(LifeSiteNews) — HBO Real Time host Bill Maher is an aggressive atheist, a long-time liberal, and a social progressive who has been pro-abortion and pro-LGBT for his entire career. Despite that, he is increasingly the most vocal of a handful of liberals who refuse to be swept along by the increasing insanity of the LGBT movement—and in many cases, shows discomfort with the extremist aspects of the Democratic agenda.
Earlier this summer, for example, Bill Maher actually defended the legislation put forward by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis prohibiting educators from teaching about sexuality to children younger than the third grade, noting that he understands parents concerns and is very uncomfortable with trans activist rhetoric about “protecting” kids from their parents. As I noted earlier, when Bill Maher backs parental rights, you know it’s a winning message.
Back in May, Maher reduced trans activists to twitchy rage-tweeting when he did an entire segment opposing the “gender transitioning” of kids, even promoting Abigail Shrier’s book Irreversible Damage in the process. Maher’s comments on the transgender movement have been all over the place, but he’s faced accusations of “transphobia” frequently for jokes about Bruce “Caitlyn” Jenner and other such heresies.
On Friday night, he again surprised his guests. During his panel discussion, Maher noted that the abortion debate has the potential to help Democrats in the midterm elections and told Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar: “The Supreme Court did you, politically, a big favor. Because for a while, people were, ‘I don’t know, [is] this really gonna get people out to the polls?’ We have enough evidence now with these special elections and the polling, we see. And you know who really is up in arms about this [abortion issue] that we didn’t think was going to be? Dads.”
Klobuchar responded by telling Maher that last time she’d been on Real Time, he’d disagreed with her on abortion. Maher pushed back: “I’m certainly pro-choice… What I’m saying is you shouldn’t say to the other side, ‘You people hate women.’ They don’t hate women. They just think it’s murder. And if you think it’s murder, then you can’t go, ‘Well except for people with a vagina. They can commit murder.’ I don’t think it’s murder, but they legitimately do. And it insults them.”
Klobuchar didn’t back down: “There are pro-life people that have the view- that’s fine. They just don’t think that they should put their views on someone else.” Maher pointed out the obvious: “But you wouldn’t say that about a murderer. And that’s what their point is. But it’s not because they hate women.” At that point, actor and director Rob Reiner interjected that pro-lifers are attempting to foist a “Christian nationalist agenda” on America,” and Maher again disagreed. “Not everyone who is pro-life is a Christian nationalist.”
Bill Maher is precisely right, and he is doing what many old-guard liberals used to do—engage with the opposition’s arguments on their own terms. Ironically, comedian Louis C.K. made precisely the same point about pro-lifers in a comedy set a few years back. He actually called out his audience on how they view pro-lifers. “People hate abortion protestors,” he noted, his expression indicating he was clearly enjoying the audience’s discomfort. “They’re so shrill and awful! They think babies are being murdered! What are they supposed to do? Well, that’s not cool. I don’t want to be a d*** about it though. I don’t want to ruin their day as they murder several babies all the time.”
The reality is that Bill Maher is more uncomfortable with abortion than he’s usually willing to admit—for profoundly personal reasons. In 2019, he noted on his show that despite his pro-abortion views he is “a little squishy and always [has] been.” Why? Because his mother had been advised not to have another baby. Knowing that, he said, has given him an awareness that he could have ended up “on the cutting room floor.” And that’s one of the most honest characterizations of abortion I’ve ever heard from a liberal media host.
