Coming Soon to Theaters: Abortion Guilt and Christian Propaganda
By now you will have probably seen ads for the new movie Unplanned (2019), and if you're on Twitter you can clearly see the controversy and uproar the trailer alone has sparked (as it's only just been released in theaters March 29th).
I'm here to point out the many issues (personal and general) there are with this film and its premise.
Firstly, the directors/producers/screenplays Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman also co-screen-wrote God's Not Dead (2014), God's Not Dead 2 (2016), and Do You Believe? (2015) (I'm getting a distinct vibe from these titles). All of these are faith-based films and arguably Christian propaganda, designed to convert non-believers and solidify the faithful by providing them with a feel-good theatrical reinforcement of their religion.
For those who haven't seen the trailer, Unplanned features Abby Johnson, a woman who works in an abortion clinic and identifies as "extreme pro-choice". However, she resigns from her post 9 days after being asked to assist on the abortion of a 13 week old fetus, wherein she sees the fetus writhing, trying to escape the vacuum. This shatters her perspective on abortions as she has been counseling women, assuring them 'the fetus doesn't feel any pain during the process'.
Fact checking time. Firstly, it is highly unlikely that a team of medics would ask a counselor with a BS in psychology and an MA in counseling to assist with an abortion procedure. Furthermore, the physicians at the clinic stated that Abby had never been asked to assist on a procedure. Secondly, the clinic in Bryan, Texas shows no record of an abortion being performed on a 13 week old fetus on the date she claimed it to have happened. And finally, the clinic shows no record of an ultrasound-guided abortion being performed that day, either. So, exactly how truthful is this 'true' story?
Today, Abby Johnson is part of the And Then There Were None (ATTWN) movement. This organization exists with a single purpose: to 'help abortion workers leave abortion industry' and subsequently shut down their clinics. Their website explains 'While we believe in and wholeheartedly support all peaceful prolife efforts, ATTWN seeks to end abortion from the inside out.' If this doesn't sound like an infiltration plan, I don't know what does.
*Quick linguistics lesson: any sentence that consists of two clauses where words like 'while' and 'but' are involved, one clause is negated. For example, the 'while' in ATTWN's tagline negates their claim to 'support all peaceful prolife efforts', putting emphasis on their plan to 'end abortion from the inside out'. So, another way to read that sentence is 'Even though we support peaceful prolife efforts, we're more focused on dismantling abortion providers by using and turning their employees.'*
The fact that this movie shows solidarity with the pro-life/anti-abortion movement, aligns with Christian values, and comes from a Christian film-maker-writer background is harrowing, especially considering the ATTWN's objectives. Not to mention the poor timing of the movie's release. We are right in the middle of a huge feminist movement, possibly sparked by the unfortunate election of Donald Trump as the new POTUS and the sexual assault and harassment allegations against him from 19 women that have since surfaced.
Kavanaugh. (#Kavanotagain)
Fairfax.
Cosby.
Weinstein.
Spacey.
And those are just the big fish, the more memorable names, but it's still a significant number. In fact, 263 politicians, CEOs, and celebrities have been accused since April 2017 (see link at the bottom). The #MeToo movement saw a lot of men and women coming out of the woodwork with accusations from years ago leading to scandals, court cases, and arrests. The year 2017 saw the most reported cases of rape since 1994 - 99,856 and 102,220 respectively - and this number has been climbing since the all time low in 2013.
We find ourselves in a crisis of sexual crimes, false allegations, truths and lies, unplanned pregnancies, contraceptive controversy, court cases, arrests, denials, condemnations, and the general publicity epidemic surrounding these crimes. Unplanned does not fit into this movement. The University of Birmingham's Guild of Students has recently approved the establishment of a pro-life society, which, naturally provoked feelings of outrage and frustration among the students who feel threatened by the existence of such a group. From this discomfort and anger emerged the opposing pro-choice society, which the university had to approve, in the name of equality.
Let's break it down.
