The Anti-abortion Film “Unplanned” Will Be Released In Canada Despite Outcry To Ban The Movie

It's your decision to see the movie

The movie drama Unplanned is based on the true story of a Planned Parenthood clinic director in Texas who becomes an anti-abortion speaker.  The movie is scheduled to be released in 14 Cineplex Theatres in Canada this Friday and show for one week, but The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada has called the film “a dangerous piece of anti-abortion propaganda” that “could incite fanatics to commit acts of harassment or violence against clinics or doctors.”

Cineplex has released a statement saying that the movie will be screened as scheduled in select theatres.

Ellis Jacob, president and CEO of Cineplex says “controversial films on the big screen are not new to me, to Cineplex or the industry as a whole.”

Jacob goes on to say “When I immigrated to Canad back in 1969, one of the things that I loved, and still love, the most about living here was that we don’t shy away from our differences – we embrace them. Canada is a county that believes in and rallies behind freedom of expression, but that isn’t always an easy thing to do […] ”

He says “it is up to each of us to decide whether or not we want to see [Unplanned]. In Canada, we have that option and I think it is an important thing to remember.

However, some theatres that were going to screen the movie have cancelled due to death threats.  Salmar Theatres in Salmon Arm, B.C. cancelled the screenings in two of its theatres due to hostility towards the GM of the theatre.