On Wednesday, the National Abortion Right Action League released an incredibly tasteless new video, titled “Comedians in Cars Getting Abortions,” that focuses on a woman who is trying to get an abortion and brings along her friend who is shooting a webisode. The video was a play on Jerry Seinfeld’s video series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.”
When comedian Nato Green gets in the car with fellow comedian Alice Wetterlund, he asks why she wants to get an abortion. She responds, “I want an abortion because my body is doing a thing right now that is not incubating a person, and I would like it to continue doing that thing. It’s my choice, okay?”
Then, they observe a child misbehaving and Wetterlund says, “We don’t need more of those in the world,” to which Green responds, “Good point.”
The first abortion clinic the pair drives to is closed, so Wetterlund suggests a clinic in Silver Lake, but her friend tells her that since it’s the month after Coachella that clinic will be “super busy.”
The next stop in Wetterlund’s quest for an abortion is at a crisis pregnancy center called “Birth, Life, Love.” At first, the comedians are unaware that this center does not provide abortions, but provides assistance for pregnant women. As is to be expected from NARAL, the video mocks Christians by painting the receptionist as a Right-wing nut job.
In an attempt to persuade Wetterlund to reverse her decision to get an abortion, the reception tells the her that at eight weeks a baby is already starting to “recognize iPhone passwords.” When Wetterlund asks if there are abortion doctors at the facility, the receptionist responds, “Who needs doctors when you have the book of Jeremiah?”
The awkward encounter concludes with the receptionist saying, “Did you know that if you get an abortion, there is an 18 percent chance that the chance of you getting into heaven is zero percent?” Naturally, the comedians flee at this point.
When the pair finally reaches an abortion clinic, the doctor informs the comedians that the patient will have wait 32 hours from the initial appointment for the procedure to take place. After the abortion doctor shows the comedians pictures of the baby at various stages of development, she says, “If you want an abortion, the easiest way is probably just to go to a place where it’s legal, like Canada or Uruguay.”
The video closes with the statement, “It shouldn’t be this hard to get an abortion.” This is just another example of how pro-choice advocates don’t take the issue of abortion seriously. NARAL thinks women should have access to abortion on demand, and as we saw in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, they value quick access to abortion over the safety of women.
One of the most fascinating parts of this video was that despite the flippant attitude of the characters towards abortion, they consistently called the baby a “baby” as opposed to a “clump of cells” or a “fetus.” What has the world come to when we can be this casual about killing babies?