UPDATED: Saturday, 1:26 PM: Gosnell crossed the $1M threshold today on Indiegogo. The telefilm, which took to crowdfunding to raise funds, is about Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia physician convicted of three counts of first-degree murder for mercilessly killing babies of botched abortions who were born alive by driving a scissors into their necks and snipping their spinal cords. It is believed that the practice went on for years. The filmmakers have set a goal of $2.1M.
PREVIOUSLY, Thursday, 1:53 PM: Gosnell has just become the most funded movie ever on Indiegogo after bowing less than three weeks ago, surpassing efforts by the likes of James Franco and Shemar Moore. Both Kevin Sorbo, who last starred in God’s Not Dead, and Nick Sercy (Justified) filmed videos in support of Gosnell‘s crowdsourcing campaign. “After Kevin Sorbo and his wife Sam and Nick Sercy (Justified) who released a video two days ago on YouTube we noticed huge spikes after those videos were released,” said producer Phelim McAleer. “I think it really shows that people really respect Hollywood celebrities who reflect their views and tell their stories. They were really crucial to the success so far.” The producers still have a long way to reach their goal of $2.1M. To date, the producers of the anticipated TV movie, McAleer and his wife Ann McElhinney have raised $907,460 to date and the total continues to climb. The record for a crowdsourcing campaign continues to be Veronica Mars on Kickstarter, which pulled in $5.7M after hoping to raise $2M for the film. In comparison, Franco collected $327,929 for Palo Alto Stories on a goal of $500,000 falling short and Moore raised $638,983 on a goal of $500,000 for the romantic comedy The Bounce Back.
Gosnell is a prospective TV movie centers on Philadelphia doctor Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who ran the abortion clinic from hell and was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder. The case rocked Philadelphia and the nation in 2010, and he is serving a life prison sentence without the possibility of parole. His story is used by both sides of the abortion argument to push their individual agendas.
This is awesome news! The Gosnell case is the best, highest-profile example yet of why abortion services should be required to be offered at major hospitals instead of being over-regulated into ghettos where women are butchered by the likes of this quack doc.
Both pro-choicers and those who committed to creating Hell on Earth for others (while waiting for the End Times) will flock to watch the butchery, just like Passion of the Christ! Win-win for the producers!
Over-regulated doesn’t mean what you think it means. Kermit Gosnell’s “clinic” hadn’t seen any kind of health or licensing inspector in more than 20-years. This is one of, if not the single, greatest reason that he was allowed to do what he did for so long.
Abortion is less regulated than dentistry or even tanning.
Yes, Hoya is absolutely correct.
“and those who committed to creating Hell on Earth for others”
I’m pretty sure 3,000 unborn babies murdered everyday in America is Hell on Earth.
Man, you Leftists are sick.
True, John. Thanks.
Well, getting crowdfunding will certainly be a win for the producers. But I don’t think they are trying to promote the same agenda as what you promote in your comment, nor do I think their funders would be in great sympathy with your agenda either. You are, of course, entitled to your opinion.
But the impetus behind the Gosnell movie & its funding is the perception that the story was effectively buried by most of the media, which has pro-abortion sympathies and did not want an “abortionist butcher” story sitting atop the headlines during the trial.
Gosnell specialized in late-term abortions. He delivered the babies alive, then killed them by stabbing them with scissors and cutting their spinal cords.
80% of Americans oppose third-trimester abortions. Babies at that stage of development respond to stimuli and are capable of feeling pain (7th month), and can see and hear (8th month). By the 9th month they are almost fully developed (internal systems complete by 8th month, lungs finishing development in 9th month), are blinking, can grasp things, turn their heads, and their reflexes coordinate. Babies in America born after 26 weeks (i.e. start of third trimester) have a greater than 50% chance of survival, and after 37 weeks almost all preemies survive, with modern medical technology.
So, yes, Gosnell was indeed a butcher. Of both babies and women. But the ratio of the former to the latter was a factor of something like 500 or 1,000 to 1, or greater (true numbers will never be known). Performing late-term abortions in hospitals would be more efficient, but still deadly, as far as the babies are concerned. Kinda like Zyklon B vs gas vans. Not sure why you would cheer this, but, as I said, you are entitled to your opinion.
