Five-year-old Grace runs out of her parents’ room, shining with joy and childish excitement. Life and laughter radiate from her. Grace is the daughter of the main character in the new film “Unplanned,” and she embodies the film’s message: Life is valuable.
“Unplanned” is the true story of Abby Johnson, who was involved in over 22,000 abortions as one of the youngest clinic directors at Planned Parenthood, according to the film’s website. It was after she actually witnessed an abortion that her worldview changed.
Johnson later started a nonprofit seeking to end abortion “from the inside out,” and “Unplanned” tells her story.
“Unplanned” will change how you view abortion, even if you’ve read about the gory details of the procedure. Tina Griffin of CNS News wrote that the movie “changed my life forever.” Dozens of pro-life advocates have likewise praised “Unplanned,” including Serrin M. Foster, president of Feminists for Life of America, who argued, “If you support abortion as a right or a choice, this is a must-see film. … Women deserve better — including abortion workers. You can’t unsee this.”
“Unplanned” is more than just a movie about abortion, however. It’s also about the grief felt by those affected by abortion, especially the family members of the mothers who are contemplating abortion.
One scene lays this grief out clearly. An African-American woman goes to a Planned Parenthood clinic for an abortion. The woman’s mother repeatedly begs her not to follow through with the abortion, saying, “Please don’t do this! Whatever you need — you can come live with us.”
Despite her mother’s pleas, the woman still goes through with the abortion with the help and persuasion of Planned Parenthood workers. Her mother is left sobbing outside for hours, praying that her daughter will decide to save her grandchild.
While the movie focuses on the inner workings of abortion clinics, “Unplanned” doesn’t shy from the graphic reality of abortion. The movie shows both surgical and medical abortions, as well as the devastating aftermath. It reveals the gore, blood, and savagery of killing an unborn child, and it illustrates the horrors of abortion by showing the body of an aborted baby.
Film has the power to tell stories that cannot be told adequately on paper. “Unplanned” has the power to change the hearts and minds of women contemplating abortion.
And the movie is already having an effect. Shortly after the trailer was released in February, it became the No. 1 trailer in the U.S on iTunes, despite its controversial theme.
“Unplanned” shows viewers more than the realities of abortion; it teaches us that fighting for the unborn is worth it.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/unplanned-can-change-the-debate-on-abortion
