The Silent Scream
Encyclopedia
The Silent Scream is a 1984 anti-abortion documentary
video directed and narrated by Bernard Nathanson
, an obstetrician, NARAL Pro-Choice America
founder, and abortion provider turned pro-life
activist, and produced in partnership with the National Right to Life Committee
. The film depicts the abortion process via ultrasound
and shows an abortion taking place in the uterus
. During the abortion process, the fetus is described as appearing to make outcries of pain and discomfort. The video has been a popular tool used by the pro-life campaign in arguing against abortion, although it has been criticized as misleading by members of the medical community.
Nathanson displays the instruments used in a typical abortion and calmly demonstrates how each instrument is introduced into a woman’s body during an abortion. Nathanson points out that the head, even at 12 weeks' gestation, will be too large to enter the suction device and shows how forceps
are used to crush the skull, where brain waves have been active for six weeks.
Nathanson then sits by a television screen showing ultrasound images of a fetus in its mother’s womb. As the images of an abortion appear on the screen, Nathanson describes step-by-step what is taking place, pointing out new instruments that are introduced into the womb. The suction cannula
is described as a lethal weapon that will "dismember, crush, and destroy" what Nathanson refers to as the child. Nathanson goes on to narrate that the fetus is unprepared for the invasion of the womb and attempts to escape the cannula, describing it as a "child being torn apart ... by the unfeeling steel instruments of the abortionist." He notes how the fetus' heartbeat speeds up and how it seems to open its mouth in a "chilling silent scream." The film culminates in the now-famous "silent scream" which is accompanied with shrill musical accompaniment.
Nathanson concludes the film by discussing the implications behind hiding this material from women. He believes the film is necessary in keeping women informed on matters concerning abortion. This was the first time the images of an aborted fetus were given an electronic platform
, as opposed to the printed
form of the imagery used in prior years.
's program, and aired five times over the span of a month on major television networks. The film was later distributed widely to high schools and colleges and, according to TIME
, "embraced as an effective propaganda weapon by right-to-life organizations." The film was popular among people who opposed abortion, even being shown at the White House
by then-President Ronald Reagan
. Reagan said that "if every member of Congress could see that film, they would move quickly to end the tragedy of abortion." The film's producers reportedly planned to send copies to every member of the United States Congress
and to the Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
upon its release. Some opponents of abortion touted the film as proof that their opposition was science-based.
called the film's use of special effects deceptive, a form of "technical flimflam." He pointed out that the film of the ultrasound is initially run at slow speed, but that it is sped up when surgical instruments are introduced to give the impression that "the fetus is thrashing about in alarm." Hobbins questioned the titular "scream", noting that "the fetus spends lots of time with its mouth open", that the "scream" may have been a yawn, and also that "mouth" identified on the blurry ultrasound in the film may in fact have been the space between the fetal chin and chest.
Fetal development experts argued that, contrary to Nathanson's assertion in the film, a fetus cannot perceive danger or make purposeful movements. David Bodian, a neurobiologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
, stated that doctors had no evidence that a twelve-week-old fetus could feel pain, but noted the possibility of a reflex movement by a fetus in response to external stimuli such as surgical instruments. The size of the ultrasound image and of the fetus model used was also misleading, appearing to show a fetus the size of a full-term baby, while in actuality a twelve-week-old fetus is under two inches long.
, stated that "it has forced us to respond." In 1985, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) produced a brochure in response, titled The Facts Speak Louder than "The Silent Scream", which described the video as "riddled with scientific, medical, and legal inaccuracies as well as misleading statements and exaggerations". PPFA convened what it described as "a panel of internationally known and respected physicians" to review and critique the film, and issue a rebuttal of the claims made, including fetal pain
, purposeful movement, and the titular "scream." PPFA also produced its own film, in which women, doctors, and other experts responded to the claims made in The Silent Scream, and which criticized it as portraying pregnant women as childlike and unfit to hold reproductive rights.
Author and journalist Katie Roiphe
described the video as "extremely suspect propaganda" and "essentially a horror movie that used frank distortions." Political scientist and pro-choice activist Rosalind P. Petchesky
described "its visual distortions and verbal fraud" and said it "belongs in the realm of cultural representation rather than... medical evidence."
Nathanson accused his critics of making excuses. On Nightline
, Nathanson responded to a doctor from Cornell Medical College with the comment, "If pro-choice advocates think that they’re going to see the fetus happily sliding down the suction tube waving and smiling as it goes by, they’re in for a truly paralyzing shock." Nathanson later called pro-choice activists' response to the film "clever," in that he said they focused on whether the fetus feels pain during an abortion. Nathanson observed that the film had made no claims about fetal pain
, so "the transmogrification of the brutality depicted in the video into a rather jejeune argument about the ability of the fetus to feel pain was a remarkably astute pro-choice strategy."
