“…I would tell that girl to get an ABORTION.”

This is a cringe-worthy statement with which even pro-choicers take issue. In fact, this sentence portrays the exact opposite of “choice”. This remark is dripping with pressure and demand and dare I say it: someone telling a woman what to do with her body.

And not just any “someone”. A man. Who will never experience a pregnancy himself. What happened to the rhetoric of Rachel Green’s infamous “no uterus, no opinion”?

Internet blogger Perez Hilton released a video on September 22, 2017 entitled “KYLIE JENNER IS PREGNANT!! My Reaction!” in response to the latest Kardashian hot topic: an (alleged) unexpected pregnancy between 20-year-old Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend, rapper Travis Scott. His video has since received over 134,000 views on YouTube.

First of all, why do we care what some random Internet blogger has to say about a celebrity? While yes, most Hollywood gossip is an utter waste of cell phone data, some things are worth addressing. And when someone attacks not only the most vulnerable among us, but also her mother (yes, Kylie is expecting a baby girl in five months!), that is an attack on all of us. It is up to the #prolifegeneration to stand up and defend both baby AND mother.

So, let’s get to it.

Perez Hilton begins by screaming into the camera, “I love life… I love babies… If I were Kris Jenner [Kylie’s mom] I would tell that girl to get an ABORTION” (I’m sensing a bit of cognitive dissonance here). He has since released several other videos trying (and not succeeding) to retrace his steps in an attempt sound less inhuman. He now claims that he should have said, “If that were my daughter, I would tell her to get an abortion.” However, I’m not seeing much of a difference between these two statements. Either way, it is someone pressuring someone else to take a life.

Over the span of three videos, Hilton spends his time shaming Kylie for who she is and the way she lives. He spouts the classic arguments of “she’s too young” and “she’s too incapable”. He essentially tries to hit every argument on why she should not have a baby. He says Kylie is not ready to be a mother (newsflash, Perez! No one is ever really ready to be a parent). How can this possibly be masked as “women’s empowerment”? Tearing down a woman and telling her she is not strong enough to be both a mother and a businesswoman is empowering? I don’t think so.

He accuses Kylie of only keeping the baby because of publicity reasons, not because, oh I don’t know, it’s a human being. He goes on to say, “I personally don’t know Kylie Jenner, but given the information I have about who she is, I just don’t think she’s going to be a great mom.” These are the exact forces that drive women to the nearest abortion clinic. Any woman facing an unexpected pregnancy needs to be met with love and encouragement. She needs to be assured that she can have her baby AND continue her education/career, and that she will be surrounded by a support system the entire time.

In his initial video, Hilton expresses his remorse for the pre-born life: “The human aspect of it, my heart just goes out to that poor, unborn child…” So he agrees that it is indeed a human life. But he’s okay with killing it. I’m confused. Anyone else?

In the following video, he laments over the fact that the child may grow up in a less-than-ideal home situation. He predicts that Kylie’s baby will surely be raised by nannies, and that there is a 0% chance that Kylie and her boyfriend Travis Scott will stay together. First of all, there are plenty of couples that stay together after the birth of their child; second of all, since when does the end of a relationship justify the taking of a life?

Hilton essentially suggests that because the child won’t have a “normal” life, it is not worth living, and it would have been better had it been aborted five months ago. If the life of a child born into billions of dollars is not worthy, what about the rest of us not living in Californian mansions? What about those children born into families living in poverty, families struggling with drug addiction, single parents that work 14 hour days? Since when do circumstances judge someone’s worth as a human being?

Not only does Hilton attack Kylie and her pre-born baby – he also berates her mother, Kris Jenner. He spews that Kris must have “checked out” because she probably didn’t even suggest an abortion to Kylie. Wait, so now it’s a crime that a mother didn’t force her daughter to kill her own daughter? I think I missed something.

Hilton claims that of course he respects a woman’s right to choose (even though he literally just said that if it had been his daughter, he would not have respected her right to choose). In regards to his own opinions on the matter he elaborates, “This is where being pro-choice really comes in handy. I just don’t understand the thinking [of not having an abortion]!” Last I checked, the definition of “choice” was “the act of choosing; the power of choosing; a number and variety to choose among”. I don’t remember seeing the word “coercion” anywhere in the list of definitions. Perez Hilton, you are not pro-choice.

Pro-lifers and pro-choicers alike should be distraught at this video. Those facing unexpected pregnancies need love and support, not condemnation and discouragement. No woman should ever feel pressured by her boyfriend, family, friends, school, job, society, or the media to take the life of her pre-born child. It’s time to shift our focus from how we perceive the woman facing the unplanned pregnancy to how the unplanned pregnancy is perceived by the world. Let’s be here to help, not to hinder.

Together we can.

And Kylie Jenner, we are so proud of you for choosing life. We know you will be a fantastic mother, and we cannot wait to see your beautiful little girl in February. The #prolifegen is here to love and support you.