The U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down certain medical regulations in Texas that had led to the closure of many abortion clinics in the state. People were either happy or upset about the court’s decision, depending on their position on abortion.
Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, however, chose to celebrate the decision in a particularly provocative way:
Celebrate the #SCOTUS ruling! Go knock someone up in Texas!
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 27, 2016
The tweet encourages people to “celebrate the #SCOTUS ruling” by “knock[ing] someone up in Texas.” “Knock up” is slang for a man getting a woman pregnant, particularly if they are not married.
The implication appears to be that people should do this because, due to the court’s ruling, they can more easily abort the child (though The Daily Show later tried, unconvincingly, to deny they were encouraging abortion in a subsequent tweet).
Pro-lifer leaders responded with disgust to the joke.
“This is their idea of humor,” Princeton professor and public Catholic Robert George wrote on Facebook. “It reveals an almost unimaginable depravity.” He added that it removes “any doubt about the depth of corruption of our cultural elites.”
Commenters on George’s Facebook post echoed his sentiment:
“Ain’t it the truth? Unconscionable ruling; depraved elites. Grotesque sense of humor.”
“Robert you mean you can’t appreciate the humor of someone getting someone pregnant on purpose just so she can have the baby brutally murdered? You are such a prude!”
“Amen. That’s depravity at a new level. The murder of an unborn child is no laughing matter.”
Lila Rose, Founder and President of Live Action, tweeted The Daily Show‘s joke was “crass and vulgar” and that it “shows [the] abortion lobby’s extreme disrespect for women.”
Crass and vulgar. @TheDailyShow‘s celebration of #SCOTUS ruling shows abortion lobby’s extreme disrespect for women. https://t.co/WuOfzJGxyC
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) June 28, 2016
Others on Twitter, both pro-life and pro-choice, responded negatively to the tweet as well:
.@TheDailyShow This comment is barbaric and demeaning to the dignity of women. https://t.co/qyQq5flL5u
— Daniel McInerny (@danielmcinerny) June 28, 2016
Perhaps one of the best pro-life arguments of the day being accidentally made here.
Abortion harms women. #Brolife https://t.co/eCzjPT67Po
— Casey Mattox (@CaseyMattox_) June 27, 2016
.@TheDailyShow This tweet is so vile.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) June 27, 2016
@TheDailyShow get a conscience.
— Jackie Paige (@JPaigeWWJ) June 27, 2016
Does all of @comedycentral support intentional pregnancy purely for spite-abortions or is it just @thedailyshow? https://t.co/VO9p2t5NGe
— Mike Oliver, KT2T (@mwoliver) June 27, 2016
What do you think of The Daily Show‘s tweet and the subsequent response? Join the conversation in the comments!
@TheDailyShow I’m pro-choice, but stop trivializing abortion like it’s getting your nails done
— Josh Fields (@partiallypro) June 27, 2016
[See also: The Secret Pro-Abortion Plan to Target the Catholic Church]
[See also: Exorcising a Former Abortion Clinic: An Eye-Opening True Story]