Whatever a phone version of "pen pals" is, that's the sort of relationship I had with Norma, after reading her second book, calling the phone number listed at the end (for Roe No More ministries) and finding, to my surprise, that Norma herself answered the phone. I always kept the conversations relaxed and familial, the sorts of things grandmother and grandson would talk about, because I figured she had enough of the weighty matters from everyone else. And this documentary does a great job, I think, of showing what happens when an uneducated person just trying to get by in life is used as a mouthpiece for other people's opinions on the biggest societal questions. (Even the Bible warns that new converts shouldn't jump to leadership positions.) Norma's life is a perfect cautionary tale. And you can see just how exhausted she was by it all.
Some things I appreciated about the documentary: the music was subdued (never manipulative); the editing masterfully created suspense where needed, using really subtle techniques; and the people interviewed... well, that one is a little more complicated. I appreciated the fact that many sides of the abortion debate were depicted with archived video footage, including male and female pro-life and pro-choice activists, but I wished the interview pool reflected that same diversity, lest viewers come to the conclusion that pro-lifers are chiefly male, and pro-choicers chiefly female.
At the same time, this wasn't a documentary about the debate. This was a documentary about Norma. So I take that observation with a grain of salt. I just wish I could call her up one last time. I wish I had more inside knowledge about this documentary, not only what Norma's thought process had been, but also (I gotta say it) whether or not she was again being paid a sizable amount to say what she'd been told to say. And I wonder the same about some of the other interviewees.
There's a lot we just don't know. And with so many unrelated societal issues getting unnecessarily bundled together (if the viewer isn't careful to separate them), it's hard to have any real takeaways from this documentary. All I can hope for is that we seek to know the truth regardless of who the mouthpiece is, and to live out the truth lovingly, courageously and faithfully.
I'd be remiss not to end with my position on the matter: We have to offer options safe for women and for the unborn alike; we can't treat any demographic of humanity is being less than human. After all, plenty of 19th-century slaveowners were really nice people, I'm sure, and abolitionists probably real obnoxious to be around, but the truth is independent of its mouthpiece: no demographic of human being should have their personhood taken away. We are not free to take away the basic freedoms of others. The unborn have completely distinct, unique genetic code (not "part of" their mothers' body). They are their own people. And it is not okay that we should choose for them, whether or not to live or die. It brings me to tears when I think of the massacre still happening daily, as free choice is being taken away from human lives unable to speak up for themselves. And I don't care whether or not Roe Vs Wade is overturned; I'd rather see everyday citizens caring for each other, so that no woman ever feels like she has no choice.