Ron Magarzo
Grade 12
Reflection: UNPLANNED
On October 11,2019, we went to SM City Iloilo to watch the movie “Unplanned”.
“Unplanned” is a 2019 American anti-abortion drama film written and directed by Cary
Solomon and Chuck Konzelman. The movie was around two hours long. During the first half of
the movie, I thought that it was promoting abortion because the protagonist, Abby Johnson,
showed skills in convincing people to undergo abortion which led me to assume that she was
pro-abortion;however, it was later shown that the protagonist was against abortion which led me
to my final conclusion that the movie is an anti-abortion film. The movie had me thinking
whether abortion is acceptable or not. Well for me, it depends on what the case is but first let us
define what abortion is. Abortion is when a pregnancy is ended or terminated. An abortion
happens when a fertilized egg or embryo is removed from the uterus either by taking pills to
expel the pregnancy, by gentle suction, or with forceps. For me, abortion is both acceptable and
not acceptable depending on what the case is. In fact, there is such thing called legal abortion.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the indications for legal abortion can be
broadly divided into medical indications, eugenic indications, humanitarian indications,
medico-social indications, and purely social indications. Medical indications authorize abortion
to save the life of the woman. For example, let’s say the life of a woman is endangered and there
is a high probability of death occurring if the pregnancy continues, then abortion may be
authorized to preserve the life of the woman. Eugenic indications authorize abortion not only to
prevent the transmission of hereditary diseases but also to avoid the birth of children liable to be
affected by physical or mental disorders. For example, Amniocentesis is a test where the doctor
collects a small amount of amniotic fluid from the area surrounding the baby. This test can be
used to detect birth defects specifically chromosomal disorders and genetic disorders such as
Down Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, or Tay-Sachs disease. For some mothers, it is painful and hard
to accept a child who has birth defects thus in order to avoid to this, they may undergo
diagnostic tests to determine if their baby has birth defects and may opt for abortion;however, I
personally do not recommend abortion for eugenic indications because I find the reasons quite
shallow and unacceptable. I find it unacceptable to terminate a woman’s pregnancy for the
reason of avoiding the birth of children affected by physical or mental disorders. Ethical
indications authorize abortion in cases where pregnancy results from a criminal act such as rape,
incest, or sexual intercourse with a person suffering from a mental disease. In cases where a
woman gets raped and impregnated, abortion may be authorized. The last thing a woman wants
to see is the spitting image of its rapist. For the case of incest, it may be linked to eugenic
indications because sexual intercourse with a family remember has a high chance of producing
an offspring with abnormalities therefore abortion may be authorized. Medico-social indications
authorize abortion given that a serious danger existed justifying abortion later than the 8th week
of pregnancy, such factors as several previous deliveries in close succession, the period of time
since the last delivery, domestic difficulties resulting from the presence of infants in the
household, a difficult financial situation, or the ill-health of other persons living in the same
household(WHO). The aforementioned indications show that abortion is legal given that the
case is justifiable. However, no such indications exist in the Philippines not even for the purpose
of saving the life of a woman. If one is not ready for pregnancy, then she should not have sexual
intercourse yet or she should use birth control devices such as pills, condoms, IUDs, or
diaphragms. Sadly, we can’t blame those who choose not to use birth control devices. We can’t
blame them because the people in our country are judgemental. Everyone may have access to
birth control methods; however, not everyone has the guts to buy one. The moment people see
you buy condoms, they start to whisper and judge you. They label you as pervert or someone
disgusting. This is the reason why birth control devices are rarely being bought. So now the
question is, am I anti-abortion or pro-choice? I am anti-abortion because I see life as something
sacred. I have my own principles in life to follow. No matter what the reason is, may it be either
eugenic or medical, I still condemn abortion. For me, abortion violates one’s soul because we
are killing one’s life. I believe that murder tears one soul apart. I may be a skeptic when it comes
to a divine being but I believe in having a soul. My definition of a soul is being pure in a sense
that you are not violating the law of life, that is not committing murder. That is my opinion and
stand agianst abortion. Everyone has his or her own stand against abortion. Others may agree to
abortion whilst others may condemn abortion.
