The national debate on reproductive rights has seen a surge in larger socio-political commentary in the wake of Roe v Wade being overturned, and hypocritical acts and viewpoints have been highlighted by proponents of the right to choose as a result.
A now viral TikTok uploaded by user Lexi (@lexi.99) denotes this hypocrisy, featuring a video of a young Mormon student who was offered $500 to prank call his mom and tell her that he got a stripper pregnant.
@lexi.99 She hung up real fast when she realized she was being exposed🥴 Youtube Video: thatwasepic “Mormon boy tells mom he got a stripper pregnant” #roevwade #prochoice #abortionisessentialhealthcare #fyp #byu ♬ original sound – Lexi
Lexi’s video, which received over 1.9 million views, begins with a text overlay that reads, “Remember that rich, white conservatives will ALWAYS have access to safe abortions, and have no problem utilizing this privilege when it impacts them.”
In the clip, which was originally lifted from the @thatwasepic YouTube channel, someone can be seen approaching a student on the Brigham Young University campus, which has a purportedly 98% Mormon student population.
When the YouTuber proposes the idea, the young man first debates whether or not he should make the phone call saying that his mother is probably going to freak out. He ultimately decides to go through with it because “for $500 I think she’d forgive me.” He then makes the phone call and his mom answers.
“Hey mom can we talk?” The student asks.
“Yeah what’s going on?” she asks.
“I…got a stripper pregnant,” the student says. “This girl. I don’t know how it happened.”
“What’re you…are you freaking kidding me?” his mom replies.
She goes on to state her incredulity and shock at the faux-admission. The young man goes on to ask her what he should do. After asking how she would know she’s pregnant, his mom says, “OK well tell her to go get an abortion.”
“For real?” the student says, and his mom responds with, “Yeah. Yeah.”
He finally admits that it was a prank call, and he tells his mom that he was getting paid for it. His mother then hangs up on him, and the video cuts out.
BYU is located in Provo, Utah. According to the New York Times, “Utah has outlawed abortion, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the woman, becoming one of eight states to have an abortion ban take effect on Friday after the court rescinded the constitutional right to an abortion.”
Tons of commenters pointed to the hypocrisy of the mother’s response to her son, with folks saying that the woman thought it was totally fine for her to “protect” his future when it came to getting an abortion, despite the fact that Mormonism expressly forbids abortions.
“Only when it’s their sons….not their daughters,” one TikToker said in response to the viral prank call.
“Ironic that it’s totally okay if was to protect her son…” another wrote.
“The fact that the mom was so quick to make a decision for another woman’s body,” a third noted.
“Yup. you’d be shocked to know how many members have had one or faced w the decision would choose one,” a fourth claimed.
NPR reported in 2019 that while many Americans want abortion to be legal, the majority believe in “restrictions” on the procedure.
When it comes to Utah and abortion, several shocking stories have come to light as part of a national conversation on women’s reproductive rights. Utah Rep. Karianne Lisonbee came under fire recently for stating that women can control the intake of semen during sexual intercourse.
“I do trust women enough to control when they allow a man to ejaculate inside of them and to control that intake of semen,” the congresswoman said. She later added that in cases of rape and if a woman’s health is endangered, Utah will allow women to terminate pregnancies. “Women do not have a choice when they are raped and have protections under Utah’s trigger law. My first statement in the press conference made clear the actions I have taken to pass bills that provide legal protection and recourse to victims of sexual assault.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @lexi.99 and the @thatwasepic Instagram account for further comment.
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