'I Think There's...Fear': Abby Johnson Responds to Washington Post Editorial's Misrepresentation of Abortion Numbers

A Washington Post editorial on abortion recently reported that most Americans identify as pro-choice and claims that "public support for abortion rights is at its highest since ...Roe v. Wade.'" 

The editorial, released April 23, cited a poll that showed that 67 percent of voters say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

But Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood abortion clinic director whose life story is the subject of the hit movie, "Unplanned," pushed back against those claims. 

"It's interesting," Johnson said in an interview with CBN News. "I think there's a little bit of fear, actually, within the pro-choice community. I mean, there was a recent Marist poll that came out a couple months ago that showed that in one month, in that one-month time period, there was a 14 percent jump in Democrats who were pro-life. So, before the whole late-term abortion debate in New York had taken place, 20 percent of Democrats identified as pro-life. One month later, a poll showed that 34 percent of Democrats identified as pro-life." 

She continued, "I think that's scary. They're losing their constituency. They are losing their supporters. People are researching on their own. They're looking at what abortion really is, and I think that they are losing ground. They're losing momentum. And particularly among young people, particularly among Millennials. There have been studies shown that when Millennials are presented with the truth of abortion, they're more likely to change their minds and become pro-life. And that has got to be scary for the pro-choice movement right now."

Johnson also shared her reaction to the box-office success of the "Unplanned," which has made more than $17 million despite having a budget of only $6 million and major obstacles from Hollywood.

"The critics thought we would make like $40," Johnson commented. "We're excited and we're working to get the film out on DVD as quickly as possible. We're probably looking at about three months for that to happen. But they're trying to expedite that as quickly as possible because we know that churches and different youth groups and different organizations are really wanting to be able to show the film and so DVD would be a great way to do that." 

She believes the time is right for such a film. 

"I think it's about timing right now," she said. "We've seen a lot of pro-life movies sort of come and go. And people have said what's the difference with "Unplanned?" And I really think it's about timing. We look at what's happening in just these crazy laws that are being passed all across the country. Late term abortions, infanticide laws, and I think people are just ready. I think they were ready to see the truth. I think people were seeking truth on the issue of abortion. And I hope this film will be a really powerful tool that people can use moving forward to show the truth of abortion and show also the powerful, redemptive nature of Christ."

And it's not just the general public whose minds are being changed by "Unplanned."

"We just want people to understand that this is a very powerful tool. It's not about me," she said. "I hope this brings about more testimonies from women and certainly we're seeing abortion clinic workers leaving their jobs at a rate we have never seen before. And so we're very encouraged by that as well," said Johnson.