Yesterday’s lead link was the news about Supreme Court decision on Texas’s extremely restrictive law regarding abortion providers. The law – which always aimed to shut down abortion providers in the state of Texas – said that all abortion providers must have all of these hospital-like conditions and must have hospital affiliations and more. Texas anti-choice crusaders had positioned themselves as “caring about women’s health,” but thankfully SCOTUS saw through it and declared Texas’s bill unconstitutional. It was a good day for women and for reproductive rights and a bad day for the anti-choice movement. I’m saying this as an explanation: anti-choice people were flooding the airwaves and the internet throughout the day on Monday to push their agenda. Which might explain what happened next.
The Daily Show has always commented about the day’s news on its Twitter feed. I don’t think Jon Stewart or Trevor Noah had or has much to do with the Daily Show’s Twitter, I’m sure it’s run by TDS’s writers or perhaps even an intern. So TDS’s Twitter made a joke about the SCOTUS ruling:
Celebrate the #SCOTUS ruling! Go knock someone up in Texas!
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 27, 2016
I don’t think the “joke” was particularly funny, but I also didn’t find it offensive. I mean, think about the truly crass jokes TDS could have made? It might even seem like TDS pulled their punch a little bit. Still, people got all pearl-clutchy about this joke. Some assorted comments:
From someone who was a guest on your show (and treated fairly): This was in exceptionally poor taste. I like snark as much as the next guy, but … there is a line. And you crossed it at 120 mph. Shameful.
I’m all for offending someone for the sake of real humor. This? It’s like the O’Douls of bad taste.
I’m pro-choice, but stop trivializing abortion like it’s getting your nails done
.@TheDailyShow This tweet is so vile.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) June 27, 2016
So like all good Twitter bitchfests, TDS had to make another comment. They tweeted this (without deleting their first tweet):
Friends, we’re certainly not promoting abortions. Just excited about #SCOTUS reaffirming right to choose.
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 27, 2016
Yeah… I get that abortion and reproductive rights are touchy issues. I get that people on the internet are going to have knee-jerk reactions to everything. But I’m still not seeing why this was some big controversy. SCOTUS reaffirmed a woman’s right to choose and they reaffirmed the right of every woman to have reasonable access to abortion providers. So… abortions for everybody!!! <<< Now that’s a truly offensive abortion joke!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Unprotected sex hasn’t really been a funny joke since the 70s.
Delayed laughter…unprotected sex June 1982…teenage mom March 1983…I can laugh about it now. 😉
Me too. Unprotected sex, 1981, teen mom 1982. Wouldn’t have it any other way today but after an iud and winding up pregnant and being on the pill and winding up pregnant, I chose to not have children till I could properly and comfortably care for them . Thank God for our God given rights.
Also, is there any abortion joke that’s funny? I’ve never seen or heard one.
It sounds a lot like Trevor Noah’s old jokes that people freaked out about before he started as host.
Stupid. Ugly.
Eh, its more tasteless than offensive to me. Not surprised that pro-lifers are jumping all over it though.
Yeah, it’s tasteless and not funny, but I’m not particularly offended or anything. People will jump all over anything and declare themselves outraged, but this is just a poorly thought out joke.
Yeah, more like tasteless, but not offensive. And maybe not even that tasteless when you understand where they’re coming from. It’s something the Onion would say and get away with. Maybe Comedy Central should leave its more controversial and risqué jokes for 11pm on cable and not on Twitter, where it’s accessible to everyone at all times.
–TheRealPinky
Agree completely. Not funny and in poor taste. Not the end of the world. I’ve heard worse.
Actually a lot of pro-CHOICE people jumped all over it. Because its an argument that people use abortion as birth control…hence why this tweet is tasteless
Yes. Agree that hit the nerve of lame arguments on both sides. I have never met someone who had an abortion who took it lightly. We dont even like the vulnerable exposure of annual gyno exams! It usually is matter of safety, personal choice, or limited resources. Our bodies our buisness!
^^THIS. This is why it’s it’s not a funny tweet because everyday pro-choice people have to rally against the idea that women use abortion as a regular form of birth control.
Exactly, Nicole.
The joke is funny because of the very reason that anti-abortion people think that if abortions are accessible, women are going to use them as a means of birth control. The anti-abortion people are the butt of the joke. We all must look to who is the target of the joke before deeming it offensive.
I’m not offended by the joke but what I do find annoying is that he’s taken a victory for women and made it about men.
@Grumpy Bird
Excellent, cutting insight.
And just overall to this whole subject matter — FFS. The courts have decided in favor of women’s rights. Over. And over. Again.
We have other much more pressing issues facing this country, than to rehash the same tired ideology over and over again.
Next topic, USA.
Edit – spelling
Great point!
I wasn’t offended by it either and didn’t really get why other pro-choice people were so upset about it at first, but maybe part of it is because they’re worried that quotes like this will be used as ammunition for the anti-choice “See! I told you da librulls wanna promote abortion being used like birth control pills!” crowd. Plus, some might have taken it as him saying “Now there’s no need for us dudes to be asked to wear condoms!” type of thing. Which, yeah, is kind of a dumb, immature, irresponsible thing to say, but I’m not offended by it.
Not worth getting offended over but something just shouldn’t be said out loud. That was one of them.
Very offensive. I guess women in Texas are too stupid to use birth control?
Killing unborn humans, no matter the reason, is never a laughing matter.
You are reading WAY too much into that. Where in the world are you possibly pulling that women are too stupid to use birth control in Texas? Calm down there.
Oh. my. god.
No birth control is 100% effective, I unfortunately know that from personal experience. And it’s not “killing unborn humans”, it’s removing cells/tissue. I’m very very grateful to have had the right to decide over my own body. His tweet was unfunny, but not offensive….your comment on the other hand…
If it’s early. His tweet was just dumb and unfunny.
This.
Yeah I’m not seeing that implied anywhere in the tweet. The whole unborn humans bit has been debated to death, until we can conceive humans in isolated growth tanks the discussion needs to move on.
