The Unborn Could Use a “Soylent Green” Moment

With the help of an ultrasound machine, the unborn need a moment that is similar to the end of the 1973 film Soylent Green (which revealed a shocking truth about humanity).

Today and for many years now the unborn/pre-born have been treated with little or no respect by large portions of the population. Part of the explanation for this is continued, historic indoctrination, which has led some to believe that the unborn are not human beings like us, but rather are mere “clumps of cells.” Those who accept this argument carry on in their lives without much thought or questioning, perhaps because they are too busy or preoccupied, or possibly because it gives them an answer that they are happy to receive. As a result, the unborn have been dehumanized on both a national and a world-wide scale, in a manner that is strikingly similar to how Jewish people were dehumanized in Nazi Germany. This dehumanization is evidenced by the practice of abortion (whether legal or illegal), and the fact that bodies of aborted babies fail to receive proper burials after their deaths.

Soylent Green (the Movie)

Soylent Green is a 1973 movie starring Charlton Heston. It was loosely based on a 1966 science fiction novel entitled Make Room! Make Room! written by Harry Harrison. Similar to the book, the main theme of the movie is overpopulation, and it is perhaps no coincidence that it came out the exact same year as the Roe v. Wade decision. Although it is difficult to prove, at least part of the purpose of the movie appears with hindsight to have been intended to support/sell the idea of abortion to the American public (i.e., as an answer to the perceived problem of overpopulation).

In the movie, a food product named Soylent Green is described as being made of plankton, but as a result of the investigative work of Charlton Heston’s character, he eventually discovers that out of necessity and due to limited and disappearing resources, the product is secretly made from people (i.e., from humans). In other words, the film posits that the earth has become so overpopulated in the future, it ultimately becomes necessary to use processed human corpses—obtained from living people who have been scooped-up from crowded streets—as the ingredients for a dwindling food supply.

Soylent Green (the Moment)

The most famous part of the movie and its most well-known line is at the very end of the film when Heston ultimately comes to realize and exclaims: “Soylent Green is people!” Prior to this moment he (as well as the audience) was completely unaware of this reality, as the product was thought to be made from something much more conventional. It is certainly one of the greatest and most over-the-top “reveals” in all of cinematic history, and most Americans, even if they have not seen the movie, are familiar with the phrase. In popular culture today, a “Soylent Green” moment is understood to have the following meaning:

“a revelation or realization that something believed to be benign or even beneficial is actually something harmful, or even horrifying.”

The Unborn as “Clumps of Cells”

Many on the Pro-life side contend that no one truly believes that the unborn are not living human beings. You don’t have to be trained as a doctor or nurse to view an ultrasound image, and by looking at a pre-born person in one, the viewer can see that the unborn baby has a human body that includes both hands and feet (and fingers and toes), as well as faces with eyes, ears and noses. The body that is temporarily being housed inside the womb is also moving, which is a clear indication of the existence of life. Nevertheless, it is still relatively easy for some who are unaware to believe that unborn babies are “clumps of cells.” The reason is because it is true. We are all clumps of cells to a certain degree, whether that be fetuses, toddlers, teenagers, or adults. Our bodies are made up of all kinds of living cells, and there is no dispute on this matter. Even when considered by themselves, we know that clumps of cells are not insignificant, for if they were to be found to exist on Mars, the entire world would declare in universal agreement that “life” had been “discovered” on that planet (pause and let that sink in for a moment…).

But the label, while technically accurate, is actually quite meaningless in addressing the question of a right to life for unborn persons, for it does not speak to the fundamental issue of human dignity that should justify ones’ unique existence. Regardless, though, some have taken the phrase “clumps of cells” to mean that the unborn are (incorrectly) considered as mere clumps of cells, and somehow as a result of this (by using flawed logic, but without giving it much thought), are deemed not to be fellow members of the human race.

For those who accept this conclusion (i.e., the unborn as “non-beings”), the important question to ask them is that in addition to cells, what exactly are the unborn? In almost every case of push back on someone who is making the “clumps of cells” argument, the result is often the same. When a young person is presented with the question “but aren’t the unborn human clumps of living cells, and if not, then what are they?,” the typical response is a blank stare with a long pause, accompanied by a glassy-eyed look—indicating that the person has never given the issue any serious amount of thought. But once you have their attention, the important point to emphasize is: just as you and I are also made up of cells, unborn “clumps of cells” in the womb are alive (and growing) and specifically human, as well as completely separate from the mother (i.e., they are not a body part of the mother and contain their own unique DNA).

An Epiphany

The moment in the movie when Charlton Heston realizes that Soylent Green is made from people can be described as an experience of a sudden and striking realization (i.e., as an epiphany). This same type of awakening is exactly what we need with regards to the unborn—a realization by young people that even though the unborn are, just like us, made up of “clumps of cells,” they are made up of cells that are both human and alive. This necessarily makes the unborn/pre-born human beings, or to put it simply, “people”—but even more, they are the most vulnerable of all people. For example, not only are the unborn financially poor and without money (which seems to be the main standard for some to define a vulnerable person), they, in addition, have no ability to care for themselves—similar to toddlers, severely handicapped persons, and a portion of the elderly population. Consequently, as people (and despite that they are unable to speak on their own behalf), unborn babies hold inherent “human rights,” most namely the right to life as identified by our Founding Fathers in our Founding documents. And there is no doubt that life is the most important of all rights, since what good to a person are “liberty” and the “right to pursue happiness” if they are no longer alive?

A Wake-up Call

The idea from the movie of food products being made from people is fictional and thus not real. Soylent Green, however, did have real-world implications, as the film appears to have been intended (at least in part) as a popular culture catalyst to provide psychological support for the practice of abortion—with the primary message being that we need to reduce worldwide population via the practice of legalized abortion or we will all end up running out of food in the future and engaging in horrific practices in order to survive. Instead of this false and misguided message, what we need today is a real-life “Soylent Green” moment, but going in the opposite (i.e., the Pro-life) direction; one where the youth of America and the world awaken to the realization that the unborn are in fact people. Surprisingly, this wouldn’t be that difficult, as such a feat could be easily accomplished simply by asking every person—patients, nurses, doctors and relatives—to view an ultrasound imaging of the mother’s womb prior to engaging in any abortion procedure.

(Yes, amazingly, it’s just that simple.)

In the movie Soylent Green, the “Soylent Green moment” was basically a gigantic wake-up call. This is exactly what we need today for the youth of America—as well as for the youth of the world. A wake-up call to the fact that, biologically, scientifically, realistically, theologically, inherently, Constitutionally, and legally, the unborn/pre-born truly are people; a revelation that the practice of abortion, which is believed by some to be benign or even beneficial, is actually something quite horrifying.

Photo Credit- SYFY, Caring Network, The Hollywood Reporter, iPleaders, and Mental Floss.