By the way, Gosnell’s butchery proceeded for years because there was no inspection of abortion clinics in Pennsylvania from the mid-90s up through 2010. You decry “over regulation” but Gosnell’s butchery was the result of a lack of oversight, not the fault of too much oversight.
And Gosnell was charging anywhere from $1,600 – 3,000 cash for these late-term abortions. Not exactly chump change anywhere, but esp in inner-city Philly. Gosnell made about $1.8 million a year, paid his poorly trained staff near-minimum wages, and had $250K in cash stashed in his house when the authorities searched it.
What Gosnell charged for late-term abortions was fairly standard (for a procedure illegal most everywhere), so it wasn’t like he was offering sub-standard service because he was doing these procedures on the cheap because they were illegal. No, he could have afforded cleaner facilities, better trained staff, etc. The plain truth is that he dispensed exactly the level of service he wanted to dispense — which was horrific butchery.
Seeing as how every one of the women who submitted to his butchery could have obtained a legal abortion earlier in her pregnancy for about 1/3 to 1/10th of what Gosnell charged, you kind of have to wonder … WHY. Regulations (neither fewer nor more) solve this kind of question at the heart of completely irrational human behavior. A film, on the other hand, may be just the forum to get people to ask and think about those kinds of questions.
*Neither fewer nor more regulations would solve …
Is this really awesome news reality guy? So then how much have YOU donated for the movie to become an awesome reality?
And you seriously think Gosnell was a quack doc? As compared to who, the the other abortionists who only kill in the womb? Please!…Understand this: “Someone who makes a living taking the lives of the unborn is only one step away from taking the lives of the born”
Instead of attacking those fighting for the lives of the unborn, you should be thankful to them for they are doing something honorable. As an old Talmudic saying tells us “Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world..” If that is true—and I think it is great wisdom—how many worlds have been saved by the pro-life movement since Roe v Wade?
Seems like you are the one who supports butchery of women.
Pro-choice is really pro-abortion. It’s like saying, “Mind you, I wouldn’t beat MY wife, but who am I to tell some other man he doesn’t have the right to beat HIS? After all, the wife is the PROPERTY of the husband, just as an unborn child is the PROPERTY of the mother. That is YOUR demented argument. I’m just showing you the hipocrisy of your position. There is NO such thing as “pro-choice” when it comes to murdering an innocent child.
Maybe you should see it, too. It might open your eyes. These aren’t just blobs of tissue being thrown out like cancer cells cut from a body to save it. This is a human life that we’re sitting in judgment over. “You get to live” or “No you don’t get to live” are judgments being handed out by unqualified humans to other human beings before they’re even born to have done good or evil in the world. At least the Holocaust, vile, evil, and disgusting in every way though it was, allowed most if not all victims to be born and live before they were senselessly butchered. Women do have rights, but the right of life or death over another human being simply because they don’t feel qualified or – most sickening reason of all – a baby might ‘interfere’ with their desired lifestyle – is never ever among them.
You are one sick puppy, reality guy. A dead baby is a dead baby is a dead baby. In the sterile hospital or in the gosnell horror chamber, it’s murder of the babies that’s being committed, it’s murder and torture and misery of the mothers of the babies that are killed in the procedure called abortion. You really aren’t into reality, are you “reality guy”.
We have to clarify for Reality News Guy, because I think he does not understand what the Gosnell case is really about.
Dr Gosnell is in jail for MURDER — homicide, which is quite different from abortion. I agree that abortion is horrible, but abortion is not illegal.
Murder is illegal. Killing a baby AFTER she or he is born is homicide.
Pro-life people want to know why it’s legal ten minutes before birth, but not ten minutes afterward. But, that’s a different topic.
Not clever.
The media completely ignored this case. Maybe some type of movie no matter how bias it may be will shed light on a case the media decided not to cover because it didn’t mash with their politics.
Well done to the film makers for their courage, in taking on this project. The silence of most of the mainstream media, when it came to reporting the Gosnell trial, was very revealing.
It is the story that our society does not want to hear. But it is one that we have to face up to. It has been covered up and denied for far too long.
Agree totally. Thanks.
