180 Movie Given to Thousands of High School Students

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Nov 8, 2011   |   12:40PM   |   Washington, DC

The producers of the popular pro-life movie 180 gave thousands of copies of the DVD of the abortion film to high school students following a day last month where volunteers gave out hundreds of copies to college students across the United States.

A free DVD of the award-winning viral movie 180, which has received nearly 1.5 million views online, went to students in southern California. The movie opens with 14 people (mainly college students) who have no idea of the identity of Adolf Hitler and it has Jewish author Ray Comfort talk with them about comparisons between the Holocaust and the travesty of 54 million abortions in the United States.

Late last month, between 180,000 and 200,000 copies of the 33-minute DVD were given out at 100 of America’s top universities, and now the Jewish author and TV co-host is turning his attention to high schools.

“We just gave out 1500 copies of an award-winning controversial Holocaust/Abortion movie to three high schools in Southern California—despite protest from school authorities, who called the police,” Comfort told LifeNews.

“I’m the Jewish producer, and it greatly concerns me that these young people are ignorant as to perhaps the darkest period of human history–because the American education system has failed them,” he said. “It not only contains graphic Holocaust footage, but it also compares the Holocaust to American abortion.  Parents and school authorities who protest, cannot legally stop us.”

“Late last month, we gave away over 180,000 copies at 100 of America’s top universities, and after seeing these DVD’s get snatched up by younger kids in a matter of minutes, we plan to give away 500,000 in high schools across the U.S.,” he added.

Titled to reflect the complete turnaround in the mindsets of all to whom the question is posed, the award-winning film shows eight “pro-choice” people, mostly college students, changing their stance to pro-life just moments after the question is asked in its entirety. It is Comfort’s hope that the documentary will continue changing hearts and minds on abortion.

While skeptics of 180 say they can’t believe anyone would change his or her mind so quickly, Comfort accepts and even understands their disbelief, stating that he could hardly believe it himself when he first viewed the footage in the editing room. Initially, 180 was not the film he meant to produce. At the time, Comfort was taping interviews for a DVD to go along with a book on Hitler and the holocaust. In the course of the interviews, one question led to another, and the discussion led to abortion.

“It began with two male university students completely changing their minds about abortion when we asked them this one question,” he said. “We realized it wouldn’t be convincing to have only males speaking on the subject, so we took to the streets, asking that one particular question, and found that six women changed their minds from pro-abortion to pro-life in a matter of seconds. It was amazing.”

Comfort quickly recognized the film’s potential to open the doors of discussion. “I have held up pro-life signs. I have printed pro-life literature and spoken against abortion in pulpits and in my books, but I have felt that all my efforts were almost futile — that is, up until now. In 180 we have a nation changer.”

“Most of us know that we should be doing something to stop this horror, but the thought of protesting is a little unnerving, especially with the demonization of those who do so,” Comfort adds. “But here is something each of us can easily do — we can give this DVD out. We can pass them out on the streets, leave copies on park benches or on seats in malls or give it to the checkout lady at the supermarket. This isn’t hard to do, and it will save lives — perhaps millions of lives.”

Stacy Massey, the founder and president of Abortion Recovery InterNational, says the movie has made a huge impact on her and her ministry stands ready to help women who have had abortions who see the documentary.

“A few months ago, renowned author Randy Alcorn of Eternal Perspective Ministries, called our office to ask if we’d prayerfully consider being listed as a resource for those hurting after an abortion, who might be triggered after viewing the movie 180,” she says. “We agreed to review the production.”

“After being allowed to watch the movie in whole, I have to admit being quite taken back by the content. The movie looked as if it were shot in my home town of Huntington Beach. The pectoral background immediately made me feel as if I were there,” she added. “The people interviewed were typical of young adults roaming the pier and beach side setting I was so accustomed to. Yet Ray Comfort took an approach that none have yet taken in the pro-life movement. I was left utterly speechless.”

“‘If anything is going to change the direction of our nation (other than the testimonies of post-abortion men and women, this is it,’ I thought to myself,” Massey said.