A stand-up routine by legendary comedian George Carlin has gone viral on social media sites in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. After the judgement on June 24, a comment from the late comedian became viral online as people discussed overturning it. However, the quote is now relevant once more.
Carlin said the following in the now-famous quote:
“If a right may be violated, it is not a right. They are rights. We have only ever had a bill of transitory privileges in our country. Additionally, even with poor news reading skills, one could tell that the list is getting shorter.”
The aforementioned line comes from Carlin’s final comedy special for HBO, It’s Bad for Ya, which aired in 2008—just four months before he passed away at age 71.
Since the proposal to reverse the Roe v. Wade decision was released in May, Carlin’s viewpoint on abortion restrictions has also been widely shared. The Carlin jokes cited above are from his HBO Back in Town stand-up comedy special from 1996.
Commentary by George Carlin on the need for anti-abortion legislation
Carlin addressed the demands of conservatives and politicians who voiced their opposition to the 1973 Roe v Wade decision on abortions in his comedy spectacular Back in Town. Carlin spent more than eight minutes discussing abortion legislation in 1996 at the Beacon Theater in New York City, where the comedy special was being recorded.
The “Pro-Life movement” and those who support it were denounced by George Carlin as being “anti-women.” He stated:
“Conservatives who support life are fixated on the foetus from conception until nine months. They don’t want to know about you after that. They want nothing to do with you. Not at all! There is no neonatal care, childcare, Head Start, school meal, food stamps, welfare, or anything else. You’re alright if you were preborn. You’re screwed if you’re in preschool.”
George Carlin included the following in his comedy special:
“Simply put, they are against women. They think that a woman’s main responsibility is to serve the state as a broodmare.”
At the time, George Carlin also openly insulted Pro-Life activists. The comic posed the following query to the crowd there:
Netizens resonate with comedian George Carlin’s take on anti-abortion following the overturn of the Roe v Wade
Following the Roe v Wade decision being overturned, internet users identify with comedian George Carlin’s anti-abortion viewpoint.
Supporters of the Pro-Life Movement and politicians took a lot of heat after the US Supreme Court reversed the 1973 Roe v Wade decision. Numerous celebrities and pro-choice activists criticised proponents of anti-abortion beliefs on social media.
George Carlin’s video gained thousands of views online amid the intensely contentious online controversy over the decision. In the meantime, supporters and proponents of the Pro-Life movement celebrated the decision’s reverse. Many people agreed that Carlin’s opinion on the subject from almost 26 years ago is still quite pertinent in the midst of the issue.
Following the decision’s overturn, many conservative states have outlawed abortion with a few small exceptions, while others have chosen to place limitations on the termination of pregnancies that are more than six weeks along in specific circumstances. Pregnancies are now permitted in some places, like California, with the same restrictions as before. This means that women who need an abortion can go to a state that is willing to provide one.