'Juno' An Abortion Movie That Isn't About Abortion

The Big Picture

• Juno portrays abortion as a normal and non-taboo topic, challenging the stigma surrounding the issue.
• The film highlights the importance of choice, showing that abortion a personal decision and the person can change their mind at any moment.
• Juno does not take a clear pro-choice or pro-life stance but instead focuses on portraying the normality and legality of abortion in society.

Among the many new titles recently added to Hulu is Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman's story of a 16-year-old, Juno MacGuff (Elliot Page), who gets accidentally pregnant and gives the baby up for adoption. Juno became one of the little indie movies that could, becoming a modern classic and earning Cody the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. 15 years later, it's still a shining example of a simple story elevated by a genius script, heartfelt performances, and a whole bunch of Tic Tacs. During these years we’ve discussed every inch of the film, from the perfectly curated soundtrack to the dialogue that seems to have come from a mushroom trip. The film is even on the Irish secondary school curriculum. However, an element of the film that hasn't been as easy to discuss but is now more relevant than ever is its portrayal of abortion. Juno is essentially an abortion film that isn't about abortion. It’s a movie that kind of just says, "Hey, abortion is gonna be in this film, but we’re not gonna let it take up the entire narrative."

What makes Juno such a refreshing film is its ability to make abortion an integral part of the narrative while not being consumed by it. It takes a certain level of craft from both the writer and director to be able to weave in a lofty issue like this and still bring nuance. Juno's consideration of a termination is brief but in no way mishandled. And even though Juno decides to have the baby, the film's treatment of the process of abortion is devoid of any shame, male gaze, or judgment. And with America setting itself back years with the overturning of Roe v Wade last year, we need these types of depictions now more than ever.

Juno

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child.

How 'Juno' Normalizes Abortion

For those of you who haven't seen Juno in a while, let’s take a seven-month-along waddle down memory lane. Within the first ten minutes of the film, we’ve established that Juno, much to her dismay, is pregnant and it's "one doodle that can’t be undid." She rings her best friend, Leah (Olivia Thirlby), to tell her she’s pregnant and Leah doesn't ask Juno if she’s going to get an abortion but rather which clinic she is going to go to. They discuss it as if Juno is simply going to get her nails done (more on that later) and the discussion of the issue seems to be pretty painless.

To American audiences, this scene isn't anything revolutionary. In 2007, abortion had been around a long time and the future of its legality wasn’t in doubt like it is now. But to an 11-year-old me, this was revolutionary. Growing up in Ireland, abortion was a severely taboo and shameful topic. I can proudly say that we changed that in 2018 when we legalized abortion via referendum, but 2007 was completely different. Juno was one of the first films I saw that mentioned or referenced abortion, and I was blown away by how normal it all was. No mention of being sent away to a “boarding school,” no need to board a flight to another country, and no overwhelming sense of shame or fear. Looking back on the film, I would say was the first step in my understanding of abortion, the need for it to be legal, and how it shouldn't be treated differently from any other medical procedure.

Juno Not Getting an Abortion Doesn't Make the Film Pro-Life

Now, of course, we all know that Juno doesn't end up getting the abortion, otherwise the film would be 20 minutes long. Juno gets freaked out by...nails. She seems to be feeling pretty good about her decision until she meets classmate Su-Chin (Valerie Tian) who is protesting alone outside the clinic shouting “All babies want to get borned!” Diablo Cody seems to be purposely making anti-abortion protesters out to be somewhat stupid, not using the correct grammar in their preaching statements. And yet, it's Su-Chin who sways Juno’s decision. She tells Juno that her unborn baby has fingernails, and once Juno gets into the clinic, it's all she can think about. An unsettlingly uncomfortable montage starts with the other women in the clinic using their nails in various ways: picking, painting, scratching, and biting. This causes Juno to run out the door faster than you can say “hamburger phone” and that seems to be her mind made up: She’s having this baby.

‘Juno’, ‘Young Adult’ and ‘Tully’: How the Reitman-Cody Duo Use Dark Humor to Reflect the Pain of Womanhood

"Yeah, I'm a legend. You know, they call me the cautionary whale."

Some might say that this change of heart is all a bit too sudden and primitive, but I’d ask those people to think back to when they were 16. You think you’re on the cusp of adulthood, but you don’t realize that you are still light years away from having everything figured out. One comment, message, or fact can send your world upside down, and that's exactly what happens to Juno. Even if it comes from someone who says “borned,” it's too easy to be led astray at this age. The whole point of Juno’s character is that she thinks she has life all figured out, but by the end of the film, she knows she has a lot more learning to do. If early on in the film Juno was able to govern herself with a strict set of guidelines and be an immaculate decision-maker, it would take away from the authenticity that Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman have laced the film with. As Cody makes clear from the outset of the script, this film is not being made to deliver grand mediations on the bigger questions in life. And while it is an incredibly personal and sweet story, it doesn't rely on theatrics. It wouldn’t fit in the film to have Juno break down in tears to Leah or her parents, exclaiming why she should or shouldn't have this baby. That isn’t the style here. Juno changes her mind and life moves on, and there’s no time for a grand soliloquy on overtly pro-choice or pro-life mediations.

'Juno' Doesn't Try to Sugarcoat Abortion

The nail scene is also a reminder of how truly horrific getting an abortion can be. It’s an uncomfortable, frightening, and overall unpleasant experience. Yes, we want people to have the choice, but we also hope that no one has to make the choice. The nail scene might be the film’s way of reminding the audience that just because abortion is legal, doesn't make it any less frightening, just like any other medical procedure. The film would be doing an injustice if it painted the abortion clinic as Nirvana. We’ve all met those rude, disinterested employees who freak us out (although I’ve never had someone tell me about their boyfriend's pie balls), and they can cause us to walk out of the shop before buying anything. Again, the film isn't trying to sway the audience but merely paints things how they are. When you're a teenager, the simplest things can completely skew your views, and sometimes, and this may shock some people, young girls change their minds. Pro-lifers may think that pro-choice people casually walk into an abortion clinic and order one like it's a pornstar martini. But Juno exemplifies that even if you are pro-choice and very much believe in safe access to abortion, the choice is never easy, and the procedure is never pleasant.

15 years later, Juno is still going to divide audiences. There are arguments for both it being a pro-choice and pro-life film. But there has to be something said for a film that introduces abortion into its plot without letting it monopolize the story. When you compare it to other films about unwanted pregnancies such as The Magdalene Sisters, people need to see that abortion can be portrayed with some level of normality. That it can make its way into a sweet coming-of-age story and the world won't collapse. Thankfully, there's been more of this in current cinema such as last year’s Unpregnant revolved around two friends reconnecting as one tries to get an abortion. But like Juno, it's not “a film about abortion,” it's a film about friendship. It's fair to say that Juno's stance on abortion is a weird one, as we're not used to films discussing an issue and not making it clear which side they're on. However, the representation of how abortion can exist, safely and legally, and not have to be an invading presence in a narrative goes to show how it should stay legalized in American society. Take from it what you will, but I always viewed the film as letting people know that abortion doesn't send the world into chaos. The pro-choice movement is so-called because it's not about abortion but about choice. And that includes changing it last minute, just like Juno.

The road ahead is looking pretty terrifying for women in America, and I’ve never felt more empathetic since the long and arduous walk to legal abortion in Ireland is still ingrained in Irish women’s memories. I hope in years to come when Americans look back at this film, they will be able to look at the commonplace legal nature of abortion in the film and it won't be something of a bygone time.

Juno is available to stream in the U.S. on Hulu.

Watch on Hulu

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