The film helped "to shift the public focus from the horror stories of women who had suffered back-alley abortions to the horror movie of a fetus undergoing one." The film has been very important for the pro-life movement and is widely available for purchase or download.
Nathanson later produced a follow-up film, Eclipse of Reason
, depicting a late-term abortion procedure known as intact dilation and extraction
.
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
video directed and narrated by Bernard Nathanson
Bernard Nathanson
Bernard N. Nathanson was an American medical doctor from New York who helped to found the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, but later became a pro-life activist.-Early life and education:...
, an obstetrician, NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
founder, and abortion provider turned pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
activist, and produced in partnership with the National Right to Life Committee
National Right to Life Committee
The National Right to Life Committee is the oldest and largest pro-life organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide. The group works through legislation and education to work against abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted...
. The film depicts the abortion process via ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
and shows an abortion taking place in the uterus
Uterus
The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...
. During the abortion process, the fetus is described as appearing to make outcries of pain and discomfort. The video has been a popular tool used by the pro-life campaign in arguing against abortion, although it has been criticized as misleading by members of the medical community.
Overview
Nathanson, an obstetrician, serves as both the medical expert and narrator of the film, describing the events of the abortion as they unfold. He begins by stating the viewer is about to witness the "dazzling" new "science of fetology" and to witness an abortion in real time "from the victim's vantage point." The film compiled a series of still ultrasound images of the abortion of a twelve-week-old fetus, which Nathanson describes as a child, spliced together to create the video.Nathanson displays the instruments used in a typical abortion and calmly demonstrates how each instrument is introduced into a woman’s body during an abortion. Nathanson points out that the head, even at 12 weeks' gestation, will be too large to enter the suction device and shows how forceps
Forceps
Forceps or forcipes are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Forceps are used when fingers are too large to grasp small objects or when many objects need to be held at one time while the hands are used to perform a task. The term 'forceps' is used almost exclusively...
are used to crush the skull, where brain waves have been active for six weeks.
Nathanson then sits by a television screen showing ultrasound images of a fetus in its mother’s womb. As the images of an abortion appear on the screen, Nathanson describes step-by-step what is taking place, pointing out new instruments that are introduced into the womb. The suction cannula
Cannula
A cannula or canula is a tube that can be inserted into the body, often for the delivery or removal of fluid or for the gathering of data...
is described as a lethal weapon that will "dismember, crush, and destroy" what Nathanson refers to as the child. Nathanson goes on to narrate that the fetus is unprepared for the invasion of the womb and attempts to escape the cannula, describing it as a "child being torn apart ... by the unfeeling steel instruments of the abortionist." He notes how the fetus' heartbeat speeds up and how it seems to open its mouth in a "chilling silent scream." The film culminates in the now-famous "silent scream" which is accompanied with shrill musical accompaniment.
Nathanson concludes the film by discussing the implications behind hiding this material from women. He believes the film is necessary in keeping women informed on matters concerning abortion. This was the first time the images of an aborted fetus were given an electronic platform
Electronic media
Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the end-user to access the content. This is in contrast to static media , which today are most often created electronically, but don't require electronics to be accessed by the end-user in the printed form...
, as opposed to the printed
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
form of the imagery used in prior years.
Reception
The Silent Scream was viewed by its producer and by the pro-life lobby as a tool capable of swaying public opinion against abortion. The film premiered on televangelist Jerry FalwellJerry Falwell
Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
's program, and aired five times over the span of a month on major television networks. The film was later distributed widely to high schools and colleges and, according to TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, "embraced as an effective propaganda weapon by right-to-life organizations." The film was popular among people who opposed abortion, even being shown at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
by then-President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. Reagan said that "if every member of Congress could see that film, they would move quickly to end the tragedy of abortion." The film's producers reportedly planned to send copies to every member of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and to the Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
upon its release. Some opponents of abortion touted the film as proof that their opposition was science-based.
Medical community
Many members of the medical community were critical of the film, describing it as misleading and deceptive. Richard Berkowitz, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, described the film as "factually misleading and unfair". John Hobbins of the Yale School of MedicineYale School of Medicine
The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. It was founded in 1810 as The Medical Institution of Yale College, and formally opened its doors in 1813....
called the film's use of special effects deceptive, a form of "technical flimflam." He pointed out that the film of the ultrasound is initially run at slow speed, but that it is sped up when surgical instruments are introduced to give the impression that "the fetus is thrashing about in alarm." Hobbins questioned the titular "scream", noting that "the fetus spends lots of time with its mouth open", that the "scream" may have been a yawn, and also that "mouth" identified on the blurry ultrasound in the film may in fact have been the space between the fetal chin and chest.
