‘ABORTION BATTLE’: A BALANCED LOOK

In a bold venture--its first--into the sphere of national television documentaries, San Francisco educational station KQED Thursday previewed here its prime-time look at one of the most controversial domestic issues, “The Abortion Battle.”

The three-hour documentary is scheduled to air Wednesday on 251 out of 312 public television stations across the country (in the Los Angeles area it will be seen at 8 p.m. on Channels 28, 15, 24 and 50). It also will be seen in individually “localized” formats by an additional 15 public TV stations at dates to be announced.

The three-hour program uses carefully selected material to balance the positions of those who believe abortion is a woman’s right and a human right, and those who oppose abortion under any circumstances. Leaders from both sides presented generally favorable assessments of “The Abortion Battle” at Thursday’s press briefing. “This is something of an icebreaker,” said National Right to Life Committee President Dr. John Willke, who described the effort as a television program with a “broadminded” point of view,

Likening the pro-life effort to “what we consider to be the populist movement, a civil rights movement, the greatest one since the abolitionist movement of more than 100 years ago,” Willke added that “we in the right-to-life movement have not been blessed with open and uncensored telling of our story. That does come across, and we thank the producers for that.”

For her part, Nanette Falkenberg, executive director of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), praised the integration by KQED of such patently partisan films as the pro-life “The Silent Scream” and the opposing “Planned Parenthood Response to ‘The Silent Scream.’ ”

Said Falkenberg: “I think given the format and construction of the show that KQED has chosen well. And given the clear decision that they were going to use documentaries--you might call them propaganda pieces--that both sides have produced, I believe that KQED chose the best for the pro-choice movement.”

In all, Falkenberg said, “They have given us both the chance to take our best shot.”

In fact, said Steve Talbot, a KQED producer who acts as the reporter/narrator for “The Abortion Battle,” “For those of us in the business of making documentaries, this is a touchy issue: to turn over the television to partisan groups.”

But “as a journalist,” Talbot went on, “I feel there ought to be a place in the national airwaves where partisan groups can have their say.”

KQED itself labels its first national documentary as nothing less than “a bold and unprecedented effort.” The “emotionally charged” subject of abortion was chosen, Talbot said, after a number of other topics of current interest--”Central America, South Africa, immigration, crime, toxic waste”--were explored.

“In looking at what we hope will be a series of such ‘theme nights,’ ” said “Abortion Battle” executive producer Beverly Ornstein, “we felt strongly about it being a domestic issue.”

“This in part was chosen,” Talbot said, “I think because it is such a hot issue, and it is so much on the political front at this time.” Besides, he said, referring to the controversial sonogram depiction of an actual abortion that has become the right-to-life movement’s primary media weapon, “I agree with Dr. Willke that ‘The Silent Scream’ has changed the nature of debate on this issue.”

In its full, three-hour version, “The Abortion Battle” begins with segments from NARAL’s recent “Silent No More” series of national speak-outs in which men and women openly discussed their own abortion experiences. It shifts to a half-hour version of “Conceived in Liberty,” an anti-abortion film produced by Anaheim’s American Portrait Films, the same firm that made “The Silent Scream.” A disclaimer warns of the explicit nature of some of these scenes, such as the graphic depiction in “Conceived in Liberty” of the infamous “Woodland Hills find” in 1982 of 17,000 aborted fetuses.

“So Many Choices,” a pro-choice film narrated by Ed Asner and Tammy Grimes, follows, along with a complete showing of “The Silent Scream.” Next, a response film made by Planned Parenthood of Seattle blasts “The Silent Scream” as full of “just plain lies.”

Finally, “Abortion Clinic,” a segment from the PBS “Frontline” series, portrays the dilemma of two pregnant women who choose abortion and two who elect to bring their babies to term.

Ornstein said that the information packets sent to public television stations airing “The Abortion Battle,” include a “resource list” with referral numbers for pro- and anti-abortion information and organizations. Some stations that have opted for the shortened version of the program may follow or precede it with discussion groups from local representatives of both factions, Ornstein said.

While acknowledging the touchy nature of the subject, Ornstein conceded she was mystified that New York’s public station WNET had not yet decided to air “The Abortion Battle.” But at WNET, public information director Stella Giammasi said the station “simply has not scheduled it yet,” and did expect that “it probably will be shown here in the future.”

One other major area that had decided against showing the program, Ornstein said, was “the entire state of South Carolina.” All 10 public TV stations there, said Ornstein, had declined the program “on contents grounds.”

Stressing that his suggestions should be construed as “constructive criticism,” the National Right to Life Committee’s Willke lamented the absence of “rebuttal time” for either side. “In this three-hour film, there is no rebuttal,” he said. “I think that is a major failure.”

As to potential ramifications of the program, both Willke and Falkenberg hailed it as a potentially solidifying device for their respective factions.

“I would say that anytime a show like this airs, it does help in terms of the activist movement,” Falkenberg said.

Declared Willke: “To answer your question, we will gain by this.”

Ornstein acknowledged she was uncertain as to how many people actually will watch the entire three-hour production, start to finish.

“There are parts of all of these films that are quite disturbing to watch,” she said.

“But it is a very real issue that affects real lives.” And, said Ornstein, “we are all responsible to be as informed as possible.”