• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Filmmaker to speak about his experience with abortion

ELKHORN — Film producer Jason Jones knows firsthand the value of human life.

When his high school girlfriend told him she was pregnant, the couple came up with a plan: He would drop out of school and join the Army, and she would hide her pregnancy until he got out of basic training. They would take care of the baby together.

But the couple never realized their wish to be a family.

Two weeks before he returned home, she called him crying: Her parents had taken her to get an abortion.

The couple were devastated.

"That's how I found out about legal abortion in America," Jones said. "And I promised my girlfriend that day that even if it took me my whole life, I would end abortion."

Jones will share his story and his journey to promote the value of human life from conception to death at the Pregnancy Helpline of Walworth County annual banquet Friday.

The organization, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, provides help for women and families in crisis pregnancy situations, said Executive Director Karen Regnier. The organization provides free services including pregnancy tests, post-abortion counseling and parenting classes, she said.

Jones said pregnancy help centers such as the one in Walworth County are a critical part of creating a culture that supports the value of human life.

"I think of my high school girlfriend," he said. "If only we would have known."

Jones also will share stories from his experience as a filmmaker.

Jones was a co-producer of the independent film "Bella," which tells the story of Jose, a washed up professional soccer player, and Nina, a waitress who loses her job after finding out she's pregnant.

The film won the People's Choice Award at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. But perhaps more important to the filmmakers are the more than 60 "Bella Babies" who have been "saved" as a result of mothers in crisis pregnancies watching the film and choosing life for their babies.