(Warning: contents below are very vivid and may not be suitable for all audiences; also, they could contain spoilers for the movie.)
This past weekend I did something I did not think I would ever do. I took my entire family to see an R-rated movie. After a few weeks of seeing the trailer pop up on Facebook and a gentle nod from my pastor, I decided it was the right thing to do. Even though I lived in the Houston metro not long after these events, I did not know the story the movie was based on before the media hype these past few weeks.
The movie Unplanned (click here to learn more about the movie and watch the trailer) tells the story of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director, whose life changed, as the movie poster states, “after what she saw.” What did she see? In her own words, “I watched in horror as a 13-week baby fought for, and ultimately lost, its life at the hands of the abortionist.” This was during a suction abortion with the aid of an ultrasound machine.
Other than The Passion of the Christ, there has never been a movie more difficult for me to watch, but also one that was so important for me to watch. The film is rated R for several scenes that portray the brutal reality of what an abortion looks like. Within the first few minutes, we see the abortion that changed Abby Johnson’s life forever. We watch on an ultrasound monitor as a 13-week baby fights against the suction that rips him from limb to limb until the entire fetus disappears. The movie portrays other types of abortions that left me literally weeping in my seat. During one scene we are taken into a back room of the Planned Parenthood clinic label POC. POC stands for “Products of Conception,” but employees jokingly state it stands for “Pieces of Children.” Inside the room, we are told that doctors must reconstruct the pieces of each aborted fetus to make sure they got them all out.
This movie is more than an abortion movie, however. It is a story of love, patience, hope, and most of all, the forgiveness of God. After returning home from watching the movie, I sat down with my family to allow each of us to share our thoughts. After a time of prayer with my family, I knew I couldn’t just go on about my day. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I began writing some thoughts.
Here are some of my takeaways from the movie Unplanned.
The importance of having people around you that love you unconditionally. We all make mistakes in life. This movie does not glamorize Abby’s past. Although she grew up in a Christian home, once she arrived in college, she did not make the wisest of choices. She even married someone without her parent’s blessing. However, through it all, her parents loved her unconditionally. Her first marriage did not last long, and she eventually married again. Neither her parents, nor her second husband approved of her career choices, yet they continue to show her love.
It is easy to be deceived. Abby genuinely thought, or convinced herself, that she was helping women. Toward the beginning of the movie we hear a voiceover from Abby telling us she is asked if she was really that “gullible, foolish and naïve” and she responds, “yes.” Throughout the movie, she also shares that a tiny fetus is just a blob of tissue with no ability to feel anything. In another scene, one clinic employee that claims to be a Catholic says, “I don’t care what anyone says, I know that I’m doing God’s work here.” Before we cast stones, we need to realize how easy it is to be deceived, that is, by the way, one of the “nicknames” of our enemy.
Perception is not always the reality. It is interesting that if you look at the mission statement for Planned Parenthood, they do not list “abortions” at all. Based on a “fact sheet” found on their website, 3% of all their health services are abortion services, however, according to the pro-life organization Susan B. Anthony List, abortions make up 94% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy services. So, which is correct? The Washington Post researched and discovered that neither is 100% accurate. It depends on the measure you used to make your case. Planned Parenthood combines many of its services. For example, a woman may get a pregnancy test, birth control, and a pap smear, but she would be counted three times, one for each service. Each service a woman receives before the actual abortion is also considered a separate service. For every abortion, there will be listed multiple services such as a pregnancy test, ultrasound, etc. The SBA List comes up with their number by only calculating services for pregnant patients. Planned Parenthood is just involved with three services for pregnant women: prenatal services, adoption referrals, and abortions. Of the three options, 94% are abortions. When you read the numbers or read about the services rendered, make sure you understand the details. Click here for the Washington Post article.
It is better to love and support than it is to hate and condemn. In the movie, two different pro-life groups show up to the Planned Parenthood building to stand outside protesting. One group is Coalition for Christ. (You can click here for their website.) Their focus is peaceful, prayerful support for women as they park and get out of their cars. They seek to encourage them to reconsider their choices by demonstrating love. The other group that would show up, well, let’s say they had a different approach. They were holding up vulgar signs and demeaning the women as they would walk into the building. Which was the most effective? There was only one group that the girls would talk to and only one group that Abby sought when she needed to talk to someone. I think we all know which group that was.
Not for profit is a tax designation, not a business model. This is a quote from the regional director in the movie. There is no way to know if that was actually ever stated, but there is no doubt to the financial success of the corporation. In their 2017-2018 annual report (click here to read the report in its entirety), all forms of revenue were up including government funding ($563.8 million, up $20 million), private contributions ($630.8 million, up $107 million) and other individual contributors outside of foundation grants and corporate contributions. Combined, Planned Parenthood is well over a billion dollar per year corporation. As a non-profit, however, Planned Parenthood donations are tax deductible. Forbes listed Planned Parenthood as the number 27 largest U.S. charity in 2018.
