Hollywood director and outspoken progressive Joss Whedon is using his film talents to keep the nation’s largest abortion provider in business, ironically calling anyone who would shut it down “inhuman.”
On May 17, Whedon published ‘Unlocked’ – a video that highlights personal stories in a world without Planned Parenthood. In the storyline, one woman cannot procure birth control, and ends up pregnant, having to forgo a full college scholarship. Another is seen dying from breast cancer, because she wasn’t able to access a screening.
The short film proceeds anachronistically, showing first the pain of unplanned pregnancy and illness, then tracing it all back to the closure of the local Planned Parenthood. But in the end, things brighten as viewers see a world where the clinic is open and bustling. As the camera pans throughout the interior of the building, suddenly the lights go dark and the doctors and patients disappear.
“What world do you want?” then flashes on the screen.
Prior to the 2016 election, Whedon and Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards had intended to collaborate on a video celebrating the abortion provider’s centennial. But following Donald Trump’s victory and Planned Parenthood’s uncertain future, the duo took a different, darker track.
“‘Unlocked’ is about what a world without Planned Parenthood would look like, which is truly dire,” Whedon said in a statement.
As Entertainment Weekly writer Nick Romano noted, Whedon is a “longtime supporter of Planned Parenthood,” having helped fundraise in 2015.
“Anyone trying to shut it down is committing an act of evil,” he continued. “It’s not just inhumane — it’s inhuman. I just wanted to remind those of us with some humanity still stirring how much is at stake.”
Recently, Whedon has become increasingly unbalanced in his criticism of the right, speculating that the President might start killing gay people, that Vice President Pence is a “loathsome swine” and that Trump voters are “uncaring and obnoxious.”
And while his most recent project surely has noble intentions, the irony of glossing over Planned Parenthood’s most notable service – abortion – while simultaneously calling pro-lifers “inhuman” cannot be overstated.
‘Unlocked’ use emotional appeals to gain support for Planned Parenthood, pointing to other services the organization provides. However, PP clinics across the nation commit more than 300,000 abortions annually.
Although the Hyde Amendment bars federal dollars from funding abortion, money is fungible. This means, for example, that Planned Parenthood could use public funds to pay for administrative costs, freeing up other resources for abortions.
Ultimately, abortion is the real reason that many liberal activists demand Planned Parenthood stay in business. Many progressives comment that Planned Parenthood clinics are the only source of healthcare for some women in low-income communities, and use this as a reason to maintain government funding. But when President Trump told Planned Parenthood that federal dollars would keep flowing if the organization quit performing abortions, the deal was summarily rejected and criticized by the media.
If “care no matter what” was really the goal, meeting low-income women’s health needs would be more important than a radical devotion to abortion.
