On October 12, 2018, Tessya Whatley will debut on the silver screen in “Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer.” Tessya stars as Viola Brown, an expectant mother who escaped Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s “house of horrors” when she chose to carry her child to term.
Despite his depravity, Dr. Gosnell is anything but a household name. In 2013, the Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf argued that “the grand jury report in the case of Kermit Gosnell … is among the most horrifying [he’d] read.” Dr. Gosnell unlawfully executed viable newborns after delivery—the estimates are in the thousands. He drugged female patients, going so far as to give Karnamaya Mongar a fatal overdose. He spread venereal disease. He exploited poor people and immigrants. Dr. Gosnell’s cruelty spanned over 30 years without oversight or intervention, deliberately so in the case of then-Gov. Tom Ridge, a pro-choice Republican.
Which brings us back to Tessya, Viola Brown, and why “Gosnell” may be the most important film of the year. For many in Hollywood, the part of Viola Brown is anything but the role of a lifetime. But Tessya—as if by divine providence—found the role of her life. “Gosnell” director Jack Searcy, who has appeared in five Oscar Best Picture nominated films, recruited Tessya after he met her in an Oklahoma IHOP.
Upon an initial read of the script, Tessya broke down and ran to the producers to share that Viola Brown’s story resonated with her. Several years ago, Tessya found herself in the same position as Viola Brown: Pregnant. Vulnerable. Prepared to abort her son. Tessya, like Viola Brown, changed her mind and carried her now-six-year-old child to term.
“I am so thankful to that nurse for giving me that opportunity to change my mind,” says Tessya as she reflects on the first time she heard her son’s heartbeat. Moreover, Tessya identifies with Viola Brown because “she also went through the same thing. She decided not to go through with the abortion. And she had her baby. And her baby is five years old.”
A powerful moment, Tessya and Viola’s connection illustrates Gosnell’s significance. Sometimes it is the worst and most pervasive crimes that evade attention, as those who should know better and act to prevent them avert their gaze.
In January, we watched as former U.S.A. Gymnastics National Team Doctor and Michigan State physician Larry Nassar stood trial. A serial child abuser, Dr. Nassar’s conduct shook the county. Nassar arrogantly used his status as a physician to delegitimize allegations.
However, Nassar’s trial took a poignant and decisive turn when the survivors testified. Survivor after survivor, 156 women in all, moved the nation through powerful testimony about the abuse and suffering Nassar inflicted.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of this moment because it raised awareness of child sexual abuse and spurred a conversation that encourages other survivors to seek help. At the 2018 ESPYS, the hundreds of survivors received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Introducing the survivors, actress Jennifer Garner stated that the survivors’ story, although harrowing, is one the world “has to hear.”
Similarly, “Gosnell” is not a graphic reminder of just one person’s inhumanity. “Gosnell” is the true story that the world must hear.
Gosnell gives voice to Baby A, Baby C, and Baby D. It gives voice to Baby E. It gives voice to Karnamaya Mongar. It gives voice to the thousands of viable newborn babies Dr. Gosnell killed. It gives voice to the countless women he drugged, exploited, and harmed. It gives voice to Viola Brown. It gives voice to Tessya Whatley.
Crowdfunded through Indiegogo, “Gosnell’s” budget was $2.3 million thanks to the generosity of 26,564 private contributors. The “Gosnell” producers turned to crowdfunding because the story, the truth, is not the sort that Hollywood likes to promulgate. And Netflix is unlikely to produce a Dr. Gosnell documentary anytime soon despite the platform’s wild success with original true crime documentaries such as “Making A Murderer,” “The Keepers,” and “The Staircase.” Fortunately, “Gosnell’s” producers secured a distribution deal with GVN Releasing to feature the film in up to 750 theaters on October 12.
“Gosnell” is the story that the world must hear, and Tessya will help give voice – at long last – to his victims.
Charles A. “Chuck” Donovan is the president of Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI), the education and research arm of Susan B. Anthony List. For news about Gosnell’s release, click here and sign up.