Ashely – the media did not “completely ignore this case.” Far from it. You are very uninformed.
incorrect Burkiss. There is a photo of the seats, reserved for the press, at the Gosnell trial. There is row upon row of empty seats, with not one journalist there. This image speaks volumes.
This whole case raises important questions, about the supposed fairness & impartiality, of our mainstream media.
If they don’t tell us the truth on this, what else are they covering up or denying. Can we trust our media?
How this case has anything to do with legal abortion is mystifying at best and completely dishonest at worst. It’s like saying the 2009 Fort Hood killer is representative of U.S. Army majors or John Wayne Gacy’s crimes are just something that all clowns do.
It’s more like the *reaction* to these incidents is the revealing thing. Because neither Gosnell nor the 2009 Ft. Hood massacre (to use one of your examples) occurred in a vacuum. Both played out in the context of highly polarizing cultural & political issues. And in both cases, one of the “sides” in those highly polarizing issues was perceived to be covering for (or minimizing the acts of) the killer.
Do you remember what General George Casey said in the immediate aftermath of the 2009 Ft. Hood massacre? Plenty of people do, because the general’s comments struck them as outrageous and ridiculous. “As horrific as this tragedy was,” Casey said, “if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.”
13 soldiers & 1 unborn baby murdered, 30+ wounded. But “diversity.” yah, yah. That’s *more* important than the lives of these human beings. (several of whom just happened to be female and/or minorities … all of whom, however, chose to be soldiers and wear the uniform of the United States)
Political agendas trumping human lives. That is what Gosnell and 2009 Ft. Hood have in common, in a lot of people’s opinions.
Again, that is why someone wanting to make a film about Gosnell, and that film having to be crowdfunded outside the usual Hollywood channels, and ordinary people stepping up to crowdfund it, is all important. A film is a cultural statement. Sometimes also a political statement.
“How this case has anything to do with legal abortion” … you perceive a disconnect between Gosnell and the current politics & culture of the abortion debate. A whole lot of other people perceive Gosnell and the debate to be intimately connected.
As a Christian it strikes me as ironic that the hate spewing Nick Searcy (check out his twitter feed) should stand as a beacon for Christian values.
One can oppose abortion without being a Christian.
Searcy is vocally conservative. I’m not aware that he goes about touting himself as a Christian. The “beacon of Christian values” thing seems to be a phenomenon confined to your mind, or a deliberately false strawman argument on your part.
As for hate spewing? Well, if he thinks you’re fat, or you’re an ass, or if he thinks you have your fat head up your fat ass, he’ll tell you exactly that. But I have seen exponentially greater anger and foul language from many other Hollywood celebrities on their Twitter accounts. Searcy is pretty tame compared to them.
“One can oppose abortion without being a Christian.”
I always fail to see why so many folks tend to have such a problem with that one. Non-Christian folks being against abortion is so much more a rule than an exception.
I suspect it’s a combination of two main things:
1 – the visibility of Christian organizations in the pro-life movement
2 – the desire of abortion proponents to marginalize the views of those who oppose them. The more secular the culture becomes, the easier it is to dismiss people who oppose cultural trends out of religious conviction and speak from perspectives informed by their religion. People who ridicule, slander and attack (in personal encounters, in art & media, in legal forums) Christians and Christ, anywhere in the world, but esp in the modern West, have virtual 100% lock on not getting murdered for even the most vile slander and petty attacks … and they know this.
Opposition to abortion, while harmonious with Christian principles, is not dependent upon them, and one can oppose abortion without making Christianity-based arguments. The Declaration of Independence, for example, cites “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” as the basis of every person’s and every people’s right to self-government, and humanity’s “Creator” as the source of our inalienable rights, including but not limited to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The Declaration’s language is about as generic as you can get with regard to a theistic stance, but “Laws of Nature” is included even for those who don’t want to stand within the circle of theists but who would agree with what the Declaration is asserting.
American principles of life, liberty and self-government were articulated at the very beginning, in the Declaration, in inclusive language. Nobody was asked for their church membership card in order to belong to the independence club. All you had to do was subscribe to the foundational principle that rights are not given by man but by “other” (transcendent entity), and that therefore no man and no government can abrogate these rights.