Well maybe if the state didn’t try to keep people from learning about contraception etc, more people would use it. Legislators in Texas have also worked hard to make contraception harder for poor women in particular to obtain. Protected sex should not just be for the wealthy.
This ruling is such good news. I was soooo disappointed when they created that scammy law that abortion clinics need to have hospital privileges to perform abortions.
I’m orginally from Canada, so took reproductive rights for granted. Now that I live in Texas, it’s a whole different story. I’ve worried about getting pregnant and not having access to an abortion. I have two kids and don’t want anymore and am at an age where I would have a high risk pregnancy. Also , I have two teenagers.
Texas has some weird contradictions between a hostility toward big government and an acceptance of authoritarian culture. My kids were actually taught about abstinence during a middle school assembly. I’m fine with that if it’s in conjunction with information about birth control but, nope, just abstinence. It’s unfortunate because Texas has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.
Must be a huge shock going from Canada to Texas. You captured its internal contradictions well – hostility toward big government/accepting authoritarian culture. Those roots go waaaaay back in history. I don’t think Texas ever fully accepted its membership in the Union, but at the same time, it’s in denial about its Mexican past.
Whenever sex ed becomes only about ‘abstinence,’ teen pregnancies go up.
“too stupid to use birth control”?? Please tell me that’s a joke. Even if it is, I’m not finding humor in it since the law was designed not to protect women, but to shut down clinics that provide health care.
WATP, yes it is a huge culture shock, I’m from a large urban center in Canada. From reading your comments, i think you are living in Canada but from the US?
Absolutely agree 100% that killing a baby a not a laughing matter
Nobody is talking about ‘killing a baby’, Bethany. That is not what an abortion is about. Ending a pregnancy that is just a bunch of cells with no brain, no brain stem and no nervous system, is not the same as ‘killing’ an actual born baby.
There isn’t an abortion joke in the world that wouldn’t get people riled up. This one was simply not funny or witty but it’s also not “shameful” or “vile”.
Yes and yes. Bad call by TDS. Stewart, had he still been around and writing tweets, would have been much more witty and incisive, I’m sure.
Because whether you agree or not, many people view abortion as murder. If the Supreme Court had a case where they reaffirmed the legality of the death penalty, it would likewise be in extremely poor taste to say something like “Looks like our prisons are going to get spring cleaning soon lol.”
Ok, it might be in poor taste (and say something about me), but your joke actually made me chuckle. TDS one was just eh, didn’t offend me, didn’t make me laugh.
Ha, I giggled too. Shameful.
Actually that would be hilarious.
Oh crap…I laughed…we all are going to hell aren’t we?
I laughed too.
This just jibes with the tone of Trevor Noah since his debut. He has always had a air of thinking we are not sophisticated enough to get the joke. I did not like his stand up and I do not like him on TDS.
He has his own Twitter. I think the writers run the Daily Show one.
Noah isn’t funny at all.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!
I used to watch the Daily show every time it was on. Even repeats. I honestly tried to give Trevor a fair shot, I forced myself to sit through multiple episodes with him as the host.
Thing is, John Oliver got a similar gig and he…made it his own. Every time I watch Trevor it’s like he’s just doing a bad Jon-Stewart-impression. It annoys me enough that I just can’t watch him anymore. Now I’m all about “Last Week Tonight!” I also greatly miss the Colbert report too. I no longer watch Stephen’s new talk-show gig it’s just not what I’m into.
Rant over.
Yes, I was thinking the exact same thing, that this tweet definitely smacked of the Noah-era TDS even if he didn’t write it. I honestly can’t stand him and I used to love the show.
My bf and I were just talking last night about how he’s just not a good fit for the show. Jon Stewart was amazing because he lived and breathed US politics, so his humor was also ripe with valid observations. Trevor just seems to be reading, he doesn’t seem to understand US politics the way Stewart did/does.
Sounds rape- ish “joke” to me.
There really is not a funny abortion joke. I’m pro-choice, but even as a pro-choice woman, I have to admit that abortion is a nasty business. Count me in the “safe, legal and increasingly rare” camp.
I agree…while I certainly agree with a women’s right to choose…getting “knocked up” and having an abortion is certainly not funny in any way, shape or form….not clutching my pearls…just shaking my head…
MorningCoffee, +100. I am so tired of people celebrating our right to get abortions. An abortion is a medical procedure that can have complications and should never be used casually for birth control.
My best friend had an abortion in her 30’s to remove an unwanted pregnancy. She had complications and was never able to conceive a baby after the abortion. And it broke her heart.
I have a science degree and am saddened by the biological ignorance of the pro-choice argument.
I remember back in the day when I was a voting Democrat who was pro-choice and the Democrats said abortion was horrible but sometimes a necessary evil. Yet these days abortions are celebrated. That is just sad.
I don’t celebrate abortion, which is a horrible choice I hope I never have to make. But I do celebrate not letting stuffy old dudes tell me what to do with my body. I’ve never met a person who celebrates abortion, but I know a lot of people who like knowing they can make choices about their bodies and health unimpeded.
I don’t think abortions are celebrated. I think human rights are celebrated, and in this case, the rights belong to human women.
Any medical procedure can have complications, but abortions have a good record of safety. I’m sorry about what happened to your friend.
If we have more and better-trained abortion providers, and women have access to abortions earlier in their pregnancies, the safety record could even improve.
Support for more research into better contraception and abortion would also be welcome.
Religious interference has blocked both of the above.
And where are these “abortion celebrations” occuring? I haven’t gotten my invite yet. *eyeroll*
ITA, Who ARE these people. I don’t think the pro-choice movement at large is celebrating abortions. However, if a woman decides abortion is right for her, that is her choice. More importantly, it is crucial not to let the government legislate what happens to women’s bodies, especially in a world where corporations have practically as many rights as living people.
