Last week, the pro-life movie “Unplanned,” which tells the story of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director, hit theatres all across the United States.
Jason Scott Jones, a film producer and pro-life activist said the movie filled him with hope and conviction. In a recent YouTube video, he declared “this film has the power to end abortion.”
While many pro-lifers are excited about the positive change this movie could bring, there is another pro-life group emerging that sees things quite differently. They call themselves “abortion abolitionists.”
These 21st-century abolitionists say incrementalism has not worked and believe unapologetically in defeating abortion outright, once and for all.
The messages, marches and slogans that so many pro-lifers have championed in recent years, abolitionists argue, have actually done little-to-nothing in aiding in abolishing abortion. That’s a tough charge, but the numbers seem to back up the sentiment. Yes, the total number of abortions has slowly decreased over the last several years. But with upwards of 1 million abortions still happening each year in the United States, it hardly feels like a number worth celebrating.
Differentiating between pro-lifers and abolitionists
Jon Speed, an abolitionist and producer of “Babies Are Murdered Here,” became involved with the abolitionist movement after he came to the conclusion that the pro-life community’s methods in ending abortion were not working, nor did they have the appropriate urgency needed to end abortion.
Although most people would lump the two movements together, there are distinct differences that keep the pro-life movement separate from the abolitionist movement. According to Speed, the greatest difference between the two is the incremental philosophy versus the abolitionist’s immediate approach.
“As we filmed our first documentary the contrast between an immediatist approach and the incremental philosophy of the pro-life world became even starker and sealed it for me,” Speed told Faithwire.
‘Overwhelmingly Offensive’: Women Outraged by Michigan Abortion Billboard
Marcus Pittman, fellow abolitionist and co-director of “Babies are Murdered Here,” explained to Faithwire that it only took one trip to an abortion clinic to open his eyes to the travesties that take place inside.
“It hit me pretty hard. It wasn’t, for the most part, women in a tough situation,” he said. “It was women reveling in their ability to legally murder their child.”
Pittman and Speed’s film details the abolitionist movement and the purpose behind their approach, and how they differ from the wider pro-life movement that has gained traction in the United States.
“The main difference between being ‘pro-life’ or being an ‘abolitionist’ is that abolitionism has an immediate and direct end and goal, with a foundation on the Word of God,” Pittman explained, adding that the current pro-life movement seems to believe the highest form of law is the Supreme Court, by contrast.
“This was reinforced with the Fugitive Slave Act, where Wisconsin rejected federal law that required them to return freed slaves to their owner,” he explained. “The Supreme Court does not define what is moral in this nation, and sometimes, they are wrong and their rulings are immoral (Obergefell, Obamacare, etc.).”
Pittman emphasized that abolitionists “believe that lower civil magistrates like state and city government officials have a duty to protect its citizens from acts of tyranny from higher civil magistrates.”
He argued that this is vital because, without lower court protection, the federal government takes over and can easily force legislation for the masses.
If Democrats Get Their Way on Abortion, There Won’t Be Any Special Olympics Left to Fund
“Even if Roe v. Wade was overturned tomorrow, the very next day Planned Parenthood would present a pro-choice constitutional amendment to overturn that ruling,” Pittman said.
He further pointed out that the pro-life movement chooses to accept higher court rulings, alongside federal law, even when they go directly against the Word of God.