It seems to me that the “right to life” is, therefore, a quintessentially American principle, voiced in our founding documents, in plain terms, NOT circumscribing that principle to “here’s what the Bible says.”
So, yeah, proclaiming and defending a right to life is a traditionally American thing, as old as our country (views of when that life begins, though, being informed by the medical knowledge of each era).
Stemming from but not confined to Judeo-Christian roots, belief in an individual’s right to life is a “pluralistic” principle in the best sense — that even those who have few or no theological agreements can still agree on this, that no man and no government can or should take away what no man and no government gave to begin with.
Proponents of abortion who see pro-life as an almost exclusively Christian thing appear to be historically ill-informed and, unfortunately, blinded by a considerable amount of bias (some would even call it bigotry).
The Gosnell movie, therefore, has a much wider potential funding base and future audience than just Roman Catholics and evangelicals. People who fail to grasp the pluralistic, broad-coalition nature of pro-life belief in American culture and politics are going to keep smacking their head into the wall on this one. Pro-life advocates are not going anywhere. Most especially “away.”
There were some pretty unseemly people in Germany who stood up for the Jews. I bet in the end. the Jews weren’t picky about who saved their lives.
JennySueNY. Huh?
Burkiss – Think about it.
This case didn’t rock the nation, it was ignored by the MSM. Many people in Hollywood are likely just learning about this horror now. I wonder which network or cable channel has the balls to air this?
Pro -Choice ? What choice does the baby get ?
This is a horrific story that people that are against abortion are using to their advantage to push their agenda. Yes, what Gosnell did was disgusting, but it does not represent the clinics that operate at a very professional level that perform safe abortions. Sorbo and his wife in their video actually did say, “If you want to learn the truth about abortion…” The Gosnell story is not the whole truth about abortion. It’s the truth about a serial killer that killed live babies. Bring on the hateful replies to my comment pro-lifers.
El, How will we know how often this horror happens unless it is exposed. Tiller had a “clinic” (I use the word clinic very loosely) and he was protected by Kathleen Sebelius for years. Planned Parenthood won’t let ANY numbers out on late abortions for fear of privacy, even though no names are needed. In fact we really don’t know how many late term abortions happen. If we agree that we will disagree about first term pregnancies, can we at least all come together on this horror. It seems that the pro-abortion wing is afraid of a “slippery slope” and they don’t want to touch ANY restrictions on abortions. The vast majority of Americans want restrictions on abortion. I will sadly agree that they don’t want early abortions outlawed, but they want restrictions. If we can come together, left and right on this obvious crime, I think we’d both win. These poor women are vulnerable and these scumbags are taking advantage of them and doing this all for money… they are the worst. And when I think of the young girls with older “boyfriends” taking them to these butchers… I have to just breath deep and pray!!
I live in Scandinavia. In my country abortions are allowed if the woman wants them fairly easily, although she always needs a permit from a doctor, until 12th week. and it’s easiest if she is under 17 years old or over 40, already has more than four children or the fetus is suspected to be in some way damaged. After that only for very compelling reasons, like her health, maybe if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest or the fetus is found to be badly malformed or otherwise damaged. And after 20th week there are very few good enough reasons for it, mostly only if the baby has already died in the womb but she does not miscarry, if the baby is so badly damaged in some way he would not have any real chance of surviving after birth – and even that may not be good enough after the 24th week – or if the mother’s life is in grave enough danger that the choice becomes one between her or the baby.
And the father does have the right to voice his opinion.
And I do think that is a pretty good way to go about this. I’m okay with the thought of aborting a fetus who is still more just a possible baby if everything goes alright, even if I don’t exactly like it. But aborting a baby who is almost ready to be born is horrifying. That is murder, not really any different from killing the baby after it has been born.
This is the truth about abortion that Pro-Choicers have been dreading would be dragged screaming into the light. Abortion = Murder. You can only hide from the light for so long and then it will come and find you. Shine on, Truth. Here it comes, Pro-Choicers.
Safe for who, certainly not safe for the babies.
