13 states plus D.C. where a teenage girl can’t see an R-rated movie about abortion — but can get one by herself

There are actually places in the U.S. where teenagers not old enough to see an R-rated pro-life movie by themselves can get abortions without parental involvement.

Pro-lifers have been pushing back against the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) since it gave a surprise R rating to the upcoming film “Unplanned” last week. The movie’s story focuses on Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who became pro-life after being confronted with the truth while assisting with an ultrasound-guided abortion. The MPAA cited “some disturbing/bloody images” as the reason for the restrictive rating.

The R rating means that children under the age of 17 across America will not be able to see the movie in their local theater by themselves. But according to Planned Parenthood’s own website, there are 13 states (and one district) where a teenage girl could get an abortion by herself after being turned away at the box office:

• Alaska
• California
• Connecticut
• The District of Columbia
• Hawaii
• Maine
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York (where a girl could now also get an abortion right up till birth)
• Oregon
• Vermont
• Washington

Of course, abortion is a gruesome, violent act. In this video (warning: Disturbing content may be unsuitable for some audiences), a former abortionist describes (with diagrams and illustrations) a second-trimester surgical abortion. A movie that discusses the taking of an innocent child’s life in utero (especially through a graphic, ultrasound-guided procedure) isn’t exactly something you’d take younger kids to see.

But if a staged abortion is too violent and “disturbing” for a teenager to see by herself, then why in the world would our laws let her get the real thing without talking to their parents first? That’s the brave new world of “reproductive freedom” for you.

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