Thanks to the historic outcomes of both Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), abortion is still (thankfully) quite legal here in the States. However, that hasn't stopped a seemingly endless series of attempts by Republican lawmakers at restricting access to safe and legal abortions by any obviously shady means necessary. Just two weeks into his glorious Last Week Tonight homecoming, John Oliver dedicated much of Sunday's episode to this still-in-progress attack on women's rights.
"Abortion cannot be theoretically legal," Oliver insisted, diving into a depressing ocean of Republican tactics aimed at complicating the attainment of abortions to the point that many are forced to seek far more dangerous options. "It has to be literally accessible!" According to a Gallup poll referenced by Oliver during his latest Last Week Tonight takedown, an obvious minority of 19 percent of Americans feel that abortions should be completely illegal.
"Mississippi now has four times as many S's as it has abortion clinics," Oliver added, noting that other states including North Dakota and Missouri have successfully passed abortion restriction laws that resulted in the mass closing of clinics all across each respective state. "When you’re that insistent about women’s health, it starts to sound suspicious," Oliver said. "It’s like having a folder on your computer marked 'Definitely Not Porn.' You’re not fooling anyone!"
To properly drive home a point that may sadly need to be repeated over and over again for years to come, Oliver also enlisted the unique services of a bunch of sloths. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" an obviously disturbed Oliver asked.
Good question.