Damn right I will celebrate my right to decide what happens to my body, and abortion is included in that right to decide. Notice how that doesn’t mean I celebrate abortions. I don’t like them but they are a necessary option if women are to enjoy true bodily autonomy. Birth control fails, and not everyone is equipped to raise a child.
It’s the right to a decision, and access to medical care regardless of what my decision is that I will celebrate until the cows come home.
Lots of women would rather not have to need an abortion in the first place, but that doesn’t mean our having that right is something that’s ‘not supposed to be celebrated’ (the only ‘celebrating’ if you can call it that is people praising the fact that it’s an option) because sadly, not all women and girls have that level of control over their bodies. And birth comes with risks too.
I say again, Oh. my. god.
I know a woman who lost her uterus after a birth complication. Should we make it so that no one ever gets pregnant? Abortion is far, far safer than birth.
Eurgh! I’m so tired of the abortion can lead to terrible complications and leave you unable to have a child! I’m sorry for your friend, but complications from abortions are actually very rare. Pregnancy and childbirth are much more at risks of complications than abortions…
But you know what can easily lead to dangerous complications? Self abortion using a coat hanger or ingesting chemicals or pouring bleach into your vagina… Because women have tried to abort even when illegal. What we are celebrating is that they can now do it in a safe environment and might not die as a result of trying to end an unwanted pregnancy
Well…I, too, have a science degree (a pre-medical one, even!) and can tell you that abortion is no more or less risky than any other invasive procedure. Surgery ALWAYS comes with potential complications, regardless of what it is because it involves exposing your internal body to external contaminants. That’s why abortion clinics warn you of potential signs of complications to look out for in the weeks following. That’s why they load you up with antibiotics preceding the actual operation. That’s why they counsel you to see if you have any questions. What happened to your friend is a shame, but it’s not the story for most women and she would have had similar risks associated with any pregnancy she chose to carry to term. Utilizing that as a scare tactic for other women isn’t just crass, it’s downright mendacious and destructive. Women should be informed of potential complications from an abortion, sure, but frankly, you could say the same thing for ANY invasive medical procedure for any patient.
Why is abortion a ‘nasty business?’ It’s a safe medical procedure that is sometimes medically necessary and sometimes elective. The only thing nasty about it is the religious fanatics who shame and kill abortion-seeking women and their doctors.
I never liked Hillary Clinton’s “safe, legal and rare” comment. “Rare” suggests that something is wrong about abortion. There’s nothing wrong, only what some religions says is wrong, and religion has no place in health care. Let’s keep it to “safe and legal” and take the judgment out of it.
To me the “rare” argument means emphasizing comprehensive sex education in school and ready access to birth control for all people. If you truly are opposed to abortion, you should be dedicated to promoting these things, which demonstrably lower abortion rates when available. In a world where women are educated about their bodies and how they work, and know their many options for birth control, abortion would be rare because there would be far fewer unwanted pregnancies.
Algernon, that makes sense. I didn’t read it that way. When it was first said, I heard it as pandering. If politicians still use this argument, I’d be more comfortable with their making what you said more explicit– “safe, legal and rare because we have far fewer unwanted pregnancies.”
Too many people want to think of abortion as something they would never do so they dismiss it as a “nasty business”.
And I’d add Merritt that people associate abortion with back alleys, coat hangers, hush money and shady providers, hence a “nasty business.”
It should be as boring and neutral as an appendectomy.
@Who are these people
It should be viewed as just another medical procedure. Sadly fear has made that difficult. Many doctors don’t do the training so they can perform them in their offices. i can’t blame someone for being afraid of being shot to death by a fanatic.
More people need to watch “12 and Delaware” and “After Tiller” to see the harm that the fanaticism has done.
Eh. I wasn’t offended at all but I’m never thrilled when men make jokes about abortion, or really anything that primarily affects women.
Same. I once went OFF on a male pro-life advocate. It wasn’t my finest moment.
Typical bro joke. Only offended by how lame of a joke it is.
Lol yeah. It’s super lame and not funny on any level. Just weak and stupid.
Yes, it is in poor taste.
I’m with those who say there is no good abortion joke.
Then I thought of cancer and how people joke about that now. Not in a disrespectful way though. And it’s taken decades to go from whispering the word cancer when someone has it, to now joking about it as a way to survive it etc.
Maybe one day there will be a way to joke about abortions. I’m just not there yet. Daily Show helping us figure this stuff out even in their mistakes.
I once cracked a cancer joke at a party, only to have one guy leave the room crying. His father had died from cancer. Wasn’t funny to him, understandably.
Needless to say, I have become way more cauteous, and hopefully compassionate, as a result.
Yes see, it’s very gray area. I’ve lost loved ones, friends and family, to cancer, and you’re right, it’s not funny. But then Tig Notaro ended up doing a riff – totally off the cuff – because she actually had cancer and her mom died and it was this amazing surreal thing she did live on stage at a comedy store… since then, there is a way, a subtlety, to laugh about it. But that JUST happened and she had personally been there which makes it different. SHE can joke about it.
It’s a very .. it’s loss of life. It’s not a light thing to toss off a joke about. Agree with you and I too am very careful, always was anyway, about these things.
Not even slightly funny. In fact, made me queasy. Joking about abortion never works, because there are no winners or right side. It’s all sad and unfortunate, and the choice women make is devastating. I don’t think guys get that…at all.
I think it’s a poke at the pro life folks who think this ruling will lead to women indiscriminately getting pregnant and killing the baby willy nilly. Lots of anti choicers think abortion is used as a substitute for safe sex.
But it’s not a funny joke.
My take too.
That’s the way I read it too.
I’m sure even a simple “yay for Texas!” would’ve riled up a number of people.
Yay for safe, legal procedures for the women that choose to have them. Maybe it isn’t a pleasant cup of tea, but the alternative would be far more than unpleasant.
I think others hit the nail on the head when they said there wasn’t really an abortion joke that would t have hit many nerves. For many this is a celebration of ending a prolonged Attack on the freedoms and body autonomy of women and for others abortion is simply about murder full stop. It was going to rile someone up. As someone who’s been tired of seeing the needs and care of a fetus put before living breathing women for so long I just don’t have the same sensitivities.
