Arguably the most remarkable film of 2014, “Obvious Child,” is now available on iTunes. This is the part where I command you to stop paying faithful homage to journalism (for a few hours), put down this paper and go watch it (especially because, uh, spoilers ahead). Released earlier this summer, but unfortunately only in select, Ragtag-esque theaters, “Obvious Child” is, well, a comedy about a young woman who decides to have an abortion.
I first decided to see “Obvious Child” because I liked actress Jenny Slate’s prior claim to fame as the delightfully obnoxious Mona-Lisa of “Parks and Rec.” But “Obvious Child” was an amazing film in its own right.
I’d love to wax eloquent about how “Obvious Child” is like your best friend about three tequila shots in — witty, crude and ridiculously likable.
But I think the significance of this film for our culture is more important to address.
Here in the Eden-like confines of Mizzou, abortion is a topic most of us encounter maybe twice. We may walk by one of many mostly well-intentioned pro-life demonstrations (though, ugh, the “Genocide Awareness Project” is just ghastly) on campus. Other than that, we may only face it in the ethereal alternate universe that is the True/False Film Fest, where we can watch moving documentaries like 2013’s “After Tiller” and then forget about them a week later.
In those cases, abortion is this incredibly heavy and divisive subject we regard at an arm’s length, without much thought on what it has to do with us personally. “Obvious Child” breaks that fourth wall by giving us the story of a lovable, wise-cracking heroine named Donna, who could easily be our sorority sister, best friend or even ourselves.
Because, ladies (and I realize that I’m speaking mostly to heterosexual ladies on account of our liking for humans of the sperm-carrying variety), let’s be honest. Almost every one of us has had those instances when, even for the briefest half-second, in the days before our late period finally waltzes onto the scene or in the aftermath of a one-night stand that shouldn’t have happened, we have looked at the specter of unwanted pregnancy in the eye and quietly performed the thought exercise of “What If I Have To Get An Abortion?”
And we feel so guilty about it. We feel terrible for daring to let the thought of making a decision for our health and well-being cross our minds.
I’m not going to argue here about whether abortion is right or wrong because “Obvious Child” itself does zero preaching on the morality of abortion. But I do think that the existence of this film and its success means, at the very least, we can stop beating ourselves up for thinking such “terrible” thoughts.
There are two important statements that “Obvious Child” makes: First, deciding to have an abortion doesn’t have to be a big deal, and second, it’s no one else’s g-damn business but yours.
In reference to #1, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think abortion is something to put on the same shelf somewhere between The Pill and Band-Aids. But what I loved in “Obvious Child” is how the heroine’s best friend, mother, co-workers and even a comedy club crowd never question her decision. The only person who raises an eyebrow is her doctor, who later nods and asks Donna when her schedule will be clear.
Whatever your beliefs on the topic are, the point of “Obvious Child” is that abortion is real, practical and a part of our society. Look at Roe vs. Wade; look at the [statistics.](https://www.guttmacher.org/media/presskits/abortion-US/statsandfacts.html). If we are to be honest with ourselves, abortion has always been happening and will always happen, and we need to stop treating discussions or even thought exercises about it like mini-nuclear wars that inflict damnation upon anyone in society who overhears.
The second important statement that “Obvious Child” makes is that the decision to have an abortion is solely Donna’s. When she finally chooses to tell the guy, he buys her flowers and goes with her to the clinic, giving her a wordless, supportive hug before she goes into the operating room.
Take notes. That, my friends, is how we need to treat not only the people we may impregnate in this lifetime, but also all human beings in this world who end up having to make important personal decisions, abortion-related and otherwise.