Good to see Kermit Gosnell’s murderous crimes against helpless babies brought out as a movie. I’ve donated twice. For decades now Legalized abortion has been the rule in America but who has been monitoring monsters like Kermit Gosnell to prevent crimes like this? Hospitals shouldn’t be required to have their staff do things abortions they find morally repugnant. Medical practitioners shouldn’t be forced to engage acts they find morally wrong. That is why we see these acts still performed in smaller “clinics” or what I like to call abortuaries.
The sacrifice of children is what God hates. Pagans of old believe that that sacrifice to their idols will bring them financial and sexual success.
I had not read the numerous emails I received on this, until it was covered on Fox’s The Five – then I made the connection and donated.
How can you force someone to do something like kill if they don’t want to?
An “unwanted child” says nothing about the child but it says everything about the person using the term.
Whatever your politics are, props to Indiegogo for not “choosing” who can crowdfund a film on their site. Let the “crowd” decide who is deserving of their support.
Great point.
As long as no laws are being broken, it would seem better for a crowdfunding forum to be as open as possible (i.e. no “viewpoint discrmination”). For the sake of business AND art.
@ EI; Safe abortions? can you even hear what you are saying? safe for whom please? certainly not the baby that you and so many pro-choicer’s ignore entirely. even at ten weeks the baby has it’s own unique DNA, a face, arms, legs and finger nails along with a beating heart, and the average abortion occurs at around 13 weeks. pain has been proven to exist at, if not before 20 weeks, we have become a heartless people all in the name of choice, the epitome of selfishness.
Not a hateful reply, but the fact everyone over looked the conditions at Gosnell, enabled him to do this horrific crime against life, partial birth late term abortion are basically with in seconds of this atrocity. If you pro lifers are ok with that it’s called lack of conscience. Society doesn’t have much of one these days. Don’t expect to change your mind, but there are more out there like him. It’s a regular practice that planned patenthood has to defend against born alive bill.
Philadelphia — The City of Brotherly Love. The irony is thick.
The fact that Gosnell is still alive tells me that he spends all of his time separated from the rest of the prison population. Prison officials know that convicted felons would eliminate him in a heartbeat, because baby killers and child abusers are not well-tolerated in prisons. Yes, even convicted felons draw the line somewhere, and people like Gosnell are considered to be the lowest of the low.
“Over-regulated”. Reality guy needs a serious reality check. He is grasping at the proverbial straws and creating fantasies out of thin air in his attempts to justify the unjustifiable. To defend the indefensible.
However, the bottom line is this: THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY TO DO A WRONG THING!
To reality guy’s way of thinking, it’s okay to commit infanticide in hospitals so long as they are nice, clean and well-staffed. Apparently, the Hippocratic Oath that all doctors must swear to — “TO DO NO HARM” — to their patients — should be ignored because we are such an “enlightened” species and beyond all that oath stuff. People think that women should have the “right” to kill their full-term AND born children — who are pink, squirming, breathing, healthy and ready to experience life — all because the child represents an inconvenience (the ONLY reason for abortion a full 99% of the time!). In other words — irresponsible sexual behavior can be made up for by murder. This is enlightenment?!? This is what civilized societies do? Pass laws allowing for the killing of the young because they represent a nuisance?!?
Where does it stop?
Europe has also recently had its ‘Gosnell moment’. About three weeks ago, it was revealed that, over a two year period, over 150,000 unborn babies were incinerated in Britain. They were incinerated along with other ‘clinical waste’ – as part of a heating system, to generate heat for hospitals.
Only one British newspaper, the ‘Telegraph’ had the integrity to report this story. The rest of the British media – including the state broadcaster the BBC – completely ignored it. The atrocities of the abortion industry, unfortunately, are not just confined to the US.
Creator inspired (rule of law) “Life” Liberty & Property rights [were] once the holy trinity of this [once] prosperous nation.
(Rule of man) Abortion is taking someone else “Life” for ones own sin.
It’s like Deja-vu, allover again.
Good when we get old and it’s our turn in that Barrel.
Good luck when God washes his hands of this nation.
Happy Good Friday. Steve Lakewood Ca.
RE: “…Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who ran the abortion clinic from hell…”
Aren’t they all?
No. Unfortunately, we cannot trust the media.