Update Oct. 7, 2019: A planned showing of the pro-life movie Unplanned at the Orpheum Theatre has been cancelled. The event was to take place Oct. 23, but organizers say they now hope to have a different large-scale pro-life event in the near future. No further details are available at this time.


The pro-life film Unplanned is returning to Vancouver, only this time it will be shown in the grand setting of the 2,600-seat Orpheum Theatre.

The hit film about a Planned Parenthood worker turned pro-life activist churned up plenty of debate and controversy in Canada and the U.S. this summer. After months of efforts by the pro-life community to bring Unplanned to Canada, the film made a brief appearance in July at a handful of Lower Mainland theatres, playing to packed houses. Despite the sold-out showings, theatre chains declined to keep it any longer and it moved on after only a week.

While some may have hoped they’d seen the end of the Unplanned disputes, pro-life advocate Erica King was determined to keep the conversation going.

King arranged for a single screening of Unplanned at the Orpheum Wednesday, Oct. 23, and she hopes to sell out the showing.

“I believe it was unfair that this movie was only publicly screened for a one-week period in a limited number of theatres,” King told The B.C. Catholic. Many of those screenings were sold out and as a result many people interested in Unplanned didn’t get the chance to view it.

King hopes to remedy that. “After reading about Abby Johnson’s story, I felt strongly that her courage in publicly sharing the road that led her to being a pro-life witness needed to be seen by as many people as possible. I admire her transparency and humility in admitting her mistakes and showing how it is never too late to make amends and stand up for the truth.”

King, a mother of six who has been passionate about life issues since participating in a Grade 11 debate, hopes a sell-out crowd at the Orpheum will send a message.

“I am asking all those who have already had the opportunity to see the movie to make the effort to come again and bring friends and family. In this way, we unite as a large-scale witness to the value and dignity of human life.”

She said a friend provided funding for the effort, conscious that anything less than a sold-out event will come out of her pocket.

When Unplanned made its Canadian debut this summer, several theatres faced threats or cancelled showings of the film. But King said she is not worried.

“I believe that people who are offended or angered by pro-life ideology are hurting and should always be met with love above all else – love combined with unwavering truth.”

The Oct. 23 screening will be followed by a presentation by guest speaker Ruth Shaw,  executive director of the National Campus Life Network. Organizations that support women in crisis are invited to set up informational booths. Details and tickets are available at www.unplannedvancouver.ca.

Father Larry Lynn, pro-life chaplain for the Archdiocese of Vancouver, said pro-lifers should “consider this an invitation to an event, not just a movie.”

He urged those who have seen Unplanned  to consider seeing it again. “This is about making a huge statement; we are united in standing against the killing of innocent human life.”

Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood clinic director whose story is the basis of the film, will be in Surrey Nov. 14 to speak at Advokate Life and Education Services annual banquet.