Jun

19

Is Juno a pro-life movie?

June 19, 2008 |

MZ Forrest writes today about the movie Juno and ponders whether it is really the best pro-life message we can send.

With it’s embrace of out-of-wedlock birth, some questioned whether Juno was really a pro-life movie.  The argument was that just because someone didn’t choose abortion doesn’t mean we should be celebrating their choice.  Thanks to our modern age, we now face the question of making these girls (in this case, the choice of girls and not women is intentional) the next poster girls for the pro-life movement.

He goes on to illustrate, by way of example, this story from Time.

As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there’s been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town. School officials started looking into the matter as early as October after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, “some girls seemed more upset when they weren’t pregnant than when they were,” Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. “We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy,” the principal says, shaking his head.

I have just seen Juno for the first time, so I’d like to explore this issue a little bit.

Juno, for those unfamiliar with the plot, is a High School junior who gets pregnant after having sex with her friend at the end of their summer break.  She inititially decides to have an abortion, but has second thoughts about it and decides instead to give her baby to a married couple unable to conceive.  The story focuses on that relationship as well as her relationship with the father (though really the movie doesn’t spend as much time on this as you would think until the final act). 

From a moral perspective it is somewhat troubling in its triviality of teen sex and unwed parenthood.  But I also don’t think the movie in any way glorifies teenage sex.  This isn’t American Pie we’re talking about.  The consequences of Juno’s choice are clear, and she doesn’t act as if it is no big deal. 

Juno’s decision not to abort sends a pretty clear pro-life message, at least in my opinion.  In fact, the scene at the abortion clinic is, I think, a fairly profound pro-life teaching moment.  The scene starts with a pro-life protestor standing alone outside the abortion clinic.  I had one of those queasy moments anticipating her being presented as a complete goofball. Instead, she is clearly one of Juno’s classmates - a little weird perhaps, but also bvery earnest.  In fact, she plants the seeds that eventually gets Juno to change her mind, as she mentions that her unborn child has fingernails. 

In contrast, the clinic worker is shown as callous and cold.  The abortion clinic is an impersonal business, not much interested in the well-being of its “clients.”  The young twit behind the desk is certainly a less sympathetic figure than the geeky but caring protestor.  And as Juno waits, she can hear nothing but “fingernails,” showing that the protestor’s message actually sank in.

In other words, Juno’s decides not to go through with the abortion due to pangs of conscience.  It was a truly pro-life decision based on the recognition that a life was growing inside of her.  She didn’t deliver some feminist-inspired rant about it being her body, and her decision - and believe me, that’s what I was waiting for.  She simply decided to allow her baby to live. 

Another poignant scene occurs later on as she nears her due date.  I must deliver a SPOILER ALERT - SPOLIER ALERT - SPOILER ALERT - because it deals with a major plot point.

Jason Bateman’s character - he’s the would-be father - tells Juno that he is leaving his wife.  Juno is genuinely upset.  She sincerely argues about the sanctity of the marriage vow.  Having seen the destructive impact of divorce on a child’s development, she is horrified that the parents that were to take her child would not be staying together and providing the child a stable, loving environment.

I thought this was a touching scene, and about as forceful an argument for working things out in a marriage as you’ll see in a movie today.

That said, we have to wonder about the overall message of the movie.  Is it really pro-life just because Juno keeps the baby?  What about the other decisions made throughout the movie?  Does it send the right message to teens watching the movie?

I don’t think it’s fair to pin the rash of teen pregnancies on the movie.  As I mentioned above, I do not think it glorifies the behavior.  It simply presents a situation in which a teenage girl has gotten pregnant.  Her dad isn’t happy that she has gotten pregnant, and it’s obvious that he is disappointed.  But if you were Juno’s dad, wouldn’t you have reacted in a similar fashion?  In other words, what’s the point in being angry?  She has done what she has done, and at least now she is acting responsibly.  For that - and that alone - she at least deserves support.

Now, perhaps where the movie is at fault is that it doesn’t take the situation seriously enough.  Juno gets pregnant, she finds a couple to hand the baby off to, and even after they separate, she still has a mother willing to give it a happy home.  Juno falls in love with the boy she had sex with, and they live happily ever after.  Real life isn’t that easy, and she might not have found a happy home.  So in a sense, I can see how the movie might be sending a message that teenage pregnancy ain’t so bad.  In fact, it can be a whole lot of fun.

Then again, maybe we don’t need a message that pregnancy is a tragic, awful occurrence.  Something good can happen out of a few minutes of terrible irresponsibility.  It isn’t the optimal situation, but life has been created. 

Maybe it’s just a sign of the times that we can’t look for better than this, but if the worst thing this movie does is make teenage girls a little less likely to abort their children, then I’ll take that as a victory.  I wouldn’t be satisfied with leaving it at that, but in this day and age, we could do a lot worse.

Now, as I read further along in the comments of MZ’s post I recognize that another issue from the pro-life perspective is not just making sure people don’t have abortions, but affirmatively seeing the beauty in the creation of life.  I do think we see that in this movie.  The child is viewed as a gift.  Again, a blessing has been given through a brief act of teenage lust (or boredom).  In fact, the more and more I reflect over the movie, I think it is very life-affirming.  It isn’t just “abortion bad, don’t do it.”  It’s not even really subtle.  The creation of new life is a good thing that brings joy to people.  Rethinking what I said earlier, maybe the ”and they lived happily ever after” message is just the right one.  Simplistic - yes.  But is that so bad?


Comments

5 Comments so far

  1. Michael Iafrate on June 19, 2008 1:42 pm

    Great post! I loved “Juno.” The only part I disagree with is the following:

    So in a sense, I can see how the movie might be sending a message that teenage pregnancy ain’t so bad. In fact, it can be a whole lot of fun.

    I think it’s clear Juno is not “having fun.” She constantly complains about what is happening to her body, for example.

  2. CrankyCon on June 19, 2008 3:17 pm

    Thanks. As for the “having fun” comment, I guess I was thinking about the scenes with Jason Bateman. But you’re right - they didn’t exactly make the experience of being pregnant look like a barrel of fun.

  3. Molly on June 19, 2008 6:47 pm

    I thought the movie was a great pro-life movie. It was realistic. Out-of-wedlock pregnancy is humiliating, not fun at all. Your growing belly gives everyone reason to judge you, and they do. It’s aweful. I should know because I experienced the judgment from others as an unwed mom. I think Juno held her head high and faced the uncomfortableness with confidence. That’s the best message you can hope to send young unmarried girls who are pregant and dreading the shame of enduring the pregnancy. We need more validating pro-life movies like Juno.

  4. Steve on September 1, 2008 9:57 pm

    Bristol Palin

  5. Is Juno a pro life movie The Cranky Conservative | Menopause Relief on June 9, 2009 8:10 pm

    [...] Is Juno a pro life movie The Cranky Conservative Posted by root 1 day 1 hour 12 minutes ago (http://crankycon.politicalbear.com) Juno gets pregnant she finds a couple to hand the baby off to as for the having fun comment i guess i was thinking about the scenes with jason bateman 2007 the cranky conservative powered by wordpress using blue zinfandel 2 0 by all blogs this blog latest Discuss  |  Bury |  News | Is Juno a pro life movie The Cranky Conservative [...]

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