An abortion counselor’s spiritual transformation
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By Kam Williams
Abby Johnson (Ashley
Bratcher) was recruited by
Planned Parenthood to do
volunteer work when she was
still an undergrad at Texas
A&M. Her first job was to
escort women seeking abortions
from the parking lot
into the building, past picketers
calling them baby killers
. Upon graduating from college,
she was hired as a counselor
at the controversial,
reproductive health services
provider’s clinic in Bryan,
Texas. Over the course of the
next eight years, she rose up
the ranks to office director,
even though she was privately
conflicted over whether
the organization’s primary
function was to inform
pregnant women about their
options or merely to perform
abortions.
After all, she not only
came from a conservative,
pro-life family, but felt overwhelming
regret about the
two abortions she had undergone
herself earlier in life.
So, between pressure from
her parents and the almost
daily confrontations with
demonstrators, Abby’s conscience
began to get the better
of her.
The moment of truth
arrived the day her help
was urgently needed in the
operating room. And, for the
first time in her career, she
observed an actual abortion.
She was shocked by the
gruesome procedure, which
left her convinced that the
fetus was a baby. In fact, she
felt so guilty that she decided
to resign and join the pro-life
protesters marching outside
the building.
That is the touching transformation
convincingly conveyed
in “Unplanned,” a poignant,
cinematic portrait codirected
by Chuck Konzelman
and Cary Solomon. Unfortunately,
abortion is such an
incendiary issue, this is the
sort of film audiences will
be inclined to judge without
seeing based on their political
persuasion, although it’s
adapted from Abby Johnson’s
very personal memoir.
A riveting reminiscence
recounting a Planned Parenthood
exec’s unlikely conversion
to outspoken anti-abortion
activist.
“Unplanned”
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for disturbing
images
Running time: 110
minutes
Distributor: Pure Flix
Entertainment
A scene from the movie “Unplanned.” Michael Kubeisy
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