God will forgive all sins. There is a very moving scene near the end of the movie after Abby quits working at the clinic where she is weeping with her husband. She asks him, “I have been complicit in over 22,000 abortions. That is the weight of my guilt. How do I even begin to comprehend the guilt of what I have done?” The Bible teaches “there is none righteous, no, not one,” (Romans 3:10) and that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Our only hope is the forgiveness that God offers to us freely through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. In the movie, Abby’s husband responds, “All you can do is say you are sorry and beg forgiveness.” 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If you have never asked God to forgive you of your sins and surrender your life to Him, I encourage you to visit this site to learn more and then find a local church to help. If you need help with that, please contact me by clicking here.
God never wastes a hurt. The movie begins with a voiceover sharing, “My story isn’t an easy one to hear. I think I probably ought to warn you of that up front.” There is no doubt that this is a difficult movie to watch. I can’t imagine going through all that Abby Johnson has gone through. But God is using her past to change other people’s future. We all have experiences in our past we did not understand as we were going through them. We may still not understand them, but God can and will use them if we allow Him to.
God gets the victory in the end. After the movie is over, before the end credits begin to roll, there is some added information shared. One update shared is that the Planned Parenthood in Bryan, TX closed its doors for good in 2013. In a bit of irony, the Coalition for Life purchased the building and used it as its headquarters. This reminds me of the story of French Enlightenment writer Francois-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire. He predicted that Christianity would be extinct within 100 years of his death. The irony is that his estate became a Bible Society headquarters. 1 Corinthians 15:57 states, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Never stop praying for life change. Directors of the Coalition for Life, Shawn Carney and his wife Marilisa, prayed for Abby for eight years. Eight years they interacted with her as she would come and go from the clinic. Eight years they knew what was going on. Eight years they continually reached out to her. And after eight years, when Abby finally surrendered to God, she knew right where to go. She went to see the people she knew was praying for her. We must never give up hope on those in our lives we might think are hopeless. We must never stop praying for life change. We must also never stop praying for women that are struggling with decisions on what to do. Abby shares in the movie that Planned Parenthood’s internal research documents the effectiveness of prayer: “Planned Parenthood’s statistics show that if someone’s praying in front of a clinic, the abortion appointment no-show rate can go as high as 75%.”
Abortion is a political issue, but it is much more than a political issue. There is no doubt that abortion is a major political issue. Even in the campaigns of our nation’s highest offices, clear lines are drawn. As I shared earlier, the federal government funds, through various grants, Planned Parenthood over half a billion dollars annually. An interesting tidbit about the movie that one shouldn’t find too shocking is that you might be hard-pressed to see the trailer for the movie on TV. Why? Many TV networks refused to run ads for the movie. Networks such as Lifetime, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, the Travel Channel, Cooking Channel, and USA Network are a few examples. Another interesting question is why the movie was given an R rating. The movie is graphic, and I would not encourage young children to see it. However, why is it that a fifteen-year-old can walk into an abortion clinic and get an abortion without parental consent, but cannot watch a movie about abortion without parental consent?
The reality is, however, this is not a political issue. It is a life or death issue. The Center for Disease Control website states that in 2015 (their most recent reporting), 638,169 legal induced abortions were reported to CDC from 49 reporting areas. The abortion rate was 11.8 abortions per 1,000 women, and the abortion ratio was 188 abortions per 1,000 live births. In other words, almost 16% of all pregnancies in the United States ended in induced abortions. Focus on the Family reports that since 1973 more than 55 million abortions have been performed in the United States. Let that number soak in for a moment. Don’t even think of it as a number. Fifty-five million lives have been murdered. Psalm 139:13-14 states, “For You formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Life begins at conception! Modern science supports Scriptural truth. After years of research, Princeton University summarized, “The following references illustrate the fact that a new human embryo, the starting point for a human life, comes into existence with the formation of the one-celled zygote.” We must do all we can to protect all human life.
What have I done? What am I going to do now? These are the questions I wrestle with now. I have asked for God’s forgiveness because I do not believe I have done enough. I have been privileged to pastor two different churches, but in neither did I speak on the topic enough nor did I lead the church to do enough. What could we have done and what can I do now? To be honest, I don’t know for sure. There are several thoughts I am wrestling with. I will pray for this area more than I ever have. I will likely seek out some organizations to partner with and support. I might even be a Saturday fence stander at a local Planned Parenthood praying for women and families as they enter. I have already found out the location in my town is open on the first and third Saturday each month. I am still praying for what I should do, and I encourage you to do the same.
If you have not seen the movie, I will encourage you to start there.