[Ben Warren | NewsWars] The creators of a pro-life movie are slamming the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for the irony that a teen would need a parental guardian to view their film but not actually need one for an abortion.
The prohibitive rating of Unplanned is ironic on multiple levels, according to Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman, the film’s writers and directors.
“Unplanned is an ‘R’ rated film which has no MPAA cautions for profanity, nudity, sex or violence… Except for violence directly associated with the abortion process,” they said. “Ironically, the MPAA seems to be indirectly endorsing the pro-life position: namely that abortion is an act of violence.”
“Even more ironically, as a result of the MPAA’s decision to give us a ‘Restricted’ rating, many teenage women in this country who can legally obtain an actual abortion without parental permission will be prohibited from going to see our film containing simulated images of abortion, without obtaining parental permission.”
Those “simulated images” were the MPAA’s official rationale for the rating as well as the film’s “some disturbing/bloody images” descriptor.
An MPAA spokesman denied accusations that politics played a role in the rating and the company’s website makes it clear that their system is always “evolving” according to the sensitivities of American parents.
Interestingly, there has already been several 2019 movies rated PG-13 portraying violent murder and drug content, Alita: Battle Angel and Miss Bala, respectively.
Filmed in secret to dodge Planned Parenthood activists, Unplanned is based on a true story about an employee of the organization becoming a pro-life advocate.
Solomon and Konzelman have chosen to see the bright side of the decision and have yet to file a formal appeal against the MPAA.
“Maybe it’s all for the best: As the wife of our lead film attorney put it: ‘This is a movie that every mother of a teenage girl needs to take her daughter by the hand and go see with her.’ So as far as we’re concerned, ‘R’ means ‘Recommended.’”
[Editor’s Note: This article was written by Ben Warren and originally published at NewsWars. Title changed by P&P.]
[Editor’s Note: The posting of this article is not intended as an endorsement of NewsWars.]
