Lois Weber’s film Where are My Children? (1916) and the history of Abortion in America

When we discuss the topic of the history of abortion and birth control in the United States, where are the mentions of Where are My Children? (Universal Studios, 1916)? 

The movie was Universal’s top grossing film of 1916. It’s estimated to have grossed over $3 million at a time when ticket prices were less than 50¢ each.

Where are My Children? was written, produced, and directed by Lois Weber. The film was ultimately added to the National Film Registry in 1993.

Weber came from a devout middle class Christian family of Pennsylvania German ancestry. She left home & lived in poverty while working as a street-corner evangelist for two years with the evangelical Church Army Workers.

Her work with the Church Army Workers included preaching and singing hymns on street corners and singing and playing the organ in rescue missions in red-light districts in Pittsburgh and New York.

Meyer made the film at the height of her career when she was Universal’s top director. Her work and career was at (or perhaps above) the level of Cecil B. DeMille and D.W. Griffith, though it has largely been minimized subsequently because she was a woman.

Lois Weber was
– 1st woman accepted to Motion Picture Director’s Association, precursor of Director’s Guild
– on 1st directors committee of @TheAcademy
– Mayor of Universal City

Lois Weber was also one of highest paid and most influential directors of her time. She was also amongst the first directors to form her own production company.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_Weber

The Lost L.A. episode of Dream Factory (@KCET, 2017) covers portions of Weber’s career and provides clips from Where are My Children?
(@nathanmasters‘ entire series here is the real “California’s Gold”)
kcet.org/shows/lost-la/…

In addition to the site above, one can watch the @KCET episode of Lost LA: Dream Factory on YouTube:

I can’t wait to delve further in to the history and work of Weber by reading @StampShelley‘s book Lois Weber in Early Hollywood. University of California Press, May 2015. ISBN 9780520284463
amzn.to/3u7qzrO

Bookmarked A Defense of Abortion by Judith Jarvis Thomson (Philosophy & Public Affairs, Vol. 1, no. 1 (Fall 1971))
Most opposition to abortion relies on the premise that the fetus is a human being, a person, from the moment of conception. The premise is argued for, but, as I think, not well. Take, for example, the most common argument. We are asked to notice that the development of a human being from conception through birth into childhood is continuous; then it is said that to draw a line, to choose a point in this development and say "before this point the thing is not a person, after this point it is a person" is to make an arbitrary choice, a choice for which in the nature of things no good reason can be given. It is concluded that the fetus is, or anyway that we had better say it is, a person from the moment of conception. But this conclusion does not follow. Similar things might be said about the development of an acorn into an oak trees, and it does not follow that acorns are oak trees, or that we had better say they are. Arguments of this form are sometimes called "slippery slope arguments"—the phrase is perhaps self explanatory—and it is dismaying that opponents of abortion rely on them so heavily and uncritically.
Ben Burgis in Judith Jarvis Thomson (1929–2020) ()
Read Judith Jarvis Thomson (1929–2020) by Ben Burgis (jacobinmag.com)
Judith Jarvis Thomson was one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. Her justly famous essay in defense of abortion rights is a model for how to combine philosophical rigor with political engagement in the real world.
Interesting article. I’ll have to look at some other material Jacobin is putting out. Definitely a bit further to the left than is my usual taste, but seems generally well edited and topically interesting.

👓 Univ. Of Alabama Returns $21.5 Million Gift; Donor Urged Boycott Over Abortion Law | NPR

Read Univ. Of Alabama Returns $21.5 Million Gift; Donor Urged Boycott Over Abortion Law (NPR.org)
The move comes after Hugh Culverhouse Jr. urged students and businesses to boycott Alabama over its restrictive new abortion law. The school says its rejection of the money isn't related to that law.
Wow!

👓 KateAllDay tweeted TW: Rape, all terrible things So I need to tell a story.

Read Twitter thread by Yes Im A Fire SignYes Im A Fire Sign (Twitter)
A painful thread

❤️ AOC tweeted “6 weeks pregnant” = 2 weeks late on your period. Most of the men writing these bills don’t know the first thing about a woman’s body outside of the things they want from it. It’s relatively common for a woman to have a late period + not be pregnant. So this is a backdoor ban. https://t.co/xWd9GAj51b

Liked a tweet by Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Twitter)

🎧 The Daily: The Battle for Missouri, Part 1: The Anti-Abortion Democrat | New York Times

Listened to The Daily: The Battle for Missouri, Part 1: The Anti-Abortion Democrat from nytimes.com
As the Democratic Party struggles to establish its identity in Missouri, the issue of abortion has taken center stage.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: Susan Collins on Roe v. Wade and the Next Justice | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: Susan Collins on Roe v. Wade and the Next Justice from New York Times
The Republican from Maine is among few senators willing to break from their parties on major issues — and who may decide the makeup of the Supreme Court.\

She’s usually pretty sound and logical, but I don’t suspect she’s actually going to stand up given the current political climate.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: The Supreme Court Loses Its Swing Vote | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: The Supreme Court Loses Its Swing Vote by Michael Barbaro from New York Times

The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, often considered the Supreme Court’s ideological center, could fundamentally change its direction.

👓 Abortion is Immoral, Except When It Comes to My Mistresses | McSweeny’s

Read Abortion is Immoral, Except When It Comes to My Mistresses by Devorah Blachor (McSweeney's)
TIM: Life begins at conception. Pregnancy is a gift from God, which is why I’m cosponsoring this anti-abortion legislation after asking my lover to have an abortion. I’m 65 and she’s 32, but you probably figured that out already.

👓 Theory: Playboy Model Who Got $1.6 Million Had Affair With Trump, Not Broidy | Daily Intelligencer | New York Magazine

Read Theory: Playboy Model Who Got $1.6 Million Had Affair With Trump, Not Broidy by Paul Campos (Daily Intelligencer)
Michael Cohen arranged a $1.6 million payout to a model allegedly impregnated by GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy. But was Broidy covering for Trump?
Ho-ly Shiiitttt!! This is a major bomb of a theory!!

It’s well reasoned and incredibly well laid out. Having read it, I can’t help but think that the logic is solid and the probabilities are far more in favor of the theory than they are of the previously reported stories holding water.

I literally can’t wait to see how this plays out…

👓 Anti-abortion Rep. Tim Murphy plans to retire amid sex scandal | USA Today

Read Anti-abortion Rep. Tim Murphy plans to retire amid sex scandal (USA TODAY)
The announcement comes a day after the pro-life lawmaker allegedly asked his mistress to get an abortion.
The inconsistency of most Republicans and the anti-abortion crowd really kills me. It’s fine for them when the situation presents itself, but isn’t appropriate for anyone else?

If only the people who protest so vociferously and who spend money to fight abortion would instead spend their time and money to support the adoption and care of all these unwanted children, the problem would be so drastically different. You have to care about the lives after they are born or you’re just being hypocritical, otherwise, just what are you really saving? Do they want to save and add to the suffering in the world? Should they be called pro-suffering activists instead of anti-abortion?