Donald Trump is winning the support of many religious conservatives even though he has a spotty past on opposing abortion, which conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer calls "the central issue of the conservative movement for the last 30 years, in terms of social issues." But before the early 1980s, Samantha Bee chronicled on Monday's Full Frontal, evangelical Christians and Southern Baptists didn't care much about abortion, considering it an issue for the Catholics to fret over. They had to be convinced to oppose abortion by religious-Republican leaders like Jerry Falwell and Paul Weyrich, Bee says, and Falwell and his peers got "an assist from a talented young sci-fi filmmaker," Frank Schaeffer.
Schaeffer sat down with Full Frontal and explained that "one of the things that I did, back in the day, when I was young, was help found, start, begin what became known as the pro-life movement." He made a series of creepy anti-abortion films, featuring his father, evangelical theologian Francis Schaeffer, and future surgeon general Dr. C. Everett Koop. Making those films is "the single greatest regret of my life," he said. Bee set them up: "Two pals who shared a love of theology and novelty beards, plus a 20-something raised on Fellini films: What could go wrong?" Evangelical leaders didn't like the films, but thanks to Jack Kemp and congressional movie night, they came around. Watch below for the full story, and be warned, there is some NSFW language and disturbing imagery. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
80 dead in Colombia amid uptick in guerrilla fightingSpeed Read This was the country's deadliest wave of violence since the peace accords set by President Gustavo Petro in 2016
-
Trump starts term with spate of executive ordersSpeed Read The president is rolling back many of Joe Biden's climate and immigration policies
-
Trump pardons or commutes all charged Jan. 6 riotersSpeed Read The new president pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged with crimes related to the Capitol riot
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