What the pro-choice movement does is provide and advocate for different options. The option to keep the baby. The option to give it up for adoption. The option to have an abortion. The choice is the mothers' (or at least, it should be). My body, my choice. Though, either way, the two immediately effective options are to go through with the pregnancy or to terminate it. Being pro-choice doesn't necessarily mean being pro-abortion. The movement does not push pregnant women towards one option, closing and locking the door to the other. Instead, they provide education on all the options, and support during the process of whatever the women choose to do.
Meanwhile, pro-life is also known as the anti-abortion movement; they are more or less synonymous. So that's one option off the table. Women are pressured, guilted, and manipulated by pro-lifers into going through with their pregnancies. Though pro-life pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) also provide education and support, they do not offer abortions, and unsurprisingly, most of them are connected to church ministries. While abortion, at its core, is not a religious issue, the pro-life movement is predominantly Christian and has become associated with religious agendas - understandably so, since the 6th Commandment states 'Thou shalt not kill', and many pro-lifers consider abortion to be murder.
What's more, this movement fully advocates and demand the abolition of elective abortions. They want to completely obliterate that option for women, outside of contexts of rape and medical emergencies.
Abortions are already illegal in 8 of the 50 states, highly regulated in others, and many women who arrive at clinics are heckled and harassed by pro-lifers (like they have nothing better to do with their days). Moreover, 26 countries around the world have banned abortions altogether, whatever the circumstances. A further 37 ban them unless the procedure is necessary to save the woman's life. Only 37% of women at reproductive age worldwide live in a country where abortions are permitted without restrictions. So many women have taken to traveling outside of their home countries to seek abortions.
In summary, the new 2019 movie Unplanned is not only factually incorrect, but also part of Christian propaganda. It is a highly dramatized and graphic scare tactic used to manipulate and guilt-trip women out of abortions. Furthermore, women have to go through a lot during pregnancy and abortion processes. Many women have to travel to find abortion clinics, and once they arrive they are plagued by mobs of pro-lifers outside clinics. They do not need the added pressure and guilt from inaccurate and religiously influenced films that vilify the clinics, procedures, and women who seek abortions.
Link to the ATTWN Organization
https://abortionworker.com/
Link for list of celebrities, CEOs, and politicians who have been accused since April 2017.
https://www.vox.com/a/sexual-harassment-assault-allegations-list/michael-weatherly
I'm here to point out the many issues (personal and general) there are with this film and its premise.
Firstly, the directors/producers/screenplays Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman also co-screen-wrote God's Not Dead (2014), God's Not Dead 2 (2016), and Do You Believe? (2015) (I'm getting a distinct vibe from these titles). All of these are faith-based films and arguably Christian propaganda, designed to convert non-believers and solidify the faithful by providing them with a feel-good theatrical reinforcement of their religion.
For those who haven't seen the trailer, Unplanned features Abby Johnson, a woman who works in an abortion clinic and identifies as "extreme pro-choice". However, she resigns from her post 9 days after being asked to assist on the abortion of a 13 week old fetus, wherein she sees the fetus writhing, trying to escape the vacuum. This shatters her perspective on abortions as she has been counseling women, assuring them 'the fetus doesn't feel any pain during the process'.
Fact checking time. Firstly, it is highly unlikely that a team of medics would ask a counselor with a BS in psychology and an MA in counseling to assist with an abortion procedure. Furthermore, the physicians at the clinic stated that Abby had never been asked to assist on a procedure. Secondly, the clinic in Bryan, Texas shows no record of an abortion being performed on a 13 week old fetus on the date she claimed it to have happened. And finally, the clinic shows no record of an ultrasound-guided abortion being performed that day, either. So, exactly how truthful is this 'true' story?
Today, Abby Johnson is part of the And Then There Were None (ATTWN) movement. This organization exists with a single purpose: to 'help abortion workers leave abortion industry' and subsequently shut down their clinics. Their website explains 'While we believe in and wholeheartedly support all peaceful prolife efforts, ATTWN seeks to end abortion from the inside out.' If this doesn't sound like an infiltration plan, I don't know what does.
