-
April 4, 2019“Unplanned” wastes no time delivering its message; a message those on the pro-life side insist has been buried beneath an avalanche of misinformation.
That message – truth.
Only moments into the movie, the true-life story of Planned Parenthood director-turned-pro-life-champion Abby Johnson, the film pulls back the curtain, setting off an emotional ride that the producers and actors, and especially Johnson, hope swings the narrative on what abortion really represents.
"My story isn't an easy one to hear. I think I probably ought to warn you of that up front,” the narrator says at the beginning of the film. From those words spoken by actress Ashley Bratcher, the audience immediately is introduced to Johnson and then thrust into her story, which is neither easy to hear nor view.
But, it is important to view and experience, and to share.
Early on, the defining scene of Johnson’s life-changing story sets up everything that follows, including her own two abortions; a failed marriage; her college years at Texas A&M University, where she’s recruited to serve as a volunteer for Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas; and eventually her hiring and promotion to the youngest clinic director ever at Planned Parenthood.
Despite the objections of her parents and her second husband, Johnson remains firm in her conviction that she is serving and helping women with her work at the facility. She believes that abortion is a good option for women in crisis, leaning on the pro-abortion theme that babies in the womb aren’t babies at all, simply blobs of cells.
She carries out her work at the center so well that she’s recognized and honored by the corporate office.
Until one day, at the facility, when the staff is shorthanded, and she’s called to assist with an abortion. Before then, Johnson’s job was completely administrative.
But, on this day, Johnson sees for herself what the procedure is all about, through an ultrasound-aided abortion.
Immediately, she’s traumatized. Then, she realizes what it all means, in terms of her life and her career.
"I have been complicit in over 22,000 abortions,” she tells her husband, Doug, upon arriving home after fleeing the clinic. “That is the weight of my guilt. How do I even begin to comprehend that?"
Doug, played by Brooks Ryan, a Poteau native, does his best to console Abby.
“You can't, baby,” he says. “No one can. All you can do is say you're sorry and beg forgiveness. … Abby, look at me: I love you, and so does God. He'll forgive you if you ask."
"I can't believe that. How? How can he?" Abby says, distraught.
"Because he's God," Doug says.
That’s where Abby’s life – and story – pivots.
Leaving her job, she aligns herself with the leaders of a peaceful pro-life group that had been regularly praying outside the clinic, day after day. Soon, Abby joins them beyond the fence, praying and appealing to women considering abortion.
She faces backlash from Planned Parenthood, including threats, most pointedly from her boss Cheryl who reminds Abby of the big-money backers lined up behind the company: “Soros, Gates and Buffett.” There’s an injunction attained by Planned Parenthood to prohibit Abby from disclosing details of her time with the company, but Johnson ultimately prevails in court.
Ultimately, “Unplanned” is a story of redemption as Johnson dedicates her life to the pro-life cause with compassion and love. That’s her story, first revealed in the book “unPLANNED” and continued in her ministry – the nonprofit organization And Then There Were None, which aids abortion workers in leaving the industry. The organization has helped more than 500 workers to date.
“Unplanned” was shot in Oklahoma, almost entirely in Stillwater. Bratcher and Ryan play their key parts skillfully. The movie isn’t preachy, simply laying out the truth of Johnson’s life, and the truth of abortion.
It’s not a feel-good movie, either, in the same way that power redemptive films like “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan” were not, instead leaving you exhausted and emotional, yet appreciative for witnessing.
The film controversially received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, apparently due to the re-created abortion scene (by virtue of computer-generated imagery) that shocks Abby’s character, and modest amounts of blood in other scenes.
Those associated with the film have taken to saying the R stands for “Recommended.”
The film should be recommended for those on both sides of the abortion argument. Despite the R rating, it’s a movie appropriate for children ages 13 and up, although it should be seen with a parent to support the expected emotions stemming from the subject matter.
Johnson hopes the movie creates dialogue, at a minimum.
“Conversion, of course, for people who are pro-choice and never considered being pro-life,” she said in a recent interview. “That’s the big hope, right? But, I think it allows a conversion experience to take place inside each one of us, too. That we can no longer be apathetic. This has to be a front issue for all of us, that we have to be activated and involved. And, from what I’m hearing from people, that’s exactly what’s happening.”
