“Gosnell” film producers Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney have received many letters of praise and thanks for their recent project but one of the most touching came from a grandmother who is mourning the loss of her unborn grandson.
The grandmother, Diane, said her grandson, Russell William, died in the womb of natural causes just 10 days after she saw their film about Kermit Gosnell’s late-term abortion practice.
“I saw this beautiful movie and took six friends on opening night,” she wrote. “Little did l know that 10 days later, on October 22, my unborn grandson would die in utero. My grandson, Russell William, was 28 weeks old when his umbilical cord twisted and kinked. A routine checkup revealed that his heart had stopped.”
Diane said her daughter spent 14 hours in labor, rather than have a D&C, because she wanted to hold her son’s body.
“This was truly a labor of love. I was blessed to be with her and her husband, by her side,” she continued. “I couldn’t help but think of Baby Boy A when I saw my grandson after he was born. He was perfect and beautiful.”
Baby Boy A was one of Gosnell’s many victims. The former Philadelphia abortionist sometimes killed late-term babies after they were born, rather than in the womb.
According to the grand jury report, Gosnell often induced labor and late-term babies were born alive, then he or one of his staff would take a pair of scissors and snip the backs of the babies’ necks to kill them. Authorities estimated Gosnell may have killed hundreds of babies this way, but they only had enough evidence to convict him on three counts of murder.
Diane said she thought of her grandson and of Baby Boy A when she bought additional tickets for the film, even though she could not use them herself.
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Her letter continued:
It was something positive l could do in a time of sorrow. Everyone at the hospital where my grandson was born treated him with respect and dignity. One nurse cried and sniffled along with me as she swaddled and prepared to hand him to my daughter. The woman from the funeral home who came to get him the next day cried as she took him and told us how sorry she was for our loss. A nurse took pictures of him for us as a memory. A non-profit organization offered to touch up the photos for free. The Hospital sent us home with a box of treasures. . .. a certificate with his footprints, Ornaments with his name and footprints, a measuring tape marked with a red heart at his length, 13 1/4 inches.
I thought of the young woman who took the picture of Baby Boy A and what she said. She took the picture because he could have been someone’s brother, and she thought there should be a picture of him, even though he was only here for a moment.
Every baby should be treated with respect and dignity no matter how small. My heart breaks that Baby Boy A was not treated the way my grandson was yesterday and today. But you told the story and Baby Boy A with respect and dignity. Thank you so much for that. I’ll never forget his name or his face. I am thinking this moment of Baby Boy A and my grandson Russell together along with the One who created them. I can thank Him and go to sleep now with full heart and a peaceful spirit.
Diane said she purchased the tickets as a memorial gift for her grandson, her daughter and two other babies who she had miscarried before carrying Russell.
“I want to encourage others to do the same.. . . in memory of children or just to support getting the truth out about this important film,” she said. “Thank you for doing the right thing, telling the truth, and helping to change minds. God bless you.”
The film has been eye-opening for many Americans. Earlier this month, media entrepreneur Patrick Courrielche and Kathy Zhu, a college student with a huge social media following, said the film changed their minds about abortion.
Producers McAleer and McElhinney said they have heard many similar stories.
“We showed a liberal friend an early cut of the film and he left the theater and started chain-smoking declaring: ‘I’ll have to rethink everything,” they said. “That is why we made the Gosnell Movie – not to make people think a particular thing but to bring facts to people and to make them think again. As journalists and filmmakers it is all we want to do.”
In 2013, a jury convicted Gosnell of murdering three newborn babies and contributing to the death of a female patient, along with numerous other crimes. He was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison. The grand jury report found that abortion activists ignored Gosnell, allowing his horrific business to continue for decades.
The film is rated PG-13. Theaters across the U.S. are showing the film. For more details, visit gosnellmovie.com.
