Filmmaker's Unprecedented Look at Abortion Debate

Oct. 12, 2007 — -- Meet Stacey, a 28-year-old woman who is about to have an abortion. Watch as she fills out preliminary paperwork at the doctor's office, answers questions such as "Are you definite about your decision?" and later watch while doctors actually perform the procedure, in excruciating detail.

Tony Kaye's latest documentary, "Lake of Fire," takes cameras behind the doors of abortion clinics and inside the homes of anti-abortion activists in an effort to document the heated debate over abortion in the U.S.

The movie's raw, unpleasant moments are uncomfortable to watch, whether you're anti-abortion or pro-choice. You can't even escape the graphic nature of the film by sinking into your seat and covering your eyes. Some of the most disturbing parts of the documentary are actually sounds – from the humming and sucking of the machine in the procedure room to the squeals and moans of the women on the table.

And, despite having spent 15 years and millions of his own dollars producing the documentary, which is in limited release, Kaye admitted that even he is still not certain which side he agrees with.

"I'm confused about the whole thing," Kaye told ABCNews.com. "If you gave me a piece of paper with a pro-life and a pro-choice box, without thought I'd pick the pro-choice box. I think a woman should be able to choose exactly what she does with her [body]. But I still think there's a person being killed, and that's not good."

Audience members' reactions were equally mixed. Many told ABCNEWS.com that they thought the film was a balanced look at the issue, while others insisted it was largely "anti-abortionist" and some even said it was "very liberal."

More than a few viewers said they had to look away during the movie, which one person called "very difficult to watch."

One scene shows a doctor counting the body parts of a just-aborted fetus to ensure no tissue remains inside the woman and another displays a photograph of a bloodied woman who died after performing an abortion on herself using a wire hanger.