What would our world look like without Planned Parenthood? The answer is far from reassuring. Thanks to filmmaker Alex Trent, we now have a vivid portrayal of this grim reality. He produced a compelling short film titled “UNLOCKED,” which chronicles the lives of three women at pivotal moments, highlighting the indispensable services offered by Planned Parenthood health centers to millions across the nation.
In the film, one woman tragically succumbs to cancer, another contracts a sexually transmitted infection, and a third faces an unplanned pregnancy that jeopardizes her college scholarship. The catalyst for these dire outcomes? The absence of Planned Parenthood’s critical support. This dramatization starkly emphasizes that a world without Planned Parenthood is not just undesirable; it’s catastrophic.
Midway through the film, the narrative rewinds, revealing a time when Planned Parenthood was available to provide necessary assistance. The mother receives life-saving cancer screenings, a young woman gains access to crucial sexual health education, and the third woman successfully pursues her college education. The bleak scenario Trent depicts isn’t merely speculative—it’s already unfolding. Recent legislative actions have threatened to strip Medicaid reimbursements from Planned Parenthood, putting essential health services at risk.
“If lawmakers succeed in cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, millions will lose access to vital health services such as STD screenings, contraceptive options, and cancer screenings,” Trent stated. “‘UNLOCKED’ reflects the potential devastation that could arise from a world without these critical resources.”
It’s important to clarify that the term “defunding” is misleading. According to health advocate Lily Carter, “There isn’t a direct federal funding line for Planned Parenthood. Instead, this legislation would prevent millions who rely on Medicaid and other programs from accessing care at a provider that has supported them for years.” Federal law already prohibits any federal funds from being allocated to abortion services. To reiterate: no federal dollars are used for abortion procedures. Instead, this legislation threatens access to life-saving preventive care, care that significantly reduces the need for abortions in the first place.
Should current efforts to defund Planned Parenthood succeed, the 2.5 million individuals who depend on its services could find themselves in the same precarious situations depicted in the film. The state of Texas serves as a stark example of the consequences of “defunding” Planned Parenthood. Following funding cuts, nearly 30,000 women lost access to essential health services, resulting in a 27 percent surge in births among those who previously relied on contraceptive services. Alarmingly, Texas’s maternal mortality rate has doubled since 2010, a rise attributed to stringent funding cuts and the closure of health clinics.
In Iowa, the ramifications of recent legislation have already led to the closure of four Planned Parenthood clinics, leaving 14,600 patients without the essential care they need. The evidence is clear: communities suffer without Planned Parenthood. Why would we want to replicate this scenario on a national scale?
The poignant ending of Trent’s film leaves viewers with a critical question: What kind of world do we wish to create?
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In summary, the emotional short film “UNLOCKED” powerfully illustrates the potential fallout from defunding Planned Parenthood, highlighting the critical health services that millions rely on. The dangers of losing access to preventive care are starkly illustrated, serving as a call to action for communities to protect these essential resources.