USA – Abby Johnson Spreads Falsehoods About Abortion At The RNC

The anti-abortion activist accused Planned Parenthood of racism and described abortion in graphic language.

By Melissa Jeltsen, HuffPost US
08/25/2020

Anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson used her five-minute speaking slot on the second night of the Republican National Convention to stigmatize abortion and smear her former employer, Planned Parenthood, the country’s largest provider of reproductive health care.

Johnson, who spent the day under fire for past statements on racial profiling and women’s right to vote, worked at Planned Parenthood for eight years before defecting to the anti-abortion movement.

Continued: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/abby-johnson-abortion-lies-rnc_n_5f45997dc5b6cf66b2afd884


Unplanned, a US pro-life film ‘which distorts abortion’, set for Irish screens

Unplanned, a US pro-life film ‘which distorts abortion’, set for Irish screens
Unplanned, based on a disputed memoir by former clinician Abby Johnson, is rated 16 for general release

Pavel Barter
September 29 2019

An American pro-life film which has been accused of inaccurately portraying abortion procedures is being released in Irish cinemas this week. Unplanned is an adaptation of a memoir by Abby Johnson, a former clinic director for Planned Parenthood in Texas, who became a pro-life activist after seeing a distressing abortion.

The $6m (€5.5m) film has grossed almost $20m in the US and Canada since April. According to Paul Ward, co-owner of Irish Multiplex Cinemas, Unplanned will be shown from Friday at its four Dublin theatres, including the Savoy, and in Omagh, Co Tyrone. “We have been asked by our patrons to screen it,” he said.

Continued: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/unplanned-a-us-pro-life-film-which-distorts-abortion-set-for-irish-screens-fcxl53jc0


Canada – Abortion is constitutional right and, unfortunately, an election issue

Abortion is constitutional right and, unfortunately, an election issue

Jennifer Taylor argues Canadians can’t trust the Tory leader on his promise to avert the anti-abortion movement
Abortion is constitutional right and, unfortunately, an election issue

By Jennifer Taylor
OPINION 23 Sep 2019

It’s been 50 years since abortion was partly decriminalized in Canada, and 31 years since R v Morgentaler, the Supreme Court of Canada decision that struck down the remaining Criminal Code restrictions. Surely, in 2019, Canadians have accepted that there is a constitutional right to abortion access in this country, and abortion is a publicly funded health care service – not a subject for debate. We’ve moved on. Right?

Unfortunately, not.

Continued: https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/opinion/abortion-is-constitutional-right-and-unfortunately-an-election-issue/304370


Canada – High school screening of controversial anti-abortion film draws anger

High school screening of controversial anti-abortion film draws anger

Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press
Published Friday, August 23, 2019

SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- A screening of the controversial American anti-abortion film "Unplanned" scheduled for Friday evening at Saint John High School in New Brunswick has stirred up debate about the use of public spaces as a forum for contentious subject matter.

Saint John Coun. David Hickey and the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada were among those who voiced opposition to the screening booked for the school's theatre, arguing it's inappropriate to show such a film in a public institution funded by the government.

Continued: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/high-school-screening-of-controversial-anti-abortion-film-draws-anger-1.4562652


Tennessee man arrested for threatening to “shoot up” a Planned Parenthood

Tennessee man arrested for threatening to "shoot up" a Planned Parenthood

By Kate Smith
August 22, 2019

A Tennessee man was arrested yesterday for allegedly threatening a mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Washington, D.C. The suspect is the third person to be charged for threatening violence against the abortion provider this month alone.

Authorities say that on August 13, Jacob Cooper, 20, used the website iFunny to post a message that said, "Make sure you tell them about how I plan to shoot up a planned parenthood facility in Washington D.C., on August 19th at 3pm."

Continued: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/planned-parenthood-threat-man-arrested-for-threatening-to-shoot-up-a-planned-parenthood-in-washington-dc-2019-08-22/


Canada – The pro-choice movement will defeat any threats to abortion rights

The pro-choice movement will defeat any threats to abortion rights

Joyce Arthur
August 8, 2019

Canada's pro-choice movement is in good fighting form, and stronger than ever. That's the undeniable conclusion after living through the roller-coaster ride of anti-choice activity over the last three months.

