Abortion has been a deeply controversial topic in American politics for decades, and now, it’s coming to a theater near you. The faith-based film “Unplanned” tells the story of Planned Parenthood worker turned pro-life activist Abby Johnson — one of the youngest clinic directors in the country until she resigned after witnessing an abortion on ultrasound.
“Unplanned” paints Planned Parenthood as a “billion-dollar corporation,” a profit-driven behemoth whose employees pressure patients into having abortions in order to fill quotas. According to the film, which earned more than $6 million in its opening weekend, Planned Parenthood is the enemy, its patients simply victims of an evil agenda.
Never mind that Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization, or that they say only 3 percent of its services are abortion-related. Never mind that each year, the health care, education and outreach it provides benefits nearly 5 million people worldwide.
Yes, many of its services pertain to sexual and reproductive health. And yes, it has become one of the many symbols of political polarization that vehemently pulse throughout our country.
But Planned Parenthood’s work is indispensable. It provides birth control, prenatal care, STD testing and cancer screenings to people, especially women, who otherwise would not be able to afford it. They need it for more reasons than to satisfy their sexual urges, or whatever other negative and degrading stereotype you might attribute to those in need of reproductive health services. Regardless of your views on abortion, all women — and everyone else — stand to benefit from Planned Parenthood’s services.
We do not intend to attack Johnson for her character or insult her lifestyle. To do so is to play into an age-old dialogue rooted in sexism and misogyny. We respect Johnson’s decision to leave her job at Planned Parenthood, just as we respect her right to have and express her own opinions. However, we cannot respect her ongoing attempts to systematically strip women of their rights, their autonomy and their access to affordable health care.
These anti-abortion tropes, many of them generalizations and misrepresentations of the truth, matter. The anti-abortion activists who have been making regular appearances in the Pit, on our very own campus, matter. Their words and graphic portrayals matter. They are dangerous, and they carry meaning that transcends beyond the time and place in which they are spoken. They form the voices that narrate our cultural attitudes and reality.
As the political climate becomes increasingly hostile toward Planned Parenthood in our country, the need to defend and protect its mission is more important than ever. “Unplanned,” and the anti-abortion narrative it promotes, harms the legitimacy of organizations like Planned Parenthood that seek to improve the healthcare landscape at a time when it is so desperately needed.
