I'm torn. Is the worst part of this abortion-promoting "comedy" sketch its preposterous premise, or its irredeemably anti-funny lameness? Tough call. I think I'll go with the former, because let's face it: Is it really fair to expect the abortion lobby to be a barrel of laughs -- even when they enlist the comedic genius of such household names as, er, Alice Wetterlund and Nato Green? So let's begin by address the lesson they're trying to teach us; namely, that it's extremely difficult to kill your unborn child in America, due to barriers erected by a bunch of Bible-thumpin' anti-choice hicks and their meddling politicians. This is, in a word, fantastical. Unfortunately. By this important measure, America's abortion laws are among the least restrictive in the civilized world. Most Western European nations impose more reasonable restrictions and regulations on the practice than we do. Our extreme status quo, it's always worth mentioning, was installed by robed judges, not the people or their elected representatives. Speaking of the activist judicial branch, NARAL and friends very recently scored a big SCOTUS victory wherein five justices determined that holding abortion clinics to the same medical and sanitary standards as other medical facilities represents an unconstitutional burden on the so-called right to terminate a pregnancy. This ruling guaranteed that abortions will be both less safe for women and more readily available. Big win. Relatedly, NARAL's bought-and-paid-for political party just approved the most radical abortion platform plank in US history. The only way Democratic Officialdom could become more pro-abortion (which I place in a separate category from pro-choice) is if they endorsed a compulsory regime a la China. In other words, despite failing to persuade the American people to embrace their extremism, the abortion industry's agenda is protected by friends in high places.
Not good enough. Let's make some abortion comedy.
That's Not Funny™ humorlessness and ginned up outrage over "problematic" humor is mainly the Left's schtick, so in spite of my pro-life convictions, I didn't watch this clip with my arms folded and brow furrowed. I was open to some queasy chuckling. Alas, the bit earned zero laughs and multiple cringes. Ridiculing the crisis pregnancy center counselor was as unoriginal (fun fact: "did you know that at eight weeks," your baby's brain hasn't fully formed, but her heart has been beating for several weeks?) as it was predictable. Plus, shouldn't the abortionist, not the anti-abortion center worker, be the one who's antsy over the presence of a camera crew? And somebody also actually thought that scripting the line, "we don't need more of those in the world!" about a neighbor's kid was edgy, hilarious stuff. Yeesh. Then there's this delightful exchange:
Female comedian: "Can I get an abortion here?" Abortionist: "Absolutely!" Female comedian: "Oh, thank God. [Fist-pounds friend]. Let us get this sh*t done!
But wait, this 'happy ending' is partially spoiled, as our protagonist is forced to wait a whole day before ending her baby's life, and to listen to scientific facts about fetal development. Damn these horrid anti-choicers and their draconian laws! "It shouldn't be this hard to get an abortion," the video concludes. Here's the thing: It isn't. In fact, a large majority of Americans -- including most women and young people -- think it should be harder to get one. So I can understand why NARAL-type fanatics might be desperate to de-stigmatize their ghoulish enterprise. If this is their game plan for achieving that goal, I'd encourage them not to change a single thing.
Parting thought: I'm aware that the sketch's opening tribute to the Toyota Prius follows Jerry Seinfeld's "comedians in cars getting coffee" episode formula, under which the car du jour is introduced and praised at the onset. But did Toyota actually sponsor this, well, abortion of an attempt at comedy? In other words, was that deliberate product placement? I reached out to the company's media relations team for clarification, but didn't hear back prior to original publication. Stay tuned for any updates.
Editor's note: A version of this item is cross-posted at HotAir.com
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