Amid the outrage over the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion indicating the Court's intent to overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling on abortion rights, a clip of legendary comedian George Carlin skewering conservative views on abortion has resurfaced.
And it couldn't be more timely.
The clip perfectly encapsulates right-wing hypocrisy on the issue, and is sadly even more timely today as it was in the 90s when Carlin performed the routine.
See the clip below.
WARNING: NSFW language
In the clip, taken from the late comedian's 1996 HBO special Back in Town, Carlin lambastes Republicans' obsession with fetuses and indifference to actual children.
"Pro-life conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to 9 months."
"After that, they don’t wanna know about you. They don’t wanna hear from you. No nothing!
"No neonatal care, no daycare, no Head Start, no school lunch, no food stamps, no welfare, no nothing.
"If you’re pre-born, you’re fine, if you’re preschool, you’re fu*ked."
Carlin goes on to put an even finer point on the right's approach to abortion.
"They’re anti-woman, simple as it gets."
"They believe a woman’s primary role is to function as a broodmare for the state."
The clip has gone viral amid shock and outrage over Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's draft opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a Mississippi court case addressing an attempted ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Alito's leaked draft rules in favor of Mississippi's proposed ban and overturns both of the Court's previous landmark decisions guaranteeing abortion rights, 1992's Planned Parenthood v. Casey and 1973's Roe v. Wade.
If adopted during the Court's next session in June, the decision will render abortion unconstitutional and it will be illegal in as many as 26 states.
The draft also invalidates the interpretation of the 14th Amendment that underpins those cases and others guaranteeing rights to access to contraception, interracial marriage and same-sex marriage, jeopardizing those rights as well.
Given the stakes, Carlin's routine has been given whole new relevance, and people on Twitter have been sharing it like wildfire.
Another clip of Carlin raking Republicans over the coals for their attacks on abortion rights way back in the 80s surfaced as well, showing just how long this war has been going on.
Carlin, widely regarded as one of the best stand-up comics of all time, was legendary for his incisive take-downs of right-wing politics and advocacy of progressive causes in his comedy, a subject highlighted in an upcoming HBO documentary about him premiering later this month.
