Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 04/23/24

Bill Maher makes everyone mad. On Friday the Real Time host declared himself a defender of children for (rightly) taking on the entertainment industry’s treatment of children. Apart from a bit of praise for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (which, at the very least, served up a bit of cognitive dissonance for his liberal base), few people would likely argue with his general theme. However, in another recent clip from the show that’s currently making the social media rounds (see above), it’s almost like he’s out to offend everyone.

In the snippet, he admits that abortion, basically, is the taking of a human life but goes on to say “I’m just okay with that.” And, just like that,  there go the liberals and there go the conservatives. Maher, of course, is not the first comedian/social commentator to express such brutal honesty. Chris Rock has expressed the same notion. In Maher’s comments, he tags pro-lifers who are willing to either compromise with a 15-week national ban or to let the states deal the issue individually with hypocrisy because, his reasoning goes, how can they believe abortion is murder but be okay with those compromises. An odd position considering that he thinks it’s murder but is okay with it period. Needless to say, those on the left are none to happy with him for admitting that being pro-life has absolutely nothing to do with being supposedly anti-woman – a scurrilous smear intended to undermine an honestly held moral position without ever have to debate it. Conservatives, on the other, are (I think understandably) taken aback by his position that it “kind of is (murder). I’m just okay with that.”

Responding to Maher’s comment, pro-life advocate Dr. Alex McFarland of Alex McFarland Ministries says “The pro-abortion realists have always known the truth — that an unborn baby is actually a person — but have chosen their own political agendas and personal comfort over the rights of the innocent…As horrifying as it sounds to hear Maher callously discount the lives of innocent children, it’s the shocking reality of the far Left. As for Maher’s dig at the ‘shifting’ allegiance of the pro-life campaign, let’s be clear on one thing. Abortion is murder in every sense of the word. Any attempt to downplay or disregard human life as just a ‘cluster of cells’ is just a smokescreen over the violence of abortion…We in the pro-life camp cannot compromise our position — there are literally millions and millions of lives that depend on our steadfast resolve to fight for unborn rights. Every single life has inherent, God-given value.”

IMHO: As for me, I’m a pro-lifer who finds the idea that abortion is “murder but, hey, no problem” to be quite offensive. I also, however, think that our country needs to find a compromise on the issue that will allow us to all take a breath, reflect and begin to actually listen to the other side’s concerns so that we may seek truly compassionate solutions that are sustainable. Any top down laws that do not take into account where a consensus of people actually are on the issue (as opposed to where we think they should be) is bound to result in an undesirably extreme backlash. You can read my previously expressed thoughts on the issue here.
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Follow the science – but also follow the money. Actress Ashley Bratcher, who gained notice for her performance as Planned Parenthood clinic director-turned-unborn advocate Abby Johnson in 2019’s Unplanned (and currently seen in Finding Faith streaming on Great Americas Pure Flix), is spreading her wings as a producer under her Simple Jane Films banner.

Pharma, the shingle’s first feature (based 0n her award-winning short film), tells the true story of Dr. Frances Kelsey who, after taking a job with the FDA in 1960, stood up to pharmaceutical industry “scientists” pushing to approve the sleeping pill thalidomide in the United States despite what she saw as inadequate testing. The drug was later proven to have caused thousands of birth deformities in Germany and Great Britain. The film seems especially relevant in an era when, unfortunately, the idea of the medical industry putting profits over people is in the headlines (or should be).

JWK: Tell me about your move into production with Pharma.

Ashley Bratcher: I started my own production company…because I wanted to take more authority over my career and decide the direction I’m going to go in. With Simple Jane Films we focus on ordinary women with extraordinary stories, people who have impacted the world in an incredible way that may have been overlooked in history. With Pharma, it is the true story of a woman named Dr. Frances Kelsey who prevented one of the largest man-made medical disasters from affecting the United States. She saved countless lives and I feel like a lot of people don’t know who she is. So, when I had the opportunity to tell her story, I jumped right on it. Things are moving a little bit more quickly right now…We hope to be filming by the end of the year. It’s a very Erin Brokovich-type story, a Hidden Figures-type story. Those are the kind of movies that I love. I’m honored and very excited to be able to be a part of bringing her story to life.

JWK: How did you find her story?

AB: By reading a lot of scripts. I read a lot of scripts as an actor. This was an amazing one that I just happened to stumble across and I was just blown away. I thought how is it that I have never heard of this woman? It was because I had just read a bunch of scripts (that I found it). I think it was probably like the 150th script I had read (over) a week’s time trying to find something that I wanted to champion. I mean nothing’s by happenstance, I don’t think – but, for me, this seems like a very happenstance-type story. I’m very excited to have found it.

JWK: How do you compare producing to acting?

AB: Oh, I have so much more respect for producers now! You know, acting is its own unique experience in the sense that you’re bringing a character to life. You have the honor and privilege of showing up to the set and doing something that brings a story to life. As a producer, you are steering the ship, you’re solving problems and you’re championing these stories. I wouldn’t even have the opportunity to be an actress if producers didn’t exist. So, being a producer for me is beyond just the thrill of being on screen – but working behind the camera to find the stories that I think matter. I’m also a businesswoman. I love problem solving. I love looking at the business of the industry and how to make films successful. I take a lot of pride and a lot of joy at being able to be on that side of the camera as well.     

JWK: Are you playing the lead in Pharma?

AB: Oh, no! Actually I’m not. That’s a great question! I think sometimes as a producer you have to make decisions that you wouldn’t maybe make as an actress. The lead role is, I think, gonna be a monumental role for whoever we decide to go with. I think that the right person to play it is not me. I am taking a supporting role in the film, a character that I very much love (who) was also a real person. I just felt like in my heart that the person who is meant to play Dr. Frances Kelsey is someone else. I cannot wait to figure out who that’s gonna be.

JWK: I understand the film is being crowdfunded. How can people support it?

AB: Oh, I love that you asked me that! We did crowdfund the initial development funds for the movie. We raised over $1.2 million dollars…That ended in January. Because we had so many people interested in the film after the fact we opened up another round. So, if people are interested in owning a piece of the movie, they can go to InvestinPharma.com.

JWK: I know you’re also a wife and mother, as well as an actress and now producer. What do you see yourself doing ten years from now?

AB: All of the above! I really love life. I love what I do. I’ve been very fortunate and blessed that I’m able to do what I do. I’d love to be in a position in ten years where I have even more control over bringing stories to life. You (previously) asked if I’d want to do my own series. Of course, I would. I’d like to be able to be in a position where people just say “Ashley wants to do it. Okay, let’s do it!” – where they trust me enough. That’s what I’ve been working really hard on in my career.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.