I don’t even really believe this topic is about murder or the death of a fetus as the Republican Party often tries to claim it is, thus I can’t agree with Megan McCain. This didn’t go 50 or 5 miles over the line let alone in in 100.
I go to school in OK where they made some backasswards law about Doctors performing abortions losing their license. The lawmakers then said, “but we’re not AGAINST abortion.” The only thought that came to my head was, “ah, so safe abortion is a no-no but coat hanger abortions are the route to go!” I’m waiting for this law to be struck down. I lean more republican because I like less government in general so I think the conservatism that’s “less govt in economy more govt in personal lives to keep traditional values” is a hot load of BS and OK is the queen of insane conservatism. I don’t know how they didn’t get the Roe v. Wade ruling. Good on the Texas ruling. OK, time to follow suit.
I also just want to make the distinction between republicans and conservatives clear. Conservatives are the crazy traditional values people not literal republicans.
Thanks for sharing and yeah, “We’re oh so offended and worried about the death of innocent fetuses but no sex education or condolences distribution or funding of Planned Parenthood!”
That stopped being any kind of logical course of actions when I was 16, now I’m just over the BS, sensitivities squashed. A govt small enough to fit comfortably inside a woman’s vagina.
I’m just super disappointed with OK. Girls will have to go so out of their ways to get the help they need. OK needs to get their shit together. I just got my tuition upped 7% and all the while they’re giving $400,000 raises to COLLEGE football coaches. Give me a break.
If anyone wants a real trip go look up Mary Fallin aka Mary Failin.
I would have way more sympathy (like, any) for these nutters screaming about dead babies if they even pretended to give a rats ass about the child after it is born. The thing is, they are not pro-life, they are only pro-birth. If they were actually pro-life they would support low cost pre and post natal care, child care programs, and programs like WIC to ensure that the child they so rabidly demanded to be brought into the world had a chance for a good life. They would also support counciling services for unprepared mothers (real ones, with real mental health professionals), parenting classes, and educational opportunities for both parents and children to help everyone lead a better life.
But alas no. Screaming about dead babies is where it ends and I have no time for sanctimonious BS that nobody wants to follow through to its logical conclusion.
^^^^^^ THIS
Hey Wren! I just want to speak up as a pro life person. My religion (Catholic) puts a lot of energy and resources into helping babies before and after they are born. We also provide support to low income families here and around the world. Check out some of the great services provided by organizations like the Society of St Vincent de Paul. You might be surprised!
That’s wonderful! I truly mean that, I’m not being sarcastic. I wish all people who say they are pro-life would actually BE pro-life. But the ones who scream the loudest don’t tend to be the ones who want to put their money where their mouth is. For so many it’s about feeling superior, for the rush of sanctimonious validation they get, not about actually helping anyone.
I get it. The blowhards make me crazy as well 😁
Also Roman Catholic, also pro-life, because pro-life is easier than saying pro-conception, birth, women and children’s health care, education, and healthy nutrition, amd other things that encourage healthy living and anti death penalty, war, euthanasia and other things that discourage life and/or healthy living.
Hard to find a politician to vote for though!
OSBJ, the joke was about choice because now what women do as a result of pregnancy has been reaffirmed as their right. It wasn’t saying or implying getting knocked up just to have an abortion. It was reiterating that the power Texas had in controlling people’s reproductive choice – even in simply getting pregnant – is now gone. JFC. And since most progressive women like myself make jokes all the time about getting pregnant just from a meme, or from looking at anyone sexy – be it male or female – I didn’t see this as offensive.
Ehhh, how can you say it wasn’t saying or implying to go get knocked up just to have an abortion? That’s the first thing that came to my mind when I read it and I’m pro choice. Go knock someone up in Texas. . . . Because? I’m with Morningcoffee above. Safe, legal, and increasingly rare. For someone that has had one there is no joking about abortion because of the impact it has had on my life and many many other women.
Wasn’t offended. It was tasteless and not funny and typically tone deaf coming from a man.
Slate said yesterday that what made it kind of offensive was the assumption that all their viewership/twittership is male. I agree on those grounds; there’s enough assumption that the world is male, but on an issue about women’s bodies? Knock the up? Really?
That’s a REALLY good point actually.
Bingo, just wrote this myself, and then read your post.
So I read the tweet again with that perception in mind and tbh I still don’t see it. Knock someone up doesn’t just mean heterosexual sex and we just recently had to go to the highest Supreme Court to even have gay rights and the rights of gay families given legal support.
Knock someone up literally means impregnate and lesbians can get impregnated, gay men can impregnate a surrogate. Hell let’s go a step further and examine the viewership of the Daily Show, a show that has strong young liberal support.
Not sure even male young liberals would go, “Yee Haw! Time to pull the willy out and go to town!”
“Knock up” has a strong undertone of accidental impregnation, which is not something that happens with artificial insemination or impregnating a surrogate. It feels like you’re bending over backwards to dismiss this as inoffensive.
I want to think that male liberals, young or old, won’t “go to town”, but given that most of the legislators who were pushing for all those restrictions are male, as are most of the judges, I am not sure I’m crazy about celebrating the sensible liberal males after this victory. I mean, it’s like if after the African Americans won their fight for civil rights, someone tweeted: “celebrate the win! go smooch that black girl you always had a crush on!”. Way to rob the black girl of all agency and to make the victory about the freedom of the white dude to do what he wants.
Sigh, had a comment and it got poofed so I’ll try to sum up my thoughts again.
While I see where you’re coming from I don’t think I’m bending over backwards to make anything appear in anyway. I agree that knocked up can have the implication of an accidental pregnancy but I don’t agree that’s the only implication. I’ve gotten too many cards from excited couples in committed relationships who had been planning for children exclaiming “We’re Knocked Up!”
