St. James, 'Sarah's Choice' offer different slant on abortion

by Joshua Maloni

For as much as Australian singer and author Rebecca St. James claims to be just a normal, ordinary girl, her actions prove otherwise.

For starters, how many girls - famous, as Christian music icon St. James is, or otherwise - would willfully and boldly boast of their virginity and plans to remain abstinent until marriage? Of the ones that do, how many would go out of their way to live, dress and act in a way that backs up that statement?

Then, who among those girls would be willing to star in a movie - about abortion - and portray a knocked-up, church-avoiding businesswoman?

St. James has, does, and seemingly will continue to do such things. And with the whole world watching, nonetheless.

She is, if nothing else, unafraid to go against the grain to make her point. St. James believes in living a sexually pure life, and she has championed that platform to her fans and critics. Whether they agree or disagree, St. James has never shown herself capable of being swayed by popular opinion.

How many normal, ordinary girls could say that?

St. James is anything but commonplace, and that statement is proven again with her decision to take on the role of Sarah Collins in the recent Pure Flix release "Sarah's Choice."

Though the picture wasn't her brainchild, it's fitting that St. James stars in it. To show the effects of abortion, she atypically goes against type to portray a woman extremely dissimilar to herself. In other words, St. James uses a character who has sex outside of marriage, regularly skips out on church and lives for herself and her own desires to show that God loves and has compassion for everyone.

Whether "good" or "bad," "sinner" or "saint," St. James says life is hard for all of us. "Sarah's Choice" reflects that belief.

"I don't want to make films that feel so crispy clean that there's no humanity in it," St. James says. "I want people to feel the sense of connection and that they can relate to it. And the truth is, life isn't crispy clean. It's tough; it's challenging; it's painful. I think that's one of the things that drew me to the script, was the humanity in it." 

"Sarah's Choice," though a pro-life film, is far from the sign-waving protestors it depicts. It doesn't judge; it doesn't condemn. It simply says choices have consequences. Whether a woman chooses to keep her baby or not, the decision is far from easy.   

 "I hope Christians, non-Christians, people age 14 to 90 watch it. I think everybody can get something out of it," St. James says of the movie. "I hope people walk away with having connected with the character. You know, seeing her pain; being able to relate it to their own life - their own situation; and seeing God drawing her to himself - to a love relationship with him. And then also encountering the theme of forgiveness - that redemptive forgiveness focus is very prominent throughout the movie. So, I hope people relate that to their own life."

It's an uncommon message. But then, St. James is an uncommon girl.

"Sarah's Choice" debuts at midnight EST Saturday, Feb. 27, on TBN. The film is also out and available on DVD.

See also:

http://independentfilms.suite101.com/article.cfm/rebecca-st-james-movie-sarahs-choice-on-tbn