Fetal development experts argued that, contrary to Nathanson's assertion in the film, a fetus cannot perceive danger or make purposeful movements. David Bodian, a neurobiologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine , located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., is the academic medical teaching and research arm of Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins has consistently been the nation's number one medical school in the amount of competitive research grants awarded by the National...
, stated that doctors had no evidence that a twelve-week-old fetus could feel pain, but noted the possibility of a reflex movement by a fetus in response to external stimuli such as surgical instruments. The size of the ultrasound image and of the fetus model used was also misleading, appearing to show a fetus the size of a full-term baby, while in actuality a twelve-week-old fetus is under two inches long.
Pro-choice community
The film's success spurred a media response by pro-choice activists. Ron Fitzsimmons, of the National Abortion Rights Action LeagueNARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
, stated that "it has forced us to respond." In 1985, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) produced a brochure in response, titled The Facts Speak Louder than "The Silent Scream", which described the video as "riddled with scientific, medical, and legal inaccuracies as well as misleading statements and exaggerations". PPFA convened what it described as "a panel of internationally known and respected physicians" to review and critique the film, and issue a rebuttal of the claims made, including fetal pain
Fetal pain
Neonatal perception is the study of the extent of somatosensory and other perceptual systems during pregnancy. In practical terms, this means the study of fetuses; none of the accepted indicators of perception are present in embryos....
, purposeful movement, and the titular "scream." PPFA also produced its own film, in which women, doctors, and other experts responded to the claims made in The Silent Scream, and which criticized it as portraying pregnant women as childlike and unfit to hold reproductive rights.
Author and journalist Katie Roiphe
Katie Roiphe
Katie Roiphe is an American author and journalist. She is best known as the author of the non-fiction examination The Morning After: Fear, Sex and Feminism . She is also the author of Last Night in Paradise: Sex and Morals at the Century's End , and the 2007 study of writers and marriage, Uncommon...
described the video as "extremely suspect propaganda" and "essentially a horror movie that used frank distortions." Political scientist and pro-choice activist Rosalind P. Petchesky
Rosalind P. Petchesky
Rosalind P. Petchesky is an American political scientist, and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Hunter College, City University of New York. She is the founder of the International Reproductive Rights Research Action Group ....
described "its visual distortions and verbal fraud" and said it "belongs in the realm of cultural representation rather than... medical evidence."
Nathanson accused his critics of making excuses. On Nightline
Nightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
, Nathanson responded to a doctor from Cornell Medical College with the comment, "If pro-choice advocates think that they’re going to see the fetus happily sliding down the suction tube waving and smiling as it goes by, they’re in for a truly paralyzing shock." Nathanson later called pro-choice activists' response to the film "clever," in that he said they focused on whether the fetus feels pain during an abortion. Nathanson observed that the film had made no claims about fetal pain
Fetal pain
Neonatal perception is the study of the extent of somatosensory and other perceptual systems during pregnancy. In practical terms, this means the study of fetuses; none of the accepted indicators of perception are present in embryos....
, so "the transmogrification of the brutality depicted in the video into a rather jejeune argument about the ability of the fetus to feel pain was a remarkably astute pro-choice strategy."
Impact
The Silent Scream has been credited with winning "many converts to the pro-life cause" by its graphic scenes that shocked many viewers.The film helped "to shift the public focus from the horror stories of women who had suffered back-alley abortions to the horror movie of a fetus undergoing one." The film has been very important for the pro-life movement and is widely available for purchase or download.
Nathanson later produced a follow-up film, Eclipse of Reason
Eclipse of Reason
Eclipse of Reason is a 1987 documentary video about abortion directed, filmed, and narrated by Dr. Bernard Nathanson, with an introduction by Charlton Heston. Eclipse of Reason is a follow up to Nathanson’s first film The Silent Scream...
, depicting a late-term abortion procedure known as intact dilation and extraction
Intact dilation and extraction
Intact dilation and extraction is a procedure done in late term abortion. It is also known as intact dilation and evacuation, dilation and extraction , intrauterine cranial decompression and, vernacularly in the United States, as partial birth abortion...
.
See also
- Opposition to the legalization of abortion
- List of documentaries
External links
- The Silent Scream, streaming video
- F. Barringer, "The Piercing Scream of Silence", Carolina Review (Jan. 1, 2006)