Daily Show’s John Oliver: Abortion Bans Motivated by Religion Not Care for Unborn

National   |   Kelsey Hazzard   |   Aug 7, 2013   |   2:48PM   |   Washington, DC

Secular Pro-Life condemns a recent comment by comedian John Oliver, who is currently standing in for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Oliver implied that abortion restrictions are motivated solely by religion and not by secular concern for the human right to life.

The comment came on Monday night’s episode. The segment, which can be viewed here, focused primarily on the Supreme Court’s recent decision weakening the Voting Rights Act. But about four and a half minutes in, the subject turned to abortion. Commenting on a recent North Carolina senate bill that addressed both abortion safety regulations and sharia law, Oliver joked:

Let me just understand this: you’re adding abortion restrictions to legislation banning the making of laws based upon religious belief. That’s like passing a bill banning high-fructose corn syrup, and adding a provision naming the state animal the gummy bear!

In reality, a commitment to church-state separation is not at all incompatible with support for abortion regulations. Between fifteen and nineteen percent of non-religious Americans identify themselves as pro-life. And among those who identify as pro-choice, abortion restrictions short of a ban enjoy majority support.

I myself am a fan of The Daily Show. Its humor is often very insightful. But this time around, The Daily Show chose humor based on blunt stereotyping. I’m disappointed.

We understand that The Daily Show is, first and foremost, a comedy program. But a large percentage of young people get their news from commentators like Jon Stewart and John Oliver, and they have a responsibility as journalists. There’s no shortage of real political hypocrisy to skewer; The Daily Show writers shouldn’t have to resort to misleading the audience.

If you are non-religious and support legal limits on abortion, Secular Pro-Life encourages you to respectfully share your disappointment with The Daily Show by posting a comment on its facebook page.

LifeNews.com Note:  Kelsey Hazzard is the president of Secular Pro-Life, an organization that uses non-religious arguments to promote the pro-life perspective.