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Bill Maher reacts to proposed abortion bill - 38s VIDEO

AISLING REDICAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Friday, April 8, 2011, 3:28 PM

Updated Friday, April 8, 2011, 4:48 PM

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HBO talkshow host Bill Maher

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Read more on Bill Maher's profile page

Bill Maher, controversial host of Real Time With Bill Maher on HBO, came out swinging against a law recently proposed for legislation in Kentucky requiring pregnant women who are considering abortion to view an ultrasound of their unborn fetus.

The liberal American TV pundit, who has Irish and Jewish roots, reasoned that if women are forced to view an ultrasound while weighing the pros and cons of having an abortion then they also should be forced to see "a crying baby, a bratty five year old, and a surly teenager to see what will happen if she doesn't."

Maher not only tackled abortion, but also raised issues ranging from American national debt to climate change, relating such issues to the perils of bringing up children in the world of the present day: "And you have to tell her it costs $204,000 to raise it until it turns 18 in 2028 where it will be a slave to the Chinese in a radioactive world with no animals, fish, or plants." Though Maher's views are oftentimes controversial the bill that he referred to created a furor among the liberal left, before being vetoed by the Kentucky State House panel in February.

The divide in beliefs regarding abortion has been a temperamental, decades-long issue in American politics and society. Despite the bill being rejected in Kentucky similar anti-abortion bills have been proposed in other states within the last few months, adding more fuel to the fire for Maher and others of the pro-choice persuasion.

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clancy4unc | Apr 11, 2011, 09:16 AM EDT

If Maher could go back in time, do you think he would tell his mother to abort "it", I mean him. They could have done the partial birth method, which means they deliver the baby alive, puncture the skull and suck out the brain, then the baby goes back in for a still birth delivery. Now that's civilized. NOT!

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BishopSean | Apr 10, 2011, 09:15 AM EDT

Bill Maher could have the best of both worlds as Jewish-Irish. He is clever, unfortunately without being wise to date. I pray that the Lord will get a hold of him soon. About the remark that access to other birth control methods decreases the need for abortions--this argument sounds logical but recent studies show that most persons who have had abortions had also been using other birth control methods and just got careless. I know persons who were raped (even in my own family and my own church) who did not abort and thank God that they did not do so. Blessings.

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Pittsburghkid | Apr 09, 2011, 07:15 PM EDT

Seems perfectly reasonable, because Abortion Mills have preformed fake Abortions on woman who were not pregnant. It is actually Consummer Protection. Abortionist seem to have a special protection from law. In Philadelphia, an Abortionist is being held for murder, because of the way he butchered the woman, and for abuse of the fetus, or baby as my mother used to refer to a "woman carrying a baby."

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seanomelbourne | Apr 09, 2011, 07:05 PM EDT

I wonder how many anti abortion hypocrites have pleaded with their daughters to have an abortion to save face.

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jamthecat | Apr 09, 2011, 12:30 PM EDT

The right-wing-nuts are not pro-life; they are merely pro-birth, and not because they give a damn about the child or the woman involved, as their actions consistently scream to the rooftops. They do NOT want women to learn how to keep from getting pregnant or to have access to contraception, which would bring down the chance of abortion immeasurably. They do not want there to be any exceptions to anti-abortion measures, not even for rape, incest or if giving birth will kill the mother and/or child. They excuse terrorist attacks on and the murders of doctors and caregivers who have provided pregnancy terminations and information on family planning. They even want women who have miscarriages investigated for capital murder and put to death if they cannot prove their miscarriage was normal and natural. Anyone who thinks these minions of the devil have anything to do with humanity is deliberately blinding him or herself to the truth -- they only care about control. Period. End of story. And THEY are the ones who will be finding themselves right back in hell, not those who oppose their evil.

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jdi2269 | Apr 09, 2011, 12:16 PM EDT

NO ONE REALLY CARES WHAT THIS DRUG ABUSER SAYS!

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Searlit | Apr 09, 2011, 12:12 PM EDT

Maher is part of the extreme left. Although highly intelligent with a wit that snaps like whip, his lewd remarks about women, and in this case, calling a child it, cancels out the otherwise humorous bits for me.

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pndirishandprou | Apr 09, 2011, 11:53 AM EDT

@EireinAmerica - In case you haven't heard yet: Republicans drove the US economy off the cliff. Guess who will be burning in hell? The abusive Catholic church who terrorized its population and held Ireland back for decades.

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mayoman | Apr 09, 2011, 10:24 AM EDT

EireinAmerica: You really shouldn't drink and type at the same time.

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wjb1tex | Apr 09, 2011, 10:10 AM EDT

Maher's use of the word IT when describing a child tells me all I need to know about his opinion.

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EireinAmerica | Apr 09, 2011, 09:59 AM EDT

Ignorant, ignorant Jasmine,..You lefties are destroying American society,..You people don't realize that hell is hot and forever is a long time,...no,...you don't just get to do whatever you want without paying the consequences,...

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BoraBora98 | Apr 09, 2011, 07:39 AM EDT

Intellectual lightweight, cherry-picker of facts, sanctimonious and oh-so-superior self-promoter. Oh, and a first-class jerk, too.

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Faith20 | Apr 08, 2011, 11:32 PM EDT

Bill Maher is an annoying little man who struts about making extreme statements laced with kernels of truth. He's a master of extrapolation carried to the boundary of sanity. He's laughing all the way to the bank and probably believes only 20 percent of what he says. He'd be funny if there weren't so many nitwits who accept his statements as sensible.

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cinnamonscone | Apr 08, 2011, 07:23 PM EDT

I love when someone speaks common sense and it blows everyone away. Reason resonates.

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Jasmine | Apr 08, 2011, 06:52 PM EDT

I have ALWAYS LOVED Bill Maher...I, (hiding my head in shame), being from America, hold 95% of the same views as Bill, controversial, or not. The only difference between us is that I don't smoke pot (I do believe it should be legal to do so, however) and that I'm a woman. Bill is BRILLIANT, and puts everything into perspective, whether you like it or not! If you haven't seen his movie "Reigulous," you are missing a one of the most enlightening and funniest documentaries/mockumentaries ever made (in my lifetime, anyway).

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