On a recent episode of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher made a controversial statement about abortion that silenced his audience. During a discussion with British journalists Piers Morgan and Gillian Tett, Maher tackled the moral complexities of the abortion debate. He acknowledged the “absolutist” position that abortion is inherently wrong, and questioned the logic behind laws that permit abortion only up to certain stages of pregnancy.
Maher expressed confusion over the inconsistency of state-by-state abortion laws, asking, “You mean, so killing babies is OK in some states? I can respect the absolutist position. I really can.”
He then revealed his own stance on the issue, stating, “They think it’s murder, and it kind of is. I’m just OK with that. I am. I mean, there’s 8 billion people in the world. I’m sorry, we won’t miss you. That’s my position on that.” This blunt admission led to an awkward pause in the discussion, prompting Maher to react with a surprised, “What?”
Piers Morgan responded to Maher’s remark by suggesting that Maher’s view might stem from his personal disposition towards children, to which Maher countered, indicating that if Morgan was pro-abortion, he essentially shared Maher’s perspective.
Morgan, while asserting his pro-abortion stance, explained his respect for differing views and criticized 45th President Donald Trump for what he saw as a politically motivated flip-flop on the issue. Morgan said, “What I think I don’t respect quite so much with Trump, is that he’s clearly done a complete U-turn, and I think for political reasons,” referring to Trump’s 2016 strategy to gain support from Evangelical voters by promising to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Recently, Trump has suggested that abortion regulations should be determined by individual states, a position he articulated in a video statement where he promised, “under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving and healthy American families.” He advocated for making it easier for families to have children rather than harder.