**Warning: some minor spoilers ahead. Some may want to watch this film before reading the review. Others may be inspired to watch the film after reading the review. We have also included the preview!

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” – Isaiah 49:15 NIV

Imagine if your mother did not want you, and tried to abort you but was unsuccessful.  The premise of the film October Baby is based on true stories. Some babies do survive abortion attempts and spend the rest of their lives with wounds as a result.  While physical disabilities and mental health issues are very likely when this happens, they are not going to be fully understood by these individuals if they are not aware that they survived an abortion attempt. In this film, we truly see the anguish of feeling unwanted and unloved, and the search for meaning and hope in the midst of indescribable pain.

In this film, the main character Hannah will go on a journey – ultimately to discover her own value.  The trip she takes and the relationship she has with her adopted parents – including her father – are signs of God the Father’s love for her. This is true even when she suddenly becomes aware that things are not as they seem; she is, in fact, adopted.  While the woman in the film is Baptist, she does have a grace filled-encounter with a Catholic priest. I believe that, as Catholics, we have the gift of knowledge. Even if our own mother abandoned us, or we lose a mother through death, we have and need to proclaim to all people the love of our Mother Mary. She, like Her Son, will never leave us or abandon us!

This beauty and love in the midst of the pains of life reminds me of when Pope Benedict XVI began his pontificate.  He had a great desire and for evangelization; he desired and hoped that we could share Christ with the many broken people we encounter.  I believe that this film, October Baby, exemplifies that hope. We know that every life is beautiful, but we discover that beauty when we find God’s plan for our life in Christ.  In our culture, we hear that we (likely) got here by accident – that human life is random and simply a product of evolution. It is no wonder that, in such a culture, the disabled and the unborn are looked at as products to be thrown away instead of persons to be loved.  Let us look at Pope Benedict’s wonderful quote:

“It is really so: the purpose of our lives is to reveal God to men. And only where God is seen does life truly begin. Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is. We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary. There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him." (Pope Benedict XVI, Inaugural Mass, April 24th, 2005)

Finally, let’s look at one more biblical quote – one that is in the film.  I personally know that many have hurt me. Only by forgiving and moving forward can I continue to receive God’s grace and see what He wants next in my life. The passage says:

Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:13)

Indeed, Hannah will learn peace, love, joy, and the power of forgiveness throughout the film.  She will learn that, in Christ, her life has meaning and value. God has a plan for her, as He has for each of us.  She will learn this even more strongly through pain and heartache, as God brings healing and shows His plan for her through her deepest brokenness. This truly is the pro-life message. Why do we fight against the evil of abortion, and for the value of each human life? It is because God loves us – because He created each of us for a reason and a purpose.  At St. Therese’s Vision for Disability Giftedness, we showcase how God works in each and every broken situation for His glory. This certainly includes the tremendous pain of anyone who has been touched by abortion!

By George Ayer

Edited by Taylor Hyatt