John Oliver is pretty annoyed with Democratic lawmakers right now for refusing to truly assert themselves in the matter of abortion rights. According to the late night host on, Democrats have been, and continue to be, too “squeamish” on the issue.
Oliver’s criticisms came on Sunday night’s episode of “Last Week Tonight,” following the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court that would overturn the decision of Roe v. Wade. Though the late night host agreed with many that the draft is a “horror show” from “five of the biggest weirdos in the country,” he also used the segment to point out that it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
“This is just not a recent development at all. Because while yes, Trump did pick one third of this court, including a seat for Gorsuch that was stolen for him, that was the result of decades of work by anti-abortion forces,” Oliver said. “Long before Trump was even considering running for office, conservatives were openly announcing their intention to overturn Roe.”
As he launched into his argument, Oliver pulled up old footage of lawyer Thomas J. Dillon from the day the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down, in which Dillon talked about a lawsuit he was supporting that could overturn Roe.
In the footage, Dillon argued that women only have one third of the rights to decide when it comes to an abortion, because a father and unborn child’s rights should be considered as well.
“Honestly, that is kind of perfect. Because if there is one thing that we love to do in America, it’s turn everyone who isn’t a straight white man into a f—ing fraction,” Oliver sniped.
That said, most of Oliver’s ire was directed toward Democrats who have not been vocal enough in the fight for abortion rights, while Republicans have consistently centered the issue in their agendas.
“All that time, too many Democratic leaders shied away from engaging in that fight, or were squeamish in their defense of abortion,” he said.
Oliver then specifically called out Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, bringing up times in which they tried to minimize the issue of reproductive rights, while still claiming they supported it.
“That has sadly been emblematic of Democrats’ approach, offering vague statements in support while abortion has been specifically under attack,” Oliver noted. “And all the while, Republicans have focused on this issue with relentless determination.”
The “Last Week Tonight” host then cautioned audiences that “it is important to know, conservatives aren’t remotely done here,” citing more legislation from just last week, in which reproductive rights in Louisiana are being targeted.
“Long term, we need elected officials to stop tiptoeing around the issue of abortion, and take steps to properly safeguard it,” Oliver said bluntly.
You can watch John Oliver’s full segment on abortion rights in the video here and above.