To me being knocked up literally means the baby gravy has been implanted and a tiny human person is growing. Jokes are like words and words are often open to interpretation based on the culture and experiences of the person viewing them. The big difference in perception between the c word in America vs. Australia for instance. I honestly do get where you’re coming from but then to me that opens the joke up further to say what if it’s now a joke about rape or Texas women literally being too stupid to use birth control?
The fact that THIS issue out of everything we still need to deal with as a society has been the one fought over the most has made me angry enough that I’d be one of those to make a crass joke if the topic applied to me. This was never about safety of women or innocent lives and the fact it comes from the same party that enthusiastically goes out of its way to ensure POC and the poor are those most struggling only lends even more passion to my potential crassness.
Women woke up in Texas less frightened and more able to make a single choice as to who, what, where, when and why. Lawmakers in Texas woke up to realize their death grip on women’s bodies is slipping away little by little. Ownership of this issue is for everyone who has given middle finger to old farts who decide when rape is rape and abortions are and aren’t okay and abortion clinics need whatever new frivolous addition keeps their doors closed and the poor stuck without resources.
I thought about married couples who planned babies saying “knocked up” after I wrote to you as well (I’ve seen that too), but I feel like THEY use it ironically – because of course they are not “knocked up”. That, to me, only reinforces the accidental nature of it when it’s used in earnest, because that’s what makes it funny when someone who, say, tracked ovulation for months to get pregnant says “I’m knocked up”.
In any case, I suppose we’re arguing semantics by now. 🙂 I said my peace and respect your right to not be offended, of course. 🙂
I’m not sure you can make an abortion joke that isn’t offensive, on some level.
I also think it kind of gives ammo to the wrong people. A lot of pro-life people genuinely believe that pro-choice people celebrate abortions and actually rejoice in the chance to have one. Which this isn’t helping. The women I know who have had one all agree that the process is not fun. It’s not enjoyable. They don’t regret it (except one, but that’s a long story) but they all say they’d prefer to not have to do it and wouldn’t want to again. I mean, it’s a medical procedure. Nobody is chomping at the bit to get at it. This tweet makes it sound like women are, and that misrepresents what is actually at issue.
“A lot of pro-life people genuinely believe that pro-choice people celebrate abortions and actually rejoice in the chance to have one.”
This. He’s not helping matters.
I rejoice in the fact that I have access to such services should I need them. I rejoice in the fact that I decide what happens to my body and when, childbearing included. I rejoice in the fact that should my birth control fail, I will not be “punished” with a child. I rejoice in the fact that I can choose to become pregnant and choose to carry the child to term (should that be what biology intends). I rejoice in the fact that I can choose NOT to do this, despite what biology may intend. I rejoice in the fact that I was able to have a safe, medically supervised abortion, something I was (and still am) 100% sure was the right decision for me and my life.
I hoped I would never need one, I thought I was smarter than that. I thought my birth control was good enough. It wasn’t and I berated myself bitterly for allowing myself to get pregnant. But having a child at the time was not an option, so I made the decision and terminated the pregnancy. I never wanted to have an abortion and honestly thought an accidental pregnancy would never happen to me. I have always been pro-choice because bodily autonomy is important to me, but I never thought I’d need to make that decision for myself. I am so, so grateful that I could and I am even more fervent a supporter of a woman’s right to choose, and access to medical care regardless of her choice.
If that makes me pro-abortion in the eyes of some then so be it. All I hope is that they are never faced with such a decision, and if they are, they will not feel shame in making whatever choice is right for them.
Wren, are you sure we are not twins? Same thing happened to me and I completely co-sign all your comments on this thread.
Thanks! This is an issue that’s always been important to me but has become even more so now. I remember when I first learned about birth control and abortion, and I remember thinking, “wow, so many options to prevent babies, but thank goodness there’s a last resort if those things don’t work”. I remember being positive I’d never need it, but the secret safety of knowing the option was there.
But that’s not “pro abortion.” That’s “pro-having-the-option-available-to-me-if-my-circumstances-indicate-that-it-is-the-best-option-for-me.” But that doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker.
Pro-abortion means that one wishes there were more. People like eugenicists and population control zealots and misanthropes. I think you sort of missed my point with that.
You said it yourself – you wish you hadn’t gotten pregnant. If you could have prevented it, as opposed to having to go through the termination process, wouldn’t you? I can’t think of a woman alive who’d choose “getting an abortion” over “not getting an abortion” any day. The DS tweet seems to suggest that people enjoy the process, which plays into the false narrative that a lot of pro-life people actually believe.
It’s so hard to fathom why others think anyone, man or woman, would undertake a medical procedure (however low risk), unless they needed it.
@Sam, yes I totally agree, but I know people who think that because I had an abortion and am glad I was able to do so that makes me pro-abortion. I actually want less abortions, meaning I want women everywhere to have access to birth control and education on family planning. In a perfect world abortion wouldn’t be a thing because there would be no unplanned pregnancies. But I will forever support abortion as a legal, safe, medically supervised option and I know in some people’s eyes that makes me a crazed baby killer. It’s illogical and sad, but it’s true.
Wren, I agree. The abortion rate in the US has been falling for a long time (it peaked in the early 80s). There are multiple reasons why: primarily, it’s because birth control is getting better and more effective, but also because the groups most as risk of unwanted pregnancies (mostly teens and young adults) are having less sex overall (about 20 years ago, less than half of people left high school as virgins – now over half do, so that’s contributed as well).
I differentiate between unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. Unplanned simply means it was not intentional. However, many women celebrate unplanned pregnancies and are happy to give birth. I was unplanned, but I was not unwanted. Unwanted pregnancy is the real problem, because you then a have woman who desires not to be pregnant at all. So I just always wish people would be clearer about the difference.
I do wish people would take greater responsibility for themselves. My roommate is somebody who was just straight up irresponsible and not very smart and got pregnant because of it. But that same irresponsibility also made her unable to be a decent mother, which made ending the pregnancy the right option for her (unfortunately, it did end in some bad complications for her, again, probably due to her irresponsibility). I don’t get why people are so invested in convincing women who shouldn’t have children to do so.
