Attention Christians, pro-lifers : You must go see this R-Rated film ‘Unplanned’ as Hollywood tries to censor abortion
In a shocking move, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) gave Pure Flix’s new film Unplanned an R-rating because of “some disturbing/bloody images.”
“A 15-year old girl can get an abortion without her parent’s permission but she can’t see this movie without adult supervision? That’s sad,” said Ken Rather, the executive vp of distribution for Pure Flix.
The situation prompted the filmmakers to fire off a letter of complaint to MPAA CEO Charles Rivkin.
“We consider the MPAA’s current standards to be deeply flawed, insofar as they allow scenes of remarkably graphic sex, violence, degradation, murder and mayhem to have a PG-13 rating, whereas our film, highlighting the grave dangers of abortion in a straightforward manner, is considered dangerous for the American people to view,” wrote Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman, the co-writers and co-directors of Unplanned.
The film, Unplanned, tells the true story of Abby Johnson, who defected from Planned Parenthood to become a pro-life activist.
Pure Flix says not only will it not alter the film to get a PG-13 rating. The Christian company’s other releases, roughly two dozen movies, were all rated G, PG or PG-13.
The MPAA denies the move was politically motivated. It’s process involves a ratings board of about 10 people from all walks of life — all of whom have children — voting and debating until they come to a majority agreement.
“Any film submitter who objects to the given rating can choose to go through the appeals process. To date, the distributor has chosen not to,” an MPAA spokesperson said about Unplanned. “Our rules provide a detailed timeline for the appeals process. There was sufficient time for it to be completed in advance of the film’s March 29 release.”
The MPAA told Pure Flix that the most problematic scene featured a doctor gazing at a computer screen that shows the image of a fetus as the abortion is completed. The doctor in the scene is real-life Dr. Anthony Levatino, who says he has performed about 1,200 abortions over the years.
“The portrayal of a live, moving fetus disappearing is very accurate,” Levatino said. “You’re watching an abortion. It’s an accurate view of what’s happening. It’s disturbing if you recognize it’s a human life.”
“We have three scenes in the film which directly address abortion, and the MPAA objected to all three,” added Solomon. “They specifically made mention of objection to grainy, black and white sonogram images that were part of one of the scenes. It was clear that any meaningful treatment of the issue was going to be objectionable.”
The MPAA doesn’t mention “realistic depiction of abortions” as being a cause for the restrictive rating, and there is no profane language, nudity, violence, drug abuse or anything else that moviegoers typically associate with the R rating, says Pure Flix and the filmmakers.
“This story needs to be told and the message needed to be delivered,” says PureFlix president Michael Scott. “It is our calling as Christians to tell the story about the moral implications of abortion that the mainstream media refuses to acknowledge.”
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[…] The pro-life film examines Johnson’s life and career at Planned Parenthood and garnered a shocking backlash in the U.S. with an R-rating from the MPAA. […]