Editor’s note. Although it truly does seem like yesterday, we lost this pro-life giant a little over six years ago. Jean, my friend of over 30 years, wrote many stories for NRL News and NRL News Today. Periodically, we run one of her terrific posts for those who were not privileged to read the magnificent work of the author of the pro-life classic, “Who Broke the Baby?” The final post of 2023 seems to be apt time to share Jean with our growing audience.
In so doing it will remind pro-lifers, especially younger ones, that we stand on the shoulders of giants. This story is particularly helpful because, although written more than 23 years ago, it discusses a film, a book, and a lecture series that was absolutely pivotal in the growth and expansion of the contemporary pro-life movement.
It has been approximately two decades since I observed the film series “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” from the balcony of the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The film series, which was initially shown at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, was subsequently exhibited in 20 major cities.
The five-episode seminar was accompanied by a text and narration written by Francis Schaeffer, an internationally acclaimed theologian, philosopher, and author, and C. Everett Koop, then surgeon-in-chief at Philadelphia’s Children’s Hospital. They combined their individual expertise and experience to expose the subtle yet rapid erosion of human rights in the United States.
In a textbook of the same name, they expanded upon these concerns, providing documented evidence of the growing acceptance of previously unthinkable practices such as abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.
The film series attracted considerable attention during its three-month tour in 1979, and the book quickly became a valuable teaching tool for professionals and lay people alike. Consequently, there was a significant shift in the landscape of abortion. The impact of the film and book versions of “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” was profound, educating and energizing a previously uninvolved constituency—the Evangelicals.
In a personal letter dated March 29, 1980, Dr. Schaeffer noted the impact of the filmed series and its companion book within weeks of their unveiling. In his letter, Dr. Schaeffer observed that the Protestant community, particularly evangelicals, had been slow to address the issue of human life. He noted that the film Whatever Happened to the Human Race? had generated significant interest among both religious and governmental figures.
The impact of the book and film continued to spread across the United States, with the issue of human life becoming a matter of concern for both Catholic and Evangelical communities.
The book’s impact was so profound that, had it not been for the esteemed reputations of Koop and Schaeffer as professionals in their respective fields, their predictions of impending disaster would have been dismissed as mere alarmism and scaremongering.
The subsequent 20 years, however, demonstrated the accuracy of their predictions. Even they could not have foreseen the speed with which the United States would adopt destructive policies and barbaric procedures.
Although the film version of Whatever Happened to the Human Race? is no longer widely shown, the book remains a valuable source of historical information for those seeking to understand the historical basis of human dignity, value, and rights.
The authors identified two distinct but related dimensions to the struggle for the sanctity of life. They divided their 265-page book into two parts, each addressing a different aspect of this complex issue. The initial section of the text provided information, facts, and case studies related to abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.
Koop and Schaeffer consistently emphasized that their objective was not merely to disseminate information but to prompt their readers to engage in decisive and sacrificial action. In this regard, their arguments were both logical and moral.
The second part of the book addressed differing philosophical positions that either deny or grant uniqueness and dignity to human life. The authors’ views were rooted in historic Christianity, and Whatever Happened to the Human Race? can be considered a defense of the Judeo-Christian ethic as the foundation of Western civilization. The text is a polemic based on the principle that human beings derive their value from having been created in the image of God.
The book’s primary challenge was directed at Protestants, particularly Evangelicals, but also at Christians in general. The authors believed that many Christians had neglected to recognize the “unbreakable link between the existence of the infinite personal God and the uniqueness of human life.” The continued silence and lack of involvement of this group served to fuel the decline of human significance.
As the authors guided readers in examining the foundations of human dignity, they contrasted the perspectives of the East and the West. The authors proceeded to guide the reader through a series of historical and philosophical texts, including the Old and New Testaments, the Enlightenment, mysticism, and, with a detour into archeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls. The objective of this examination was to ascertain the historical basis for the dignity of humankind, with the intention of prompting Americans to perceive the present era as a pivotal turning point.
The film’s most striking visuals were faithfully reproduced in the book. One notable scene is that of a thousand dolls scattered at the shoreline of the Dead Sea in Israel. The site is the location of Sodom, which was once a prominent city in the region. It was designed to serve as a symbol of moral degradation. The image served as a stark reminder to American society of the depravity that has led to the legal destruction of millions of children and the destruction that awaits the culture as a result.
The assembly-line scene in a toy factory features a procession of dolls in which those lacking a limb or exhibiting an imperfection are removed by an impersonal hand and discarded in the garbage. The image vividly illustrates the indifference and callousness towards those deemed imperfect.
However, it is the cage sequence that is arguably the most compelling photograph in the book, as it portrays real people and real events. In one cage, individuals are depicted as slaves in chains. In another cage, German Jews are shown wearing the Star of David. From other cages, elderly men and women, a crippled child, and a newborn infant peer out.
Each cage serves as a visual reminder that the classification of individuals as nonpersons has a historical precedent. In addition, our generation has, through the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, also declared a segment of the human family outside the protection of the law. Some view legal abortion as a sign of liberation. In fact, it is an imitation of the injustices of the past.
Almost two decades ago, the film “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” offered a glimpse into the potential consequences of abandoning the fundamental right to life. Currently, the practice of partial-birth abortion is legally permissible. The present situation represents a fulfillment of the nightmarish predictions of the past.
“Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” is a classic whose fundamental arguments warrant periodic reappraisal. The text’s clarity of thought is complemented by its analysis of the future of Western culture and its chilling prophecy of what awaits us as the destruction of human life is increasingly sanctioned by the medical profession and the courts, by science and legislators, by parents and silent citizens.
The authors sought to persuade their readers that at some point in the future, the United States will be held accountable for its historical disregard of human value. This is because history does not forgive or forget. The question, “What happened to the human race?” serves to reveal the human propensity for exaggerated pride and supreme self-confidence that leads us to challenge the authority of God and believe that we can get away with it.
The book Whatever Happened to the Human Race? asserts that this is not possible.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