Wow, seriously? I find this joke super offensive for so many reasons, and I roll my eyes at most “offenses” of the Internet, yet this is the one that gets a pass from most women?
For one, the joke seems to address MEN after a major win for WOMEN (women don’t knock anyone up, last time I checked). That alone gets a feminist in me pretty riled up.
And yeah, I agree with the person who wrote above about the strong implication that women are too stupid to use protection, so any guy who puts his mind to it can “knock her up”.
This also feels like we just went from having no choice due to bad laws to having no choice due to douchy males. Feels more like a permission for bros not to wrap it than a celebration of women’s choice.
So, I find the joke both unfunny, in poor taste, AND offensive.
I agree with most of your comment, except I think it’s a stretch to say it implies that women are too stupid to use protection. I do agree with the male listener part. What was that about? Basically, I think it was a bad joke and a bad idea to make a joke. Not helping.
Timbuktu- I agree that the male audience for this joke is offensive. But implying that women are too stupid to use protection? I don’t think it implies that as much as it implies women are waiting for abortions laws to abandon birth control because abortion is their birth control.
That’s even worse, and, as pointed out, gives ammo to the prolifers who want to run a woman’s uterus. Because it implies they are right that abortion is used as an excuse to carelessly make babies with no consequences.
It’s tasteless, and shows Trevor Noah is a moron who doesn’t understand the nuances of the political issues he’s commenting on. Jon Stewart would never.
It’s the “knock up” language that makes me feel like their line of reasoning is: now that dudes aren’t afraid to be “trapped” by a pregnant girlfriend who can’t get an abortion easily, they can “knock them up”. As if women were these receptacles that didn’t have their own means of making sure they don’t get “knocked up”. Coupled with male addressees of the message, it just feels like this “joke” is completely robbing the women of any agency: dudes will celebrate the abortion rights by knocking up their girlfriends.
I agree with your point about confirming anti-choicer’s arguments. Although I suppose those who don’t get offended will say that this is precisely what makes the joke so funny?
I’m just terribly angry at the whole situation and this is not making it better.
It’s like: well, now that dudes on the bench are done telling us what to do with your bodies, dudes in our lives can take over telling us what to do with our bodies. So happy!
I can feel your outrage and anger coming through my computer screen, Timbuktu. I actually find it comforting in a way when I see other women getting as enraged as I do about this issue.
Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one that wants to tear my hair out over men being all up in my uterus.
You make a lot of good points but I just wanted to say that offense is so tied into one’s sensibility, which is entirely subjective. While Noah’s comment doesn’t offend me, the idea that men in positions of power can control MY choices regarding MY body MORE than offends me, it disgusts me.
I think it’s a pretty dumb/tasteless joke but I’m definitely not offended. I’m not going to clutch pearls over this any more than I would when Blake Lively quotes Sir Mix A Lot.
Really? These are on the same level to you?
Yes I think they are both silly jokes. I think Trevor’s is more tasteless but still not worth getting upset about for me personally. This is just my view, to each his own. Particularly because I believe he is genuinely for women’s rights, gun safety, anti-Trump and on the correct side of all the issues that truly scare me today. His recent piece about gun control was excellent so maybe I’m cutting him extra slack. I’m saving my ire for the NRA and Fox news.
These days, I have so much ire to go around that I reserve a substantial chunk of it to the NRA and Fox news, but I still have some left over. And I think that this issue is just as serious as gun control, perhaps even more serious, long term, when you think of all the women who died after illegal abortions, all the women who had babies that they couldn’t support, with disastrous results, ec.
I will never forgive Jon Stewart for that guy.
There’s a rumor in New York TV circles that Stewart wanted someone else to take over and Noah was the network’s pick. I’m sure Stewart had a say, but the story I’ve heard is that he went to the network and said he didn’t want to renew his contract, which would have left him with 2 or 3 years left, at the time, and he wanted Samantha Bee to take over when he left. The network didn’t go for it, though, so Bee ended up leaving. Now she’s killing it on her own show and Trevor Noah is floundering on TDS. If this is all true, then the lesson is always listen to Jon Stewart.
I haven’t seen TN on TDS but I heard him on Fresh Air and he came across as charming, witty, thoughtful and intelligent.
It was surprising to me because I found some of the prior jokes he made to be pretty awful/tacky.
His early comedy was pretty crass, but then, he was performing for crowds of people who had never heard of stand-up comedy before. Trevor Noah is in the first generation of standups South Africa has ever had. Once he started touring internationally, you can see how much sharper and more intelligent his comedy got right away. there’s an interview somewhere, or maybe it’s his documentary on Netflix?, where he talks about performing for crowds who didn’t know when jokes were over, unless you either laughed at your own joke to signal it was over, or else told jokes the crowd knew, like mocking certain groups, sort of the SA equivalent of doing Polish jokes or dumb blonde jokes. You can watch stuff from SA and stuff he was doing in Europe, and it’s *totally* different.
there are no funny abortion jokes. abortion isn’t funny. I’m pro-choice but abortion should not be taken as lightly as it is.
In my dream world, it’s not taken lightly or heavily. It’s simply done as needed, quietly, privately, safely and with kindness, as I’d want any other procedure to be performed.
The depth of the emotional decision to abort, as well as the medical reality of it, is obfuscated in the minds of probirthers, simply because the decision to abort is available.
Probirthers think women take this decision as “well let’s just bump ooh-na-nas tonight, and then I’ll head down to planned parenthood in a couple days, spread my legs in stirrups, let them dialate my cervix and probe my uterus!” Sorry to be so graphic, but as someone who has had plenty of vaginal and cervical medical issues (not related to abortion), cried many times (from pain, fear, embarrassment, etc) whilst my legs we spread awkwardly in front of doctors and nurses….my god. Like any woman would just be so casual about such invasiveness.
