Unplanned Parent Guide

At Parent Previews, we understand that abortion is a controversial issue and our readers on both sides of the debate have passionately held beliefs. “Unplanned” is a pro-life film and is being evaluated on its own merits; not as a proxy for the pro-life/pro-choice debate.

Abby Johnson (Ashley Bratcher) is a girl with a cause. Working for Planned Parenthood, she is committed to helping young women facing crisis pregnancies. Her loyalty to the non-profit organization helps her climb the corporate ladder from volunteer to clinic director in just eight years.

Abby’s pro-choice stance might seem surprising given that her parents (Robert Thomason, Robin DeMarco) morally disagree with her career path and her husband (Brooks Ryan) merely tolerates it. Despite the constant pressure of pro-life protesters outside the gates of her workplace, Abby holds firm. Even the birth of her own child (Andee Grace Burton) doesn’t dissuade her. Perhaps part of Abby’s conviction that she is doing good in the world comes from her secret past where she made similar decisions to deal with her own unexpected life events.

But then something unplanned happens to the zealous employee.

A busy work day requires her to help the doctor (Anthony Levatino) in one of the procedure rooms. Although she has witnessed emergencies where patients have bled excessively, handled the broken body parts of removed fetuses and even endured the bloody aftermath of her own chemically-induced abortion (all of which are graphically depicted in the movie), she has never before watched the ultrasound monitor while a baby was being sucked out of its mother’s womb. What Abby sees completely unnerves her. (It may have a similar effect on viewers.)

With this shocking understanding of what it really means to “terminate” a pregnancy, Abby turns to her enemies—the Christian pro-life advocates (Jared Lotz, Emma Elle Roberts) who have long stood on the other side of the fence. With their loving support, Abby quits her job and shortly thereafter joins their Coalition for Life.

Based on a true story, Abby Johnson’s unique experience allows her to share perspectives on the both sides of this controversial issue. But make no mistake, this is the tale of her conversion from abortion advocate to abortion opponent. As such, the narrated script (written by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman) includes rebuttals to many of the usual pro-choice arguments. As well, Abby’s boss (Robia Scott) is portrayed as cold-hearted and business-minded, while the Christians are seen as warm and forgiving.

Yet this obvious bias doesn’t change some uncomfortable truths. Whether you see the question as one of women’s rights or the rights of the unborn, either answer is going to involve significant suffering for those involved. Whether you call it a procedure or an abortion, it is still a medical experience that can be painful for the mother and is fatal to the fetus. Whether you label it a clump of cells or a baby, something that was growing and developing will be destroyed. And whether or not you try to be sensitive to both parties, these difficult choices come with consequences more far-reaching than either expected or planned.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.