrics in rap music.  Did anyone hear this?  Would be great if they do.

I hadn't heard about that but you're right it sure would be great.