A movie that is described as trying to challenge peoples “perception of abortion” is creating some controversy after a planned screening in Prince George.
Unplanned, a movie based on the story of Abby Johnson’s journey from an Abortion clinic director to pro-life advocate, has raised concern from pro-choice groups in other cities as well as in Prince George.
Deidra Yeomans is an organizer of a rally planned to happen outside the Famous Players 6 Cinemas for Saturday morning during the screening of the movie.
“We are here to show support to all of the women, and all of the choices available to women, and we believe this movie in particular spreads false medical information and inaccurate medical information.”
“We are not there to start confrontation or escalation with anti-choice people going to see this movie, we are there to support women whether they would like to partake in adoption, parenthood, or termination and we would like our voices to be heard at these events,” Yeomans added.
Executive Director of the Advokate Life and Education Services, Jared White said they are not trying to force their views on women, but they are hoping the movie starts a conversation.
“This movie is not going to be true for every woman in every story, but it is going to be true for many women and many stories, and I can corroborate that from the hundreds of women we deal with in our pregnancy centres we run across the province.”
When asked about criticism of the movie not being based on facts, White said one scene people have issues with involves a 13-week-old fetus.
“There is this one scene where it seems to show the fetus recoiling from the instrument. Again the fact is fetus do recoil, now does that means they show pain? No one knows 100 per cent for sure, most people would say no they don’t.”
The Abortion Right Coalition of Canada published a paper in 2018 that states its “theoretically possible that fetuses feel pain beginning in the third trimester at 27 weeks gestation,” a fact that is also backed up in an article in NeurologyToday.
The showing is happening at 10 a.m. Saturday and White said they have hundreds of people on a waitlist wanting to go and they might organize a second viewing.
He added that the movie is based on one woman’s experience, not abortion as a whole.
“I hope people don’t go into this movie thinking this represents every woman’s experience because it doesn’t. But I hope people go in saying wow this what some women experience and that maybe it gives us more compassion for them,” said White.