Obvious Child is a movie about a girl who gets an abortion and lives happily ever after. In the real world, this is a familiar story – an obvious story, even. Thousands of women get abortions every year, feel fine about it, then move on with their lives. It’s a “big issue” for society that is sometimes, really, not that big of a deal. Yet in films and on TV, this is still largely uncharted, controversial territory. Though at first glance Obvious Child might seem like just a cute indie rom-com, its release has highlighted the pro-life messages that Hollywood has been feeding audiences for decades.

Obvious Child was written and directed by Gillian Robespierre and stars Jenny Slate (from Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation). Slate plays Donna, a 28-year-old stand-up comedian in New York who, after being dumped by her boyfriend, sleeps with a guy who is not her type – a preppy Mr Nice. After what she thought was a one-night-stand turns into an accidental pregnancy, the story explores the difficult, and at times comic, reality of dealing with an abortion.

In Hollywood, even in the ‘liberal’ world of independent film, unwanted pregnancies usually result in the woman deciding to have the child. Last month, on The Colbert Report, Juno star Ellen Page argued against the idea that the film has a pro-life message: “It’s very much a pro-choice film because Juno explores her options, she thinks about it, she goes to an abortion clinic.” But I think most would disagree. Despite Juno not being morally opposed to abortion, the message was clear: she couldn’t go through with it and ultimately felt it was a better decision to have the kid.

Obvious Child doesn’t do that familiar heartwarming thing. Instead, many women will relate to the sarcastic realism with which Donna handles her pregnancy. And while some of the comedy in Obvious Child falls flat, the film’s message is something to be applauded: having an abortion is not likely to ruin your life, or even be an awful experience; in fact, it might just all work out fine.

In light of the many abortion restrictions and new anti-abortion laws being passed across America, which are jeopardizing women’s reproductive rights, and in some states setting back the situation of women by decades, the movie’s release feels timely. One of the its best scenes is a conversation between Donna and her friend Nellie (Gaby Hoffmann), who has previously had an abortion herself. When Donna asks Nellie about her experience, she answers matter-of-factly: “I never regret it.” Later, when Donna is debating whether to tell her one-night-stand about the pregnancy, Nellie is adamant that it’s Donna’s body, and therefore Donna’s decision to make. She adds, in what may be the film’s strongest line, “We already live in a patriarchal society where a group of weird old white men in robes get to legislate our cunts.”

No sane woman is excited about getting an abortion. It is something you hope never to have to do. And yet, speaking from experience, an abortion can also result in a wonderful feeling of relief for someone who is not ready to be a parent. When Donna has gone through the procedure, there is a scene that perfectly illustrates that complicated mix of feelings. Sitting in a room full of women in their 20s and 30s, all wearing pink hospital gowns, Donna looks rough. She turns to the woman beside her and they share a quick, genuine smile – they are both grateful.

• Comments have been reopened to time with this film’s Australian release