Justin Bieber Mom

Justin Bieber may cause hysteria among millions of teenage girls around the globe, but the Canadian-born pop star is not known for getting mixed up in political controversy. That clean-cut image might be about to change as his mother, Pattie Mallette, 37, is one of the driving forces behind a prize-winning US film that aims to raise millions for the anti-abortion cause.

The short film, called Crescendo, will be shown at 100 events and screenings in the country at the end of next month, and organisers hope to show it at about 1,000 venues worldwide in the course of the year. They aim eventually to raise $10m that will be put towards running "crisis pregnancy centres".

Mallette, a Christian who has been outspoken about her anti-abortion beliefs, is preparing to take a strong role in promoting the film, on which she is also credited as an executive producer. She has recorded a short video statement to be shown at screenings and will appear at some events. Pictures of Mallette and her famous son have been posted on the film's website, and in a video there she refers obliquely to her megastar offspring. "I'm the mother of Justin Bieber. We both know firsthand the importance of the work being done at pregnancy centres across the country," she says.

Mallette, who does not often give press interviews, has described her struggles when she was pregnant at 17 with Justin. In her memoir Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom, published last year, she wrote of being pressured to have an abortion and deciding not to go through with it. "I knew that I had to do what it took," she wrote. "I just couldn't abort him."

Mallette said she hoped Crescendo would show young women in a similar situation that they could make the same decision. "My hope through this involvement is to encourage young women all over the world, just like me, to let them know that there is a place to go, people who will take care of you, and a safe home to live in if you are pregnant and think you have nowhere else to turn," she said.

The 15-minute film is set in the 18th century and tells the story of a single day in the life of a pregnant woman. It stars Ali Landry, a former Miss USA, and is backed by the team that made the 2006 film, Bella, whose pro-adoption themes made it a major hit with the anti-abortion movement in the US.

Screenings at film festivals have won praise from figures in the anti-abortion cause and also some religious leaders. "It's a unique, enjoyable and beautiful way to raise much-needed dollars to save and change lives in our ministries," said Peggy Hartshorn, president of Heartbeat International, a Christian group that campaigns against abortion.

Bieber is unlikely to embrace the cause as openly as his mother. He wants to acquire a more adult appeal and the tricky transformation from teenage star is being closely managed by his team, who are no doubt mindful of the upset caused in 2011 when Bieber said in an interview that abortion was "like killing a baby".

His mother's involvement with the movie is coming at a time when the abortion debate in America is as heated and divisive as ever. Last week saw the 40th anniversary of the landmark supreme court decision known as Roe v Wade, which paved the way for legalising abortion in the US. While many women's rights groups across the country celebrated the moment as a blow for reproductive freedom, it also sparked a large anti-abortion rally in Washington DC.

Abortion was also a heated topic in last year's elections. The Republican right endorsed several candidates with extreme views on banning all forms of abortion, including in rape cases. However, controversial comments by such candidates, including Missouri senate hopeful Todd Akin, who talked about "legitimate rape", saw many of them defeated at the ballot box – even in safe Republican seats. Opinion polls taken on election day showed more than 60% of voters in favour of legal abortions.

But, although there seems little real threat to Roe v Wade, the anti-abortion movement remains powerful and has focused on closing individual clinics by lobbying for increases in state-level regulation. In Mississippi, the state's only remaining abortion clinic could soon shut down after trouble in complying with a swath of new rules. That would make Mississippi the only state in America without an abortion clinic.