The much-anticipated film, “Unplanned,” opened in theaters across the country last weekend. Based on the best-selling book of the same title, “Unplanned” is the autobiographical story of Abby Johnson, a former director of the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Bryan, Texas. With a burning desire to help women in crisis situations, Abby volunteered to serve as an escort at the clinic in 2001, while she was still a student at Texas A&M University.
Because of her enthusiasm and dedication she rose through the ranks rather quickly, and within a relatively short period of time she became the clinic’s director.
She also had two abortions herself.
What finally opened her eyes to the truth of what she was involved in occurred in late September of 2009, on the day she was asked to hold the ultrasound probe on the abdomen of a woman during an abortion. She had never done anything like that before, but on this particular day they were short-staffed, and the doctor needed her assistance. So, for the first time — through the miracle of ultrasound — Johnson was able to see exactly what happens to a baby in the womb during an abortion procedure. Not surprisingly, what she saw on the ultrasound screen horrified her — so much so, that when the procedure was finished she dropped the probe and, with tears in her eyes, ran out of the clinic.
It is happily ironic that she immediately decided to seek out those who had previously been her enemies: the men and women of the Coalition for Life, a pro-life group that had regularly prayed and protested at Abby’s clinic. In spite of the fact that they detested what she was doing, the members of the Coalition had always shown Abby kindness and respect, so she was confident that they would give her support and guidance in her present crisis, and help her to find the forgiveness and healing she so desperately needed.
And they did.
Now, 10 years later, Johnson is one of the strongest and most persuasive voices in the pro-life movement. She’s as powerful as she is because she knows the dirty business of abortion from the inside-out. She’s been a victim of its many lies, and now she’s determined to expose those lies to the world.
This new movie is part of that noble effort. We urge you to see it — and then to challenge your pro-choice friends to do the same thing.
