Abby Johnson was once the youngest Planned Parenthood clinic director in the country. But her passion for her work fades after she witnesses an abortion first hand. Unplanned, a courageous new movie, documents Abby’s amazing journey from pro-abortion activist to one of the most authoritative pro-life voices of our time.
Based on Abby Johnson’s memoir by the same title, Unplanned boldly documents Abby’s conversion. Once convinced she was helping women in crisis through her work, Abby used to counsel parents that their babies “couldn’t feel anything.”
Until one day, when Abby’s asked to be in the room during the abortion of a 13-week-old baby boy. She watches the ultrasound monitor as the baby tries to avoid the suction tube. Shaken and disturbed, Abby walks across the street to a pro-life organization, then called Coalition for Life, to help her process what she experienced.
After her conversion, Unplanned follows Abby’s struggle through a fierce legal battle. Her former employer tries to silence her with gag orders to “protect the confidentiality” of clients. The film captures Abby’s battle with the abortion industry in a way that’s respectful to all who were involved.
Ashley Bratcher, who stars as Abby Johnson in the new movie, was passionate about the role from the very beginning. The Daily Signal reports that just four days into film making the actress found out that she was almost the victim of abortion. This made the role even more significant to the actress.
Due to the violent nature of abortion, Unplanned is rated R. According to Newsmax, the tragic irony is that a teenage girl can go and get an abortion without her parent’s permission, yet she won’t be allowed to view this film that depicts a real life procedure without parental supervision.*
But the main lesson we as Pro Abundant Life people can take from this film is the power of family, love, and prayer in the fight to protect the unborn. Throughout the film, we see Abby Johnson’s friends and families, despite their objection to what she was doing continue to love her in her being. And it was this love and those prayers that gave Abby a place to turn to when she reached her decision point.
Moreover, the film teaches a great lesson in compassion; specifically, how we must ensure we are “apportioning our compassion” properly. Abby Johnson always thought she was being compassionate. When she performed abortions, she placed women at odds with their “difficult situations,” and decided that her compassion was best placed with the women. When she reached her turning point, she realized that the two parties that were in play were not the woman and her “situation” but the woman and her unborn child, and the best way to have compassion for them both was to protect the life of the unborn child and give the woman the support she needs to make a life decision.
So, since 2009 when she resigned her position at Planned Parenthood, Abby Johnson’s been a powerful advocate for the unborn and a conduit to help others leave the abortion industry through her ministry, And Then There Were None. You can learn more about the Abby Johnson, now a mother of seven, on her webpage.
Unplanned opens March 29 in select theaters across the country. Watch the trailer here. Then find a theater near you and go support this amazing pro abundant life film!
*The movie “Unplanned” is rated R due to multiple scenes depicting the violence and graphic nature of abortion; therefore, Care Net recommends that anyone under the age of 17, and anyone who has personally experienced abortion, use caution when determining whether or not to see the film.