In his Netflix special “2017,” Louis C.K. challenges a topic even comedians often leave untouched. The issue of abortion is nearly one-sided when it comes to the limelight. Hollywood, actors and comedians alike, more often than not, have chosen to ignore the lives of the unborn, the very lives that are taken by abortion.
But in “2017,” C.K. kicks his act off with, “So, you know, I think abortion…”— I sat back in my seat ready to hear him recite the same pro-abortion arguments we hear everyday from celebrities far and wide.
He starts off with the common pro-abortion argument–that a woman who needs an abortion should definitely get one and that “not getting an abortion you need is like not taking a sh–.” He goes on, “That’s what I think. I think abortion is exactly like taking a sh–.”
I settled into my seat and rolled my eyes as he goes on with this horrible comparison. But then I heard something I’ve never heard a liberal comedian say before… ever. He says, “Or it isn’t! Or it is, or it isn’t. It’s either taking a sh– or it’s killing a baby! It’s only one of those two things. It’s not other things.”
Wait, what?! Did a famous, liberal, comedian just call abortion what it is in front of an actual live audience? It was almost as if he had slipped up—he said what everyone is thinking but nobody is allowed to actually say, not on TV at least.
He goes on to highlight pro-lifers, namely those who protest outside of abortion clinics. “People hate abortion protestors—‘They’re so shrill and awful.’ They think babies are being murdered! What are they supposed to be like? ‘Huh, it’s not cool, I don’t want to be a [jerk] about it though. I don’t want to ruin their day as they murder several babies all the time.'”
This is a point I often think of—if I am really convinced abortion is the taking of a human life, which I am, then shouldn’t my natural inclination be to speak out for those lives and to serve women in unplanned pregnancies? And shouldn’t my pro-choice friends and family recognize this as the appropriate stance in response to my beliefs?
It’s rare for anyone outside of the pro-life movement to see it this way, especially when they are being told all pro-lifers do is scheme about ruining the lives of women. So C.K.’s comment is refreshing, however crude it may be. The truth is, my pro-life stance, is based on a love the unborn and for women (because, duh, I am one!). And this is the perspective I hope more and more people will begin to hold.
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He goes further, “I don’t think it’s killing a baby…I mean, it’s a little bit killing a baby. It’s a little bit. It’s 100% killing a baby. It is, it’s totally killing a whole baby.” The audience starts laughing uncomfortably, hopefully finally seeing through the semantics of the pro-choice side.
“You know like when people say, “Abortion should be legal, safe, and rare. Why rare if it should be legal? If it should be legal it’s sh—ing, if it should be rare it’s murdering babies.”
I think he goes way too far in many circumstances, but at least as often he has thoughtful and important things to say. More important, he says them in ways that can often break through cultural and psychological barriers for those who need to hear them the most.”
Clearly, C.K. isn’t the model spokesperson for the pro-life movement, but he is playing a vital role that a pro-life organization or spokesperson could never play. With an already controversial, yet trusted voice, C.K. is able to confront his audience’s perspectives on abortion—pointing out the deep flaws in logic on the pro-choice side.
And while we, as the pro-life movement, might be tempted to lash out at C.K.’s vulgar approach, we have to applaud him for addressing the issue and not taking the easy way out. After all, in today’s climate, it might take unlikely figures like C.K. to challenge the logic behind the pro-abortion narrative—a logic that has resulted in millions of lives lost and millions more scarred.
