This week's episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver was one of the longest in the show's history. The 35 minute episode featured a story on Crisis Pregnancy Centers and the spread of misinformation about abortions.
Before the harrowing look into CPCs, Oliver discussed two stories from the past week that were unbelievable.
First up, was Scott Pruitt. The head of the EPA came under scrutiny this week for using taxpayer money on security and travel costs. Pruitt even rented out an AirBnb in Capitol Hill that he was eventually forced out of, but not before having to fix a door that was broken down by his security while napping.
Oliver also noted that Pruitt's Linkedin profile still listed him as "a leading advocate against the EPA's activist agenda," while he was the head of the EPA. I was already angry from the first story.
Next, Oliver talked about the Hungary election. The craziest part of this story is that the government of Hungary actually funds candidates put forward, which led to some interesting parties. For example, the Two-tailed Dog party was funded and one of their candidates dressed as a chicken for a TV interview. Still, Oliver noted that may not be the worst candidate.
The main story concerned Crisis Pregnancy Centers. CPCs are clinics across America devoted to giving aid to women when pregnant. Or at least, that's what they are telling people on the outside.
Digging deep, Oliver uncovered the mistruths that CPCs are spreading. Many centers give free ultrasounds and counseling, but with the broader goal of making the women carry to term. None are providing abortions, nor are against spreading lies about abortions.
This is especially scary given that Crisis Pregnancy Centers can get government funding and get tax breaks. The issue here isn't about pro-life vs. pro-choice. The issue is about providing women with the right information and the right health care for one of the most important health decisions in their life.
John Oliver brought in special guest Rachel Dratch to debut their new clinic, Vanned Parenthood. Their goal is to tell women that abortions create ghost babies that will haunt them for life.
Oliver ended pointing to the ludicrousness of it all: "point is this is perfectly legal and there is nothing stopping us from parking it outside an abortion clinic...which there really fucking should be."
What did you think of this week's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver?
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