OPINION:
Sometimes you hear something so shocking that it stops you in your tracks. Without a doubt, that was me this week.
I just so happened to click on a video clip of comedian and TV personality Bill Maher’s HBO talk show. On the latest episode, he discussed abortion in America, alongside his celebrity panel. Mr. Maher started fair by sharing that he always admonishes his pro-abortion friends from calling pro-lifers “women-haters” because — in his words — it’s simply not true. He states that pro-lifers don’t hate women, so much as they believe abortion to be murder. I was surprised to hear that astute comment from him.
Subscribe to have The Washington Times’ Higher Ground delivered to your inbox every Sunday.
But I should’ve braced myself, because then his comments took a nosedive straight off a cliff into a pit of eugenics abortion reasoning that even the late Margaret Sanger would’ve given a standing ovation. Mr. Maher said, “They [pro-lifers] think it’s murder and it kind of is. I’m just OK with that. I am. I mean there’s 8 billion people in the world. I’m sorry. We won’t miss you. That’s my position on that.”
Cue the pin dropping.
The show’s audience went uncomfortably silent and even his two abortion-supporting guests were stunned. I have to say, it was really something to see that Mr. Maher was even able to put his guest Piers Morgan at a loss for words.
SEE ALSO: Bill Maher stuns pro-lifers, admits abortion is ‘kind of’ murder: ‘We won’t miss you’
After the fact, the backlash to Mr. Maher’s comments was predictable along ideological lines. Pro-lifers shared his abhorrent comments on X, pointing out how he really “said the quiet part out loud.” Those in the abortion-favoring camp either decided to encourage Mr. Maher to shut up, or they just ignored his comments completely — the old “maybe if we don’t share it on social media, it never really happened” tactic.
But Mr. Maher’s comments really had me do a double take. I really had to ask myself, what was the most shocking part of them? Was it his rationale? No. I know the origins of abortion reasoning in America, and this is it. Was it that he called abortion murder? No. I know that abortion ends human life either through drugs or surgery. That is literally its definition: “the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy.”
I realized that the most shocking part of Mr. Maher’s comments on abortion is that we almost never hear anyone else put it so candidly.
By careful design, abortion is never spoken about in clear terms. It’s rarely discussed candidly whether in public or even to the patient. That’s why we see abortion activists fight to strip women’s right to informed consent, like right now in Ohio.
Most of the time, our politicians and abortion activists conduct verbal gymnastics to avoid the word “abortion” altogether. Today, the act of abortion is cloaked as “reproductive rights” or as “lifesaving health care.” And groups like the National Abortion Federation or Planned Parenthood refuse to acknowledge a human life in the womb, rather opting to term one’s child as pregnancy “tissue” or “products of conception.”
Abortion activist groups avoid the route of intellectual honesty to defend their position. Instead of saying, “We believe that women’s lives take precedence over the children they carry, for any reason,” they deny that there’s a second party altogether. These groups refuse to even acknowledge elective abortions as tragic or unwanted anymore; rather they call abortions empowering, uplifting and necessary for today’s career woman.
While our social media feeds might caution us against the pro-abortion rhetoric from Bill Maher’s recent comments, I would like to counter that. I argue that the greater threat to babies in the womb is not the open comments of Mr. Maher but rather the euphemisms of the pro-abortion left. When abortion ideology is spoken out in the open, it’s detestable to the vast majority of Americans. But when it is wrapped in sheep’s clothing it goes undetected and misunderstood. “Reproductive justice” becomes the euphemism for forced abortions. “Health care” becomes the euphemism for the painful dismembering of babies in the womb.
If you believe in limiting or curtailing abortion, then my caution to you is simple: Be just as clear-eyed and opposing of the abortion ideology presented in veiled terms as you are when it’s presented in its purest form.
—
Emily Erin Davis is a published author and bilingual media professional, communicating in both English and Mandarin Chinese. Previously, she served as a global humanitarian and content creator, providing on-the-ground news and help. You may have seen her or read her words at USA Today, Newsweek, Fox News and more. She’s currently continuing her humanitarian work as the VP of Communications at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, as she fights for everyone’s fundamental right to life. As great as her career is, her most impactful roles are mom and wife.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.