Russell Crowe Defends Abortion in Profane Twitter Rant

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jun 10, 2011   |   12:46PM   |   Hollywood, CA

In a late night profane rant on Twitter that is causing him significant negative press today, actor Russell Crowe defended abortion and opposed circumcision in a series of tweets that one pro-life advocate says are contradictory.

Crowe took to Twitter to share his opinions on male circumcision, tweeting, “Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin? Babies are perfect.”

The star of movies like Gladiator and Robin Hood added that he will “always stand for the perfection of babies, i will always believe in God, not man’s interpretation of what God requires.” Crowe tweeted: “last of it, if u feel it is yr right 2 cut things off yr babies please unfollow and **** off, I’ll take attentive parenting over barbarism.”

Then, in a seemingly contradictory tweet, Crowe went against his view of supporting God and nature and protecting children by encouraging the support for women ending their pregnancies by destroying the lives of their unborn children.

“Abortion should always be a woman’s choice, there is no benefit to ‘forced’ motherhood…you got it? don’t like it then bye,” he tweeted.

Crowe apparently started getting negative responses to the tweets because he woke up on Friday morning and defended his right to speak his mind. He deleted the original tweets and has since issued further tweets apologizing.

“This is a great forum for communication. I, like any human have my opinions and you all have yours, thank you for trusting me with them,” he said. he apologize somewhat, saying,  he “wasn’t intending offense, certainly wasn’t intending to provide fodder for lazy journalists. I can’t appologize for my heartfelt belief.”

“I’m very sorry that I have said things on here that have caused distress,” adding, “My personal beliefs aside I realize that some will interpret this debate as me mocking the rituals and traditions of others. I am very sorry.”

A fan asking Crowe’s opinion on the subject appeared to have set off the debate and pro-life blogger Jill Stanek commented on the contradictions in what Crowe wrote.

“I really, really like Russell Crowe as an actor,” she says. “But as a person Crowe clearly has missing brain synapses that have rendered him a bonehead.”

“That’s fine. My opinion differs on the topic, but whatever,” Stanek said. “But then Crowe got stupid. His very next tweet, after “stand[ing] for the perfection of babies” was the one on abortion. “The absurd illogic is almost too obvious to point out. But I must.”

Stanek concluded: “Removing a piece of skin the size of a postage stamp from a newborn baby is “barbaric and stupid,” the logic being that “[b]abies are perfect.” But suctioning that same baby’s brains out to kill him moments before birth is not, the logic being it’s “a woman’s choice”?”