DVD Review and Giveaway: Unplanned

I did something last night that I rarely do--I watched a DVD. Below is a teaser for it--go ahead and watch.



I highly recommend this DVD for use with youth groups, pro-life groups, or parish adult education programs. I recommend it for family use for teens and adults. A few weeks ago I reviewed Abby Johnson's book Unplanned (click for review), telling you it was terrific. So is the DVD.  It is much easier to get a sense of who Abby is in the DVD, where you not only hear her tell her story, but also get to know her through the eyes of her parents, her husband and the pro-life folks who stood outside the fence.

Since she quit working at Planned Parenthood, Abby Johnson has been active in the pro-life movement.
Here are some articles about her or quoting her:
Before her conversion
Another pre-conversion article
Encouraging testing for STDs
When Pathos Trumps Logos
 Fighting for Futures

There will be a free webcast featuring Abby Johnson May 17 at 8:00 p.m. (all time zones).  You can sign up to participate here and when you register (free) you'll get a free download of an interview with Abby.  The webcast will feature not only Abby, but also women who have received help from crisis pregnancy centers and others active in the pro-life movement.  unPlanned the book and the DVD will be available for  purchase as a package deal at 33% of each purchase will go to crisis pregnancy centers.

Tyndale Press, one of the two publishers of the book unPlanned is the publisher of this DVD and in addition to sending me a review copy of the DVD, they sent me a gift certificate for one of my readers.  If you'd like to  win  a copy of this inspiring DVD, here's what you need to do:
1.  For your first entry, leave a comment with your email address
2.  For another entry, blog about this contest, or facebook or tweet or whatever to spread the word--and leave a comment with a link
3.  For another entry participate in the Mother's Day edition of  Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival meme  on my blog (you can link to your post about this contest, if you have nothing else to share) and then leave a comment here saying you want the entry.  You'll have to wait until Saturday afternoon or Sunday to do this.  Contest will end Sunday May 15.

Catholic Company Book Review: unPlanned by Abby Johnson

unPlanned by Abby Johnson

If I was known for brevity in book reviews, my review to this book would be only one word long:  Wow!  However, I'm not known for brevity, so I'll say more. 

About the book:

Abby Johnson quit her job in October 2009. That simple act became a national news story because Abby was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas who, after participating in her first actual abortion procedure, walked across the road to join the Coalition for Life. 

Unplanned is a heart-stopping personal drama of life-and-death encounters, a courtroom battle, and spiritual transformation that speaks hope and compassion into the political controversy that surrounds this issue. Telling Abby's story from both sides of the abortion clinic property line, this book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the life versus rights debate and helping women who face crisis pregnancies.

My Comments:  

This was a treadmill book--one I would only let myself read while walking on the treadmill.  I walked for an hour and half last night and thirty-five minutes tonight, and I would have stayed longer if necessary to finish this book.  Abby's story is powerful.  She wasn't a horrible person bent on the destruction of life when she started  as a volunteer at Planned Parenthood--she was a young woman who wanted to help women in need.  She was converted not by gory pictures or verbal abuse but by the quiet loving prayerful presence of those who opposed what she did but loved her. 

One thing I found interesting is that while Abby worked at Planned Parenthood, and, one would assume, had access to any birth control methods or materials she could have wanted/needed, she had two unplanned pregnancies--so much for the idea that all we need to do to prevent unwanted pregnancies is to teach more people about contraception and make contraceptives more readily available.  

Grade:  A+

Click here to read a note from Abby.

Click here to read the first chapter.

Listen to our interview with Abby Johnson

Read an interview with Abby.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Unplanned. They are also a great source for serenity prayer and baptism gifts.

Note: According to this blog, Abby and her husband are in the process of converting to Catholicism.