UNPACKING “UNPLANNED”

(This Post was originally posted on Facebook April 4, 2019. “Unplanned” is no longer in theaters but is now available in digital and DVD formats)

“UNPLANNED”

No matter how hard I try, I keep struggling to find words to express the impact this movie has had on me. But I’m going to try one more time because I’ve got to find a way to say it somehow. “UNPLANNED” is the kind of thing that touches everyone a little differently. It’s more than a movie: it’s a space of 2-hours that will forever define your life. Like Abby Johnson herself, what you see will change everything. I honestly don’t know how any human being with a half-way honest heart could walk out of the theater and not be affected. Of course, I can only speak from my own experience, from my own heart, but I hope my words can somehow encourage you to go see it (MOST of you, anyway…a little more on the movie’s R-Rating later).

So here goes…

First off, let’s deal with the elephant in the room. This movie is NOT “political”! I can honestly say I have never seen anything so gut-wrenchingly honest in my life. If you are “Pro-life”, you will squirm; if you are “Pro-choice”, you will squirm. Democrat, Republican, Christian, Humanist, Man, Woman…whatever your “political” (or whatever else the media seems to think is so important) affiliation, Abby’s story will get to you. It will force you to look at a side you probably haven’t looked at before; see things from a perspective you either missed out of ignorance or downright defiance. And that’s a good thing. That’s a REALLY good thing. Because, whichever side of the “fence” we find ourselves on, we need to know the Truth.

ALL OF IT.

Which brings me to the second thing: I am GRATEFUL to the filmmakers for giving me a glimpse into the very real struggles of women who have abortions because they think they have no other way out. I’ve always had compassion, but getting to enter the other side—walk down sterile hallways and sit in waiting chairs and stand in cold “procedure” rooms—gave me a level of understanding I could have never had on my own. It also took away every fear I have ever felt of sounding unsympathetic and cruel to the “woman” by fighting for the “baby”. In the past, those arguments have intimidated me because I didn’t want to push people, especially other women, away. Those days are OVER. Now I know, beyond a shadow of ANY doubt, that abortion destroys the WOMAN almost as much (perhaps even as much) as it destroys the child. If we TRULY care about “women’s rights” we will give of ourselves to HELP women NOT feed them to Planned Parenthood’s money machine. Girls, for all their smooth words and convincing arguments, Planned Parenthood does not “empower” us; it preys upon our vulnerability. A woman who finds herself so desperate that she would consider abortion definitely needs help but she won’t find it through abortion. We have to let the mercy of God drive us to get involved: to end ALL forms of abortion, no matter how many or how few “weeks” (just don’t get me started on that pill…), and then take up the slack to create a culture of mercy, love, and PURITY that will actually HELP people—NOT exploit them!

(And, yes, I hate Planned Parenthood more than ever: NOT—I repeat, NOT—the people involved but the organization itself!)

Okay. End of speech. Onto the third and, for me, MOST important thing…

I’ve never seen a movie more profoundly packed with the LOVE of God and the POWER of prayer. This is perhaps what took me most by surprise. Instead of leaving the theater overwhelmed by despair (which was a legitimate fear for me going in) I was completely overcome by the LOVE and MERCY of God. It was overwhelming. It’s still overwhelming. His ability to redeem a situation and a life so horrifically twisted and bring something beautiful out of it…the fact He would even WANT to…is perhaps what I am having the hardest time describing. But, to me, THAT is what “UNPLANNED” is about. That and the power of prayer. I wish I could tell you what prayer accomplishes in this film, what it has accomplished in real life, but I don’t want to spoil it for you. Suffice to say, “UNPLANNED”, perhaps more than any movie I’ve ever seen, shows prayer to be the unstoppable force it actually is. Truly, the gates of Hell cannot stand against the prayers of God’s people!

So, in closing of this very long post…

Go see “UNPLANNED”.

Face the Truth.

Let Jesus overwhelm you with His love.

And, whatever you do, KEEP PRAYING TO END ABORTION!

Choose HEROIC,

CHRISTIS JOY

P.S. A word about who should NOT see this movie…this film is rated “R”, and, though I question the MPAA’s standards that would rate this movie “R” and so many horror movies “PG-13”, I found myself glad for it. No child should EVER see “UNPLANNED”. EVER. And, truthfully, neither should innocent teenagers who already understand abortion is wrong—especially boys (I would even go one step further and add pure-hearted men who have never been married into that category). While nothing graphic is shown in the way of nudity (except for some upper leg) some of the scenes are painfully graphic in their depiction of women suffering. There is A LOT of blood, and feminine blood at that, so discretion is certainly in order. There are also a few foul words. Granted, compared to most “R”-rated Hollywood movies “UNPLANNED” would be considered “light”, yet the rating is still there for a reason and shouldn’t be ignored. For an in-depth review of the movie’s content go to pluggedin.com