And tangentially, the fact that a morning after pill costs $50 at the pharmacy is enough to deter my boyfriend and I from having even occasional unprotected sex. The OTC availability of this medication was touted as heralding casual “abortion” by the hysterical probirther. Are these pills flying off the shelves in record sales as gleeful women gladly swallow artifical hormones many times stronger than BCPs? No.
Bf: “l want you”
Me: “We’re out of condoms”
Bf: “Well, we can get the morning after pill”
Me: “The morning after pill costs $50 and it will alter my menstrual cycle for a few months before it re-regulates”
Bf: “They have a BOGO special at Walgreens on Trojans. Be back in 10.”
The hysteria from the probirthers exhausts me in its ignorance.
Abortion, to me, is always a difficult choice for a woman to make. I truly don’t believe it’s ever done lightly. That’s why I am usually never on board with abortion jokes. I am pro choice, but absolutely believe that life begins at conception and that in an abortion someone is absolutely being killed. (Someone perfectly innocent.) However, I remain pro choice because I know not everyone agrees with me.
Elian, +100! I completely agree with you!
That’s exactly how I feel. I’ve never had an abortion, and I’m not sure I could have one, but I also have never been raped, in an abusive relationship, destitute, and many other things that may alter my life choices significantly, so I do not think that my circumstances, choices, and beliefs should dictate what all women must do with their bodies.
I’m of the same mind but there are women who think having an abortion is no big deal. I’ve spoken with a view. I did have an abortion in my 20’s (long ago) and it had an enormous emotional impact on me for a long time. It was traumatic. It was the most difficult decision I’ve made and I didn’t make it lightly. Back then, there really wasn’t any counseling and I’m glad there is now.
That’s how I feel, with a caveat. I think there are women for whom making the decision itself is easy. However, the process is not easy. However safe it is, it is a serious medical procedure that comes with the potential for infection, complications, etc. My college roommate had an abortion and received an infection from it (or from the aftercare, we’ve never been sure which) which did, in the end, render her infertile. And I remember sitting up with her at night when she had a breakdown because she was convinced the universe was punishing her by taking away her ability to have more children. And that was awful.
I can’t think of a woman who, given the choice, would prefer to not have to undergo the procedure. That’s why BC is such a big deal. I do not think anybody actually looks forward to the abortion process or recovery. But they do look forward to being able to get a resolution.
Do I think there are women who are deeply irresponsible when it comes to matters like these? Yes. As much as I love her, my roommate is a prime example of it, and she knows it. But if you believe that a woman was irresponsible in how she got pregnant, what makes you think she’s competent to raise a child? I know so many pro-life people who think the most irresponsible woman can, magically, turn into a responsible mother. And that’s not how it happens, usually. The people most likely to have unplanned pregnancies are often the people least equipped to be parents.
Always a difficult choice? Based on what information?
“Usually never on board?” It’s one or the other.
It’s projection to think that because you believe life starts at conception that others share that belief, and that makes it difficult for each and every woman having an abortion.
Some women are familiar with the science of embryonic development and know – not believe, but know – that with abortion they are not destroying a life but rather removing a clump of undifferentiated cells that, if left to develop, would otherwise likely develop into a viable fetus over the course of 7-8 months.
The regrets might have to do with wanting a baby but not just yet, having had babies and not wanting one more and realizing you’re “done,” wanting a baby but not with that partner, never wanting a baby but having to go through this because of biology, wanting a baby but having medical problems that make it unsafe to carry … larger “life path” questions … but they are not necessarily feeling that they are destroying a life.
For me the decision was easy. I bitterly reproached myself for allowing the situation to happen, but the way forward from there was obvious. The hardest part for me was forgiving myself for screwing up and getting pregnant. The first shock when I found out was awful, and the subsequent conversation with my husband wasn’t easy either. Once I made up my mind and made the appointment at the clinic, it became less difficult. The actual abortion and recovery was very physically unpleasant, but I expected that. I have no wish to go through ANY of that again, but I do not regret having done so. I’ve gained a deeper understanding of myself and the true meaning of choice, and the happy side effect of my husband being much, much slower to judge others who find themselves facing the same decision.
Glad you were able to do what you wanted to do and come out the other side with this understanding (and that husband!).
Thank you. I’m just tired of hearing people (not you) tell me how I ought to feel about it, when I actually feel none of those things. I’m not distraught, regretful, traumatized, carrying a burden or damaged in any way. It wasn’t a “light” decision but neither was having my wisdom teeth out, yet nobody wrings their hands over that.
I view it as a learning experience, one I have no wish to repeat. It’s not something I talk about often in real life, partly because people judge me summarily over it and partly because I don’t feel the “proper” emotions about it. Yes I did it, it sure did suck at the time but it’s past now, I’ve healed and life goes on, a little older and wiser.
This is par for the course for Trevor Noah. As soon as I read about his old jokes on Twitter and Facebook that were not funny and slightly misogynistic, I knew that Noah would not be a good replacement for the legendary Jon Stewart. For some reason I cannot imagine this happening under Stewart’s watch. This sounds like a joke that Noah would make even if he did not personally tweet it.
Jon Oliver and Samantha Bee seem to be doing a much better job at hosting their own shows than Noah. It’s unfortunate that Stewart did not pick someone funnier with a greater in-depth knowledge of US political issues to carry on his legacy. Especially in this election year, someone powerful like Stewart could have had a much greater effect on the outcome of the primaries as well as the general election. What a missed opportunity.
I’m hoping Jon Stewart will step up and get involved closer to November, somehow? Maybe make a couple of guest hosting appearances?
Jon Stewart is creating a new show on HBO. They say he’ll be back on the air hosting his new show by November.
Jon Stewart read about his old jokes on Twitter and Facebook and chose him to host the show anyway so if the TDS is crap now it’s because of Jon Stewart.When people show you who they are,believe them.
Some found his old tweets to be anti-semitic also. David Draiman in particular had a big problem with Trevor Noah’s tweets and was very vocal about it.
