A video segment featuring comedian Patton Oswalt that aired Monday night on “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” an otherwise unremarkable TBS show dedicated to mock news programming, is illustrative of the aforementioned phenomenon. The distinction between this program and the mainstream media’s presentation of the truth is that the latter is distinct in theory.
In a seven-minute sketch, comedian Patton Oswalt depicted pro-life pregnancy centers as “the ultimate hustle” and an elaborate “illusion” run by “con artists.” Oswalt portrayed a magician throughout the sketch, which included laugh-track enabled clips of actress Amy Bee acting as a hyper-religious numbskull running a pregnancy center spliced with a sit-down interview with the head of the National Abortion Federation.
The profanity-ridden segment of raw sewage, which was characterized by a combination of morbid, dishonest, and mean-spirited elements, was remarkable not so much for its offensiveness as for its lack of discernible comedy.
As previously noted, even comedy is not exempt from the bloody altar of abortion’s sacrificial system. To illustrate, consider Oswalt’s jingle in which he hides a fetal model—which accurately depicts a baby’s in utero development—under one of three cups: “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Find the fetus, here we go.”
Upon pulling up one of the cups to reveal a fully dressed, several-month-old baby, the laugh track responds with glee as the baby calls out, “Momma!”
Additionally, the episode is notable for its portrayal of the common practice of pregnancy centers informing clients of the health risks associated with abortion, including the much-derided yet abundantly proven link between abortion and breast cancer. This is depicted in a Looney Tunes-style cartoon in which Oswalt is blown up by a giant missile with “Planned Parenthood” emblazoned across its casing.
With a hole blown through him and the characteristic cartoon lump growing on top of his head, something falls out of Oswald’s body. It is, as might be expected, a baby.
It is perhaps surprising that such tasteless displays are just the tip of the iceberg for Bee and Oswalt’s vile hit piece. However, by far the worst, most tragic portion of the video is its interview with a woman, Charisse Scott, which they identify as a “Crisis Pregnancy Center Mark.”
In recounting her visit to a pregnancy center, which she identifies as the primary factor in her decision to choose life for her son, Ms. Scott asserts that her son deserved better than to be born into a situation where his mother was struggling to make ends meet. She then states that she wishes she had made a different decision.
“I love my son, without question, but I must be frank. If I could do this all over again, I would have terminated the pregnancy.” Following this heartbreaking statement, Oswalt concludes the segment with a passionate denunciation of pregnancy centers that, “hide behind the fig leaf of the First Amendment.”
It is ironic that Oswalt, who offers nothing but naked slander, accuses pregnancy centers of hiding behind the First Amendment. This is particularly noteworthy given that the Constitution’s guaranteed rights to free speech and free religious exercise are considered mere footnotes in American life. After all, it is the right to free speech that allows Patton Oswalt and Samantha Bee to churn out on-air garbage. It is unfortunate that the Framers did not foresee a protection against bad comedy.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