*Quick linguistics lesson: any sentence that consists of two clauses where words like 'while' and 'but' are involved, one clause is negated. For example, the 'while' in ATTWN's tagline negates their claim to 'support all peaceful prolife efforts', putting emphasis on their plan to 'end abortion from the inside out'. So, another way to read that sentence is 'Even though we support peaceful prolife efforts, we're more focused on dismantling abortion providers by using and turning their employees.'*
The fact that this movie shows solidarity with the pro-life/anti-abortion movement, aligns with Christian values, and comes from a Christian film-maker-writer background is harrowing, especially considering the ATTWN's objectives. Not to mention the poor timing of the movie's release. We are right in the middle of a huge feminist movement, possibly sparked by the unfortunate election of Donald Trump as the new POTUS and the sexual assault and harassment allegations against him from 19 women that have since surfaced.
Kavanaugh. (#Kavanotagain)
Fairfax.
Cosby.
Weinstein.
Spacey.
And those are just the big fish, the more memorable names, but it's still a significant number. In fact, 263 politicians, CEOs, and celebrities have been accused since April 2017 (see link at the bottom). The #MeToo movement saw a lot of men and women coming out of the woodwork with accusations from years ago leading to scandals, court cases, and arrests. The year 2017 saw the most reported cases of rape since 1994 - 99,856 and 102,220 respectively - and this number has been climbing since the all time low in 2013.
We find ourselves in a crisis of sexual crimes, false allegations, truths and lies, unplanned pregnancies, contraceptive controversy, court cases, arrests, denials, condemnations, and the general publicity epidemic surrounding these crimes. Unplanned does not fit into this movement. The University of Birmingham's Guild of Students has recently approved the establishment of a pro-life society, which, naturally provoked feelings of outrage and frustration among the students who feel threatened by the existence of such a group. From this discomfort and anger emerged the opposing pro-choice society, which the university had to approve, in the name of equality.
Let's break it down.
What the pro-choice movement does is provide and advocate for different options. The option to keep the baby. The option to give it up for adoption. The option to have an abortion. The choice is the mothers' (or at least, it should be). My body, my choice. Though, either way, the two immediately effective options are to go through with the pregnancy or to terminate it. Being pro-choice doesn't necessarily mean being pro-abortion. The movement does not push pregnant women towards one option, closing and locking the door to the other. Instead, they provide education on all the options, and support during the process of whatever the women choose to do.
Meanwhile, pro-life is also known as the anti-abortion movement; they are more or less synonymous. So that's one option off the table. Women are pressured, guilted, and manipulated by pro-lifers into going through with their pregnancies. Though pro-life pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) also provide education and support, they do not offer abortions, and unsurprisingly, most of them are connected to church ministries. While abortion, at its core, is not a religious issue, the pro-life movement is predominantly Christian and has become associated with religious agendas - understandably so, since the 6th Commandment states 'Thou shalt not kill', and many pro-lifers consider abortion to be murder.
What's more, this movement fully advocates and demand the abolition of elective abortions. They want to completely obliterate that option for women, outside of contexts of rape and medical emergencies.
Abortions are already illegal in 8 of the 50 states, highly regulated in others, and many women who arrive at clinics are heckled and harassed by pro-lifers (like they have nothing better to do with their days). Moreover, 26 countries around the world have banned abortions altogether, whatever the circumstances. A further 37 ban them unless the procedure is necessary to save the woman's life. Only 37% of women at reproductive age worldwide live in a country where abortions are permitted without restrictions. So many women have taken to traveling outside of their home countries to seek abortions.
In summary, the new 2019 movie Unplanned is not only factually incorrect, but also part of Christian propaganda. It is a highly dramatized and graphic scare tactic used to manipulate and guilt-trip women out of abortions. Furthermore, women have to go through a lot during pregnancy and abortion processes. Many women have to travel to find abortion clinics, and once they arrive they are plagued by mobs of pro-lifers outside clinics. They do not need the added pressure and guilt from inaccurate and religiously influenced films that vilify the clinics, procedures, and women who seek abortions.
Link to the ATTWN Organization
https://abortionworker.com/
Link for list of celebrities, CEOs, and politicians who have been accused since April 2017.
https://www.vox.com/a/sexual-harassment-assault-allegations-list/michael-weatherly
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Nice essay. The link at the end is not working - do you need to make it hot? Or are we supposed to cut & paste it?
ReplyDeleteMy apologies, they should both be working now!
Delete