It wasn’t funny but I’ve heard worse.
To me it’s just a lame joke. But virtue signalers gotta signal!
Why the pic of Trevor Noah – guilt by association?
Well, he is the face of the show…
Trevor has a separate Twitter account,he is not responsible for that tweet.
So he’s directly responsible for every tweet some anonymous Daily Show sends out. It’s like Trevor Noah said it himself! Lol. Okeydoke, just want to be clear.
Jimmy Fallon has a personal Twitter account and The Tonight Show has a Twitter account.I wonder if he would be held responsible for something posted on The Tonight Show Twitter account? Just asking
I don’t find it funny solely because of the kind of women and girls that are suffering under TRAP laws (which still exist in many states). Apart from victims of rape who were denied abortion rights, there were a lot of very young girls who carried to term and delivered babies they cannot raise because of these laws-meaning they’ve dropped out of school and become a hardship on their families. The hardship TRAP laws present are disproportionately punishing women and girls (many who are POC and poor) who likely did not find humor in their situations and likely did not think getting knocked up was a joke. There is no one way to feel about abortion and I don’t think anyone need feel sad or depressed about getting one if they don’t want to. That said, this was a tasteless way to address what was an enormously sad situation in Texas.
There’s always been pearl clutchers looking for something to be offended about, the internet gives them a voice to rant. The joke’s only offensive because it’s not funny.
Offensive? No. Tasteless? Yes.
As one who faced the choice of whether or not to have an abortion while I was a teenager, I have a very firm stance on this. I am pro-choice, 100%. I decided to have my daughter, abortion was not something that I could personally do. I do have girlfriends who did decide to terminate and when people say that women who decide to have abortions do it like it’s not a big deal, I have a tendency to go off the rails. Having seen one of my best friends holding my daughter the day after she was born and holding said friend while she sobbed her heart out was one of the most painful things I have ever witnessed. It is not an easy choice, it is not a form of birth control (there are the rare exceptions to that of course) and it is a life changing decision. I am glad that I live in a country where it is a woman’s choice and no one elses. Government and everyone else needs to stay out of what a person decides to do if they unexpectedly get pregnant. We all live with the choices we make, whatever they may be.
I don’t find Trevor Noah to be as funny as Jon Stewart. He probably has the same joke writers, but there is something missing. I miss Jon Stewart.
From what I saw, there were also pro-choice liberals angry with this joke. I think that even if you are pro-choice, abortion is a difficult choice to make. People were angry because this joke made it seem that pro-choice liberals don’t take abortion seriously and just have abortions without thought.
I didn’t find it offensive, however. I think people need thicker skin, especially if you are on the internet.
It’s a bad joke typical of lazy comedy. Too easy, too tasteless. Jokes about abortion, like racial epithets, are probably best delivered by females, or not at all.
Also, I’m a Democrat pro-lifer with progressive values. I’m a little scared to share that, but just want to show there’s a wide range of pro-life supporters out there. We’re not all Bible-thumping, radical conservatives.
I support life at all levels, oppose the death penalty and believe in easy access to birth control and sex education. I know that’s hard for people here to understand, but I’ve never connected with the idea that having control over our bodies (something I emphatically support) should extend to terminating the growth of another body. Consequences can be a bitch, but to me, pregnancy isn’t a mistake that should be erased, except in instances of incest, rape and medical necessity. It’s so obvious to me, but I respect that we live in a democracy, so I will support the majority rule while maintaining my personal belief.
Respectfully asking – why the exception for rape or incest? If it’s about life, why terminate in those cases?
As for the joke, who cares. I think endlessly analyzing and nitpicking every comment just makes the critic look ridiculous, after a while. (I don’t mean you, I mean the endless analysis and nitpicking over a flippant comment by a celeb or a show’s tweet.”
Thanks for being respectful! Open dialogue between sides is so much more helpful than condescending debate.
I do value life, but I feel abortion is appropriate in rare cases as many incest and rape victims are young women. I personally think an 11 or 12-year-old is not physically or emotionally equipped to handle a pregnancy. For other victims, the trauma and aftermath of rape may endanger both mother and baby during a pregnancy. But I’d be uncomfortable with terminating any pregnancy past the first few weeks of gestation.
Respectfully asking, what are your thoughts on it?
Hi, sorry for responding so late, I work a lot. I am pro-choice, though I would prefer that everyone both had access to birth control and was responsible and used it. I do not think abortion is no big deal, I think it’s sad.
Anyway, I am pro-choice because people will get abortions. My late aunt who was over 50 when I was born to get a sense of the time frame here, told me she knew women who’d had illegal abortions because they had NO money and could barely afford the kids they had, or they had a husband who was abusive/useless and couldn’t depend on him, that sort of thing. So I feel it should be legal, and safe. In fact, I actually know a friend of a friend whose teenage sister died when she tried to induce her own abortion – and this was in the 1990s – she didn’t know where she could turn and was so afraid of her parents. That’s a horrid tragedy.
Another reason is that unwanted children will often be abused and they sometimes, often, go on to perpetuate the cycle. I used to work with kids who very often came from abusive households, and really, everyone would’ve been better off if some women hadn’t given birth. I know how awful that sounds, but I’m talking about parents who do things like allow their boyfriends to abuse their daughters, or sons who are sexually violated who go on to sexually abuse others. I wish I could think that these kids could get out of it, and go to better situations and lives, but the numbers don’t bear this out, nor does my experience working with them.
Also – boy I’m just going on and on, ha ha – I do believe women should have autonomy over their own bodies. I don’t want abortions, really, but if women are forced to give birth – that’s saying women should have no control; that’s something you’d find in some oppressive, woman-hating culture or religion. So even though I don’t like abortion, I can’t oppose it, because that would be taking a stance that offends my beliefs that everyone has agency and the ability to make choices.
take a joke people, Good Lord.
It was Kang or Kodos who said it best:
Abortions for some; miniature American flags for others!