Just now I finished watching Lake of Fire, a documentary by Tony Kaye that examines differing opinions on the issue of abortion. Kaye weaves interviews with community members, officials, local idols (like priests, for example), and medical professionals with clips of protests and actual footage of abortion procedures. Not a pretty picture, people. As unsightly as the baby parts being extracted from the women’s bodies were, it was nowhere near as disturbing as the opinions from anti-abortion, bible-thumping, pro-life activists. These are the same people who quickly judged actions when they were unaware of the circumstances. At some parts in the film, there were the extremely hostile individuals who were against welfare, birth control, homosexuals, pre-marital sex, etc. and very openly expressed this. It still shocks me today, to see that people believe this way – I guess I’m naive in that respect believing that collectively, as people in the U.S., we are much more progressive than we actually are. It’s a damn shame, really.
Many individuals spoke of their push towards reversing Roe v. Wade – removing the rights women have to make decisions over their bodies. What’s more inexcusable is that these are older, wealthy (imagine all of the church-funded bucks they get for being anti-abortion), Caucasian MEN. They know nothing of the trials a woman experiences when she learns of her pregnancy, mulls over life-altering circumstances in her decision, and the abortion itself! The notion that they BELIEVE they have a say is nonsense. The only way I could ever believe this kind of concern is warranted is if the man is the father of the child and genuinely cares for the woman and their child.
I can’t even comprehend the times in which women were unable to have abortions EVEN if the pregnancies came about after cases of rape & incest. So many women ended up hemorraging because they were not aware as to how to use the rusty wire hanger in their uteruses. One of the men interviewed who believed legalized abortion are medical services that NEED to be provided showed a photograph of a woman slumped over, face on the floor, bleeding from her vagina, dead from hemorraging. It was horrifying, and as it should be – so many of these women died in the past because they were stripped of their right to decide on matters regarding their bodies. Why would we want this to repeat itself? Many of the individuals, mainly priests, were adamant about returning society to a Christian-based framework. Something I could take pages to discuss, but will say simply here, that ignoring and putting matters about people and sex under the metaphorical rug is an idiotic notion.
Human beings have sexual needs, because we are sexual beings. To deny birth control to the masses would be problematic in numerous ways. To believe and preach abstinence is simply unrealistic. What we should do and continue to do is improve our sexual education programs and provide better counseling services to schools, colleges, and community-based health clinics. Tremendously siphor funds into afterschool programs and nonprofit efforts that help our young men and women of today mature into self-respecting, responsible, capable adults. We need to let individuals decide instead of making the decisions for others with our own biases and personal beliefs because to assume that we know and understand what they are going through personally is ridiculous, not to mention impossible. That is why I believe pro-choice is the most ethical, moral choice.
I thought the execution of the film was exceptional. The film itself is shot in black & white, my guess is because it’s meant to highlight the contrast of opinions between those who are for abortion and those who oppose it. Focusing on so very little color allows you to maintain a greater focus on the issues discussed, the emotions expressed. Kudos, Kaye. You managed to have me squeeling, shaking my head, and shouting “YEAH” at the screen during various parts of the film. Definitely thought-provoking.
Next on my queue: Mississippi Masala by Mira Nair. Love the woman, pure genius. Plus, I’m in need of a romance film, haven’t seen one of those in ages.
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