Crisis pregnancy centers, conservative churches, and other anti-choice groups are urging their followers to see Unplanned. The low budget film promises to expose the lies of the abortion industry by telling the tale of a former Planned Parenthood worker who left her “lucrative” job after uncovering the truth about abortion. Some organizations, including crisis pregnancy centers, have bought up all theater tickets for the movie and sponsored community movie viewing days. Because crisis pregnancy centers receive taxpayer funding, this means that some taxpayer money could be redirected to this film.
People who care about women, who believe that they are more than mere vessels for babies, who know that a truly pro-life world must also care about women need to pay careful attention to this movie. It’s a propaganda tool for the far right. And it’s full of lies. Here’s what you need to know about this movie.
The Central Story of the Movie May Be False
The story follows Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic manager who had a change of heart. In her memoir, Johnson claims to have seen a fetus on an ultrasound struggling to escape during an abortion at a Texas abortion clinic. This spurred her conversion, and Johnson went on to found And Then There Were None, an organization that encourages clinic workers to leave abortion clinics.
Much of Johnson’s story is suspect. She claims that the abortion which changed her mind was of a black woman who was 13 weeks pregnant. Clinic records indicate that the only abortion that could match Johnson’s description occurred at 6 weeks—a time when it would be impossible for a developing embryo to noticeably move, let alone “struggle.” Moreover, doctors don’t typically use ultrasounds to guide abortion at such an early stage, so it’s unlikely that Johnson could have witnessed anything at all.
A Texas Monthly investigation found that Johnson’s Facebook postings around the time of her departure suggest a frustrated and disgruntled employee—not one who was questioning the morality of her work. After leaving her job, she emphasized on Facebook how committed she was to her work. Her resignation letter to Planned Parenthood raises no ethical issues, mentions no change of heart.
There is little evidence to support Johnson’s story. There’s also plenty of reason for Johnson to lie, given that an abortion change of heart story is a fast route to fame, notoriety, and potentially money on the far right.
The Story Peddles a Familiar, and Untrue, Narrative About Abortion Clinics
Anti-choicers love to talk about the “abortion industry.” Presenting abortion as lucrative allows them to sell the lie that abortion clinics kill babies for profit. Unplanned capitalizes on this narrative by portraying its protagonist as a successful career woman (a character many anti-choicers are already primed to hate) who left her “lucrative” job at Planned Parenthood. According to GlassDoor, the average Planned Parenthood manager earns about $54,000—about the same as the average salary of a college-educated woman.
Clinic workers work long hours for little pay. They also put their lives in danger. Anti-choice terrorists have killed 12 people, and wounded 30 others, since 1993. Most clinic workers report threats, stalking, and other forms of harassment. Many have to change their routes to work or even move to remain safe. Yet they continue to do the work because it saves lives.
Lies: A Staple of the Anti-Choice Movement
Anti-abortion literature and movies specialize in saccharine tales of women who keep their babies and live happily ever after. The reality is much harsher. The Turnaway Study compares women who are denied abortions to similar women who have abortions. Outcomes for women who do not have abortions are consistently worse. They’re more likely to live in poverty, to remain in abusive relationships, to become depressed, and to need government assistance.
Women who choose to keep their babies face a hostile maternity care system. The U.S. is the most dangerous place in the wealthy world to give birth, ranking 46th for maternal mortality. Some states fare even worse. It’s safer to give birth in Iran and Iraq than in Georgia. Anti-choicers seem unconcerned about these women’s lives. And they consistently oppose welfare, food stamps, paid maternity leave, and any other benefit that could improve the lives of babies once they’re born.
Research consistently debunks popular anti-choice lies, such as that abortion causes depression (it doesn’t, but being denied an abortion does) or that abortion causes breast cancer (nope). One recent study even found that men lying about abortion are a staple of abortion media coverage.
Anti-choicers have to lie about abortion, because if they tell the truth, then their complicity in the suffering of women and babies becomes painfully apparent. They sit idly by as the Republicans they elect slash funding for families, do nothing to stop the epidemic of maternal mortality, and defend men who abuse women.
Unplanned is a predictable weapon in their arsenal of lies.