First, we saw the annual March for Life on Ottawa's Parliament Hill on May 9, as well as anti-choice rallies in cities across Canada including Toronto for the first time. Many anti-choice Parliamentarians attended these events and some spoke out, including Ontario MPP Sam Oosterhoff, with his infamous comment, "We pledge to make abortion unthinkable in our lifetime."

Continued: http://rabble.ca/columnists/2019/08/pro-choice-movement-will-defeat-any-threats-abortion-rights


Canada – Activists condemn Canadian cinema chain for screening anti-abortion film

Activists condemn Canadian cinema chain for screening anti-abortion film
Cineplex Entertainment criticized for screening Unplanned, which is said to promote falsehoods about reproductive health

Tracey Lindeman in Ottawa
Tue 9 Jul 2019

Abortion rights defenders in Canada have accused the country’s largest cinema chain of hiding behind freedom of expression laws in order to screen a controversial US anti-choice film which has been described as “anti-abortion propaganda”.

The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) said Cineplex Entertainment has “made a decision based on money, not freedom of speech” by choosing to screen Unplanned. ARCC executive director Joyce Arthur said: “The movie theatres who are agreeing to show this film under the guise of free speech are publicly legitimizing anti-choice views.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/09/canadian-abortion-rights-group-condemns-cinema-chain-over-anti-choice-film


Controversial anti-abortion film ‘Unplanned’ to hit more than 24 Canadian theatres

Controversial anti-abortion film 'Unplanned' to hit more than 24 Canadian theatres

Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, July 3, 2019

TORONTO -- A controversial American anti-abortion film is set to hit Canadian theatres soon, with the distributor bracing for possible protests.

More than 24 cinemas across the country are due to screen "Unplanned" for a week starting July 12, after stirring up intense debate during its U.S. release from Christian production studio Pure Flix.

Continued: https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/controversial-anti-abortion-film-unplanned-to-hit-more-than-24-canadian-theatres-1.4491806


Unplanned Is a Movie That Could Get Someone Killed

Unplanned Is a Movie That Could Get Someone Killed

Apr. 12, 2019
By Caitlin Moscatello

The makers of Unplanned, the anti-abortion propaganda film that’s earned more than $6 million since its debut in late March, waste no time getting to their point. Just minutes after the lights in the theater go dark, viewers are transported to what’s supposed to be a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas, where an aspiration abortion (when a suction device is used) is taking place.

The dramatized scene includes a patient like almost every other patient in the film — young, white, pretty — with her feet in stirrups, the sound of a fetal heartbeat pulsing in the background. “Beam me up, Scotty!” says the doctor, and the young woman cries out as a nurse holds her down. “It hurts! It hurts!” she wails, to which the nurse barks, “You want it done, don’t you?” Moments later, the screen fills with an ultrasound image of a fetus wiggling away from the device.

Continued: https://www.thecut.com/2019/04/unplanned-is-a-movie-that-could-get-someone-killed.html


USA – Shock, Gore, and More: ‘Unplanned’ Recycles Timeworn Tropes of Anti-Choice Films

Shock, Gore, and More: ‘Unplanned’ Recycles Timeworn Tropes of Anti-Choice Films
Anti-abortion films spread misinformation and build a world that is distinctly white, Christian, and conservative.

Apr 5, 2019
Steph Herold & Gretchen Sisson

The anti-abortion film Unplanned quietly snuck into fourth place at the box office last weekend, grossing more than $6 million and drawing claims that it will be anti-abortion advocates’ Schindler’s List: “We are the hope, and this movie is our battle cry,” said one.

Unplanned is based on the memoir of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director turned anti-abortion activist. Johnson claims she had a change of heart after witnessing an ultrasound-guided abortion and abruptly quit her job; others have consistently challenged Johnson’s account of events. Regardless, the movie takes Johnson’s conversion as true, holding her up as the relatable, redemptive heroine.

Continued: https://rewire.news/article/2019/04/05/shock-gore-and-more-unplanned/