[I did not see the movie discussed below, and coverage and previews only takes you so far. So, take my comments with a grain of salt, but I think, they are still probably basically sound. To the degree many do not see a lot of the films whose overall flavor I discuss, the message I take out of the coverage is useful on its own as well.]
Juno is the third in an unplanned movie trilogy, the others being Waitress and Knocked Up, where a girl accidentally gets pregnant and grows into a heroine by rejecting abortion as a quick solution. Social conservatives attempting to break through in movies have not yet mastered the art of getting our point across without coming off preachy. But it's fascinating to watch the Hollywood and Indie crowd handle one of our premises pretty much the way we'd like it handled.
-- Jill Stanek [of "Pro-life Pulse"]
I have long been interested in abortion, in particular Roe v. Wade, because of the many issues that the issue raises. Issues that are deep and profound. The general stance of the country appears to be pro-choice with concerns, an uncomfortable pro-choice in various ways. But, push comes to shove, a clear majority knows situations -- sometimes only when they occur -- where they accept abortion as a legitimate choice. This is true even if they would not make that particular choice themselves. I know such a person, who would not be able to make the choice herself in most situations, but firmly believes it is the choice of the woman involved.
It therefore annoys me, though I recognize facing the issue can be uncomfortable to the viewer, that the issue is so rarely addressed in fiction. Fox News (seriously*) had a documentary that credibly provided a balanced look at the subject, the complexities of the matter in real life. As with Media Matters et. al. that underline that the "liberal media" is not quite liberal enough in some ways, it turns out that Hollywood and yes, indie world, is less balanced. Millions have aborted since Roe, but it is rare that the issue is raised, surely not as a major story point. This includes in cases where many women seriously consider and/or actually do have abortion. As in other situation, this colors how we treat the issue, in real ways even it is hard to quantify.
The opening quote makes a telling point. The review is even more telling, gleefully so in a few cases. Now, I really enjoyed Waitress (the director sadly was brutally murdered for what amounted to trivial reasons, the murderer setting it up to look like a suicide), and fully recommend seeing the movie. And, the idea that an abused wife from the deep South would believe that an unwanted pregnancy -- one she hated to have and by a brute she hates just as much -- was something she had to bear is fully believable. We are talking about a conservative culture, even if it is wrong to simplify all members as backward reprobates.** It also was required for the story that she stay pregnant.
But, if even a few movies portrayed someone who had an abortion in that situation, maybe I would feel a bit better. Examples probably can be listed, but I keep track of films pretty regularly. And, I simply am not aware of too many at all. Abortion might be a decision made, but these films are about having children in various cases where pro-choice people would have in mind when wanting to keep the option open. Bad marriages. A one night stand with a dweeb. A one and pregnant (an anti-sex subtext here is not too hard to imagine) teenage pregnancy. In this movie, abortion is seriously raised, but so far from my reading it raised to be rejected in a somewhat crude fashion.
Again, fine enough that the girl here decides it is not for her. Happens. The reverse does too, however. Juno -- starring the girl who was quite good in Hard Candy -- had received good reviews in part because of the mature treatment of the characters. Smart and supportive parents, flawed but promising wannabe parents who wish to adopt and complex lead that isn't as smart as she thinks, but is smart and complex enough to admire. So, the movie standing alone is worthy of respect, and if you want to add that it has a pro-life aspect to it, fine enough for me. Stereotypes aside, there is more moral and religious content out there than some are willing to give movies and television credit.
Thus, concern from the likes of Mitt Romney [and, in a fashion, Barack Obama too] that faith is seriously threatened these days in the public sphere is dubious. Nor is the pro-life side, if the unbalanced treatment of the issue is any evidence. This underlines how things can be a bit different than it at first might seem -- cf. the small minority of counties with an abortion clinic with the fact it is legal nation-wide. Pro-choice in form, but not quite at substance, the film world is a bit less pro-choice as one might think.
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* I did not see the documentary, unfortunately, but my local paper gave it a respectable review. The reviewer took a fairly neutral stance on the issue itself, as I recall, but overall thought it a good try (two and a half stars out of four, perhaps). As the link suggests, the doc is open to criticism, but lots of stuff is. If we particularly take the venue into consideration, it is more than we might expect for sure.
** If the regional angle doesn't totally do it for you, other reasons for her simply not taking abortion as a credible option can be suggested. I did not see Knocked-Up, but coverage suggested that comedy with less of an edge (and much less feminist in various ways) didn't really raise it at all. Not very credible, even if plot-wise, it would have been inappropriate.