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Juno (2007) is a story about a teenage girl who goes through a pregnancy, planning to give the baby up for adoption, all while figuring out her relationship with herself, her family, and a boy. The film is extremely funny, very well-written, and contains great performances. Yet the film is about a very important topic, one that is extremely relevant now: women’s reproductive rights. Is this Oscar-winning film spreading a pro-life or pro-choice message to its audience?
At face value, this movie seems pro-life. At the beginning of the film, Juno is set to get an abortion and not have the baby, but then one of her peers who is protesting outside the clinic convinces her to go through with the pregnancy. The movie follows her pregnancy journey and we see how supportive and down-to-earth her parents are with the situation, how the boy she got pregnant with supports and loves her, and how the adoptive mom is both excited to be a mom and how much she appreciates Juno’s pregnancy. Juno also develops a bond with the man-child that is the adoptive mom’s husband (or ex-husband). Ultimately, the movie shows the best possible scenario of teen pregnancy through many different angles, much different from how they typically are in reality. It shows how Juno being pregnant brings her family closer, brings her closer to her boyfriend, and how it brings happiness to families who want children. It appears in a way to be pro-life propaganda.
However, at the end of the day, Juno made her choice. Although she changed her mind on having a child because of the lone protester, she chose to have the baby because she wanted to. She had the option of having an abortion, and when she decided on the new path she was planning on going with, she was very adamant about it.
Just because she gave birth does not mean that this movie is spreading a pro-life message. It’s pro-choice because she chose life. Juno is a very determined person and she felt that she would be fine having a child. Other people may not, and that’s okay. That’s why we have a choice and why women should always have a choice. It’s just as important to have movies about teens who get abortions because they choose to and movies about teens who have them. All situations are different, and all women are different, and the decisions they make about their body is theirs and theirs only.
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