This is why you may be seeing more videos pop up of individuals taking a stand to end abortion in front of their city council members. Pittman himself recently delivered a speech denouncing abortion before local officials:
https://www.facebook.com/ApologiaStudios/videos/399516737544428/
Pastor Jeff Durbin is another who has taken the abortion fight to the local level:
Others are doing the same:
https://www.facebook.com/ApologiaStudios/posts/1792307694248857?__xts__[0]=68.ARBsGI3Yc3pqp5ofwmY_jfsDcCRvFJcB3uY6IWJWulKTFFghEP-AXJcEWmRlLryZRvTXINm7C2heWQ5k0bYJ6QFcF6tUi-4QuwovFVoOJQfIsgrGGgWsNtf77KDrpb51sijuNP2mQOIzOJ0XF3ROcSRS3EadGzrqiUrRO5A4TRtQLm2sx4QLqTFkKLeVSYit1c25nQGMDD40MZ1aKRA7–uQlVvo64fdKSHjIH8Ep_XOjaRJVQxjMxpoggVFOVtlotjurY4dqfSbGxB91DukYYeb5vIetNazgaM6PHqooeNgEjODnm_gRfG8oU2WLT6DTxr1hHOUGlAjm4PqKuuwRYzHZrTWQcI&__tn__=C-R
https://www.facebook.com/ApologiaStudios/posts/1790838257729134?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCy6_P9tO2BvWny13by8pW2BNj48zWwDjkJD7Mwu5cLjuRXBuLUvPTofHsFfWvuT3m-Xzi6DI_3uSpBBWFq0RugyYl0_ARkBrAZ8D_dhyhQtpWhU5KKd4denZwxjLJbl0MW4wpHdTv-RLovLCEitX8e2XkcIQ1r45EYTtvA3gV0J7jpMiYfTQBLYhQ7NRzUC8_WcQayxiJigbOcnof3aPIDxqsSVJQYvUgGFcok_Ipr5oz5jSLK3GSupNkOXhoe71WgYKJmqPRWN7oOM_iygwuHgsbWzNxC4VTcYPvIImqScymia3hR6W7UfqNV4Ye4EdDIWfaF-BAhkiVSptsLPcQ-0kzFI5I&__tn__=C-R
https://www.facebook.com/ApologiaStudios/videos/vb.161108570702119/648828555561062/?type=2&theater
Who is the ultimate authority?
While abolitionists hold tight to the Bible to defend their reasoning for outlawing abortion, they argue that pro-lifers credit too much of their support to science. Speed argued that the only way to change the hearts and minds of those that are pro-choice is by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which, he points out, the current pro-life movement fails to do.
“The pro-life machine puts this message on the back burner if not hide it altogether, while claiming they need to change hearts in order to change minds,” Speed pointed out. “The pro-life movement discourages the use of the gospel since it wants to attract all people to the movement regardless of religious affiliation (if any).”
Pittman agreed that focusing on a defense-sponsored by Scripture, as opposed to the pro-life’s focus on science, is what will truly eradicate abortion.
“The pro-life movement wants to position the argument in a more secular direction, leaning on science,” Pittman pointed out. “But the truth is that this is a position that the Bible routinely condemns.”
Hollywood Wages War on Georgia Over Pro-Life ‘Heartbeat’ Bill
He further explained that in the Old Testament, whenever Israel was trying to defeat evil, “they would embrace the practices of unbelievers and unite with those of different faiths. God would then judge Israel for their idolatry.”
“What needs to happen is for the pro-life movement to repent of their idolatry, acknowledge the only true God and reject the plans and strategies of unbelievers,” he said.
“Woe to the rebellious children, declares the LORD, to those who carry out a plan, but not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin,” Pittman added, quoting Isaiah 30:1.
Faith is central to the abolitionist movement. Throughout the interview with both Pittman and Speed, the emphasis on their involvement in the abolitionist movement was grounded in their Christian faith. Pittman pointed out that everything the abolitionists believe is backed by a Bible verse or a concept from the Bible.
Breathing Babies Tossed in the Garbage: GOP Lawmakers Move to Protect Abortion Survivors
“Faith is central to the role of ending abortion,” Pittman emphasized.
“Abolitionism, as I practice it, is gospel-centered,” Speed added. “The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only message that can change hearts and minds.”
Pittman used the Bible story of Gideon and his army to illustrate the fact that “God likes to win fights with small numbers.”
“The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boasts over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ God doesn’t need large numbers, he doesn’t need a large percentage of the voting block to favor his Law. What God wants is faithful men, not many men,” he said.
Huge Pro-Life Victory: Obamacare’s ‘Assault on Religious Freedom’ Suffers Defeat in Federal Court
At the same time, they pray and ask God’s blessing on their work.
“I am not sure what god they are praying to and in some cases, neither are they since they will brag about praying with Buddhists and atheists,” he added. “I do not know why God should help the pro-life movement if they do not want to honor Him as God or His message of salvation.”
As millions of babies around the world continue to be aborted every year, it’s worth taking a look at the methods and various approaches different movements are employing. Regardless of which method you agree with more, one thing we can all agree on is that we should all be fervently praying for God to bring an end to the atrocity that is abortion.