Ted Nugent Thinks “Abortion Should Be Safe, Legal, and Rare,” Says Green Day Frontman Has “Lost His Soul”
For those of you who don’t remember, Ted Nugent is a transphobe who thinks schools should be guarded by “commandos.” However, it appears that Ted is trying to do his best to sound thoughtful and understanding on the overturn of Roe v. Wade, even though he’s also ready to promote the hysterical rhetoric of the far right.
Here’s how Ted explains his stance on his most recent webcast:
“When the left keeps saying that, ‘We lost our constitutional right to an abortion,’ share that phrase in the Constitution with me where it gives you the right to kill the unborn…My point being, it isn’t mentioned in the Constitution, so I’m gonna repeat once again, ‘Any rights herein not enumerated are left up to the States.’”
This “killing the unborn” thing is the first sign that Ted’s still on his bullshit. The issue here is bodily autonomy, a woman’s right to choose, and keeping others’ spirituality out of women’s personal choices. The Constitution, for the record, does say that church and state should be separate, and forbids “cruel and unusual punishment,” which sure sounds like forcing a woman to carry a child she can’t afford, doesn’t want, and which the state will not help her raise after forcing her to have it.
Anyway:
“Clearly, the abortion issue, like any other issue, idea or hunch that is not enumerated in the Constitution or the Bill Of Rights clearly is up to the states. Even a guitar player doesn’t need any translator for that one. So once again, it is the hysteria…
“And I’ve gotta tell ya, the word ‘cruelty’ from the left… I’ve witnessed some artists out there, like Billie Armstrong of Green Day — he’s incredibly talented, but he’s just lost his soul — and Pink, an incredibly talented, work-ethic artist, who just scream and just attack people who choose not to have an abortion.”
Yeah, no one’s doing that. These artists aren’t angry that people didn’t have abortions, they’re angry that the Supreme Court basically created theocratic zones where having an aborton is impossible. Once again, it’s a human rights issue.
That said, Ted sure does like to frame calls for stronger gun control as “trying to take our guns away. ” So maybe he’s projecting.
“By the way, as you and I speak right now, if anybody wants an abortion in America, guess what — they can get one. It’s not the banning of abortions; it’s bringing it back to constitutionality and common sense.”
But this is now untrue. Several people can’t get them in their states.
“And again, there are medical concerns… Can you imagine, trying to make the decision where you have a choice to save the mother or the baby? Well, that is a spiritual moment between you and God and your health professional and the husband and the wife or at least the mother and the father.
“So, I am, and my family believes in, abortion should be legal, it should be safe and it should be rare. But don’t send me the bill because I don’t subscribe to murdering this innocent baby who the science has proven that it feels the pain when you kill it in the womb.”
And there lies the issue. Ted thinks abortion should be legal and safe — on his terms. The truth is that abortion should be legal and safe for everyone, for whatever the fuck reason they want to have one. To challenge bodily autonomy is similar to challenging free speech. I don’t like that Ted Nugent gets to spew all his hateful bullshit all the time, but hey, that’s one of the cons of freedom. The same should apply to a woman’s body.
You can watch Ted try to play both sides below. And before you say that if we stopped giving him a platform, Ted would disappear, please read this piece.
