A week before the big Oscar show last weekend, a mini-scandal erupted among conservatives over comments by comedian Chris Rock. Rock, who hosted the Academy Awards show this year, was quoted as saying in one of his routines, “Abortion is beautiful.”

I'd never heard of Chris Rock before this story broke. I read the quote and thought, “What's surprising here? He's a Hollywood type.” Conservative and religious groups demanded that he be yanked as host of the show. Better the show be hosted by a pro-abortion performer who won't raise the issue than a foul-mouthed one who will, I guess.

Later in the week I read a more complete piece about Rock, and his abortion comment. It struck me that Chris Rock had raised an important, uncomfortable and ugly truth about abortion.

Here's what he actually said in his routine: “"Abortion, it's beautiful, it's beautiful abortion is legal. I love going to an abortion rally to pick up women, cause you know they are [expletive, meaning promiscuous]."

What he's saying is abortion is great for guys looking to use women for sex. His point, minus the crude language, is one that our side should be making more forcefully. We have allowed the pro-abortion forces to advance their case using the language of rights. Abortion is good for women, they say. Abortion gives women control of their own bodies and their reproductive timetable. Abortion liberates women.

Hogwash! Why does it take a foul-mouthed guy, a comedian, to point out that abortion is a cruel hoax on women? Make abortion legal, tell women and young girls it's good for them, and it's open season. Why resist pressure to have sex? It's good for you. Women are just like men. Pregnancy? No big deal. Abortion is easy and free and takes care of everything. (It also solves that inconvenient issue of the guy having to support a child for the next 20 years.)

Under the guise of liberating women, feminists advanced abortion and continue to promote it as a right. They ignore the staggering toll on women, let alone the deaths of millions of innocent babies. As detailed in the book, Women's Health After Abortion, women expose themselves to many health risks—both physical and psychological—when they choose to have abortions.

The reality is that abortion is a weapon used by men (and often parents and others) to pressure women, first to be sexually active and then to abort their children. In its wake we have unprecedented rates of STDs, teen pregnancies, single moms and legions of women, now in the millions in North America, who are struggling to cope with depression, guilt, anger and possible health problem as a result of their abortions.

The growth of the Silent No More groups in the U.S. and Canada is a bright light in this ugly, hidden reality. These are wounded women speaking out about their experience of abortion and the pain and harm that abortion has wreaked in their lives. Their witness is a powerful indictment of the pro-abortion message so prevalent in our society.

Even the CBC had great difficulty overcoming the message of these women. Last week, CBC finally ran a documentary filmed last fall on Canada Silent No More, the group founded by former Albertan, Denise Mountenay. The program included brief clips of at least five women talking about the regret and guilt they experienced after their abortions. Of course, ever balanced, the CBC also spoke to “pro-choice” women and groups, including two groups that invite women to celebrate their abortions. Both were a reaction to the threat they see from Silent No More. Their rejoicing rang hollow, however. Patricia Beninato runs a website called I'm not sorry.net for women who have no regrets. She says “anti-choicers” don't like to hear that “abortion isn't a big deal for many of us.” CBC's Susan Ormiston points out that comment offends some people. Beninato replies, “I mean, physically, it's not.” Ormiston then asks, “Emotionally?” There is a pause and then Beninato shrugs and says, (not very convincingly I thought) “Honestly, not really. At least not for me.”

I know I'm biased but despite the CBC's clear skepticism about Silent No More, I thought the show was terrific. I don't think the comments of abortion promoters or shots of the screaming pro-abortion protesters at the Winnipeg pro-life conference where Silent No More held a press conference, were nearly as convincing as the voices of women who have had abortions and now regret them. I am certain their words must have resonated with post-abortive women across Canada. For many, it will have been like hearing someone read their minds and hearts. Women they'd never seen or heard of were telling their story.

The truth of abortion—that it is harmful and devastating for women—is finally starting to be heard. It's not that pro-life people haven't been saying it. We have, but our claims have been easy for the media and abortion advocates to ignore. It's a different story when women who have been there, who have had abortions (and many have had several), say the same thing with passion, conviction and tears.

Not only that, when a popular comedian and actor, incorporates it into his act, the truth is being proclaimed to an entirely new audience. We might hate the language and be horrified that someone can joke about abortion. But let's not underestimate the power of satire.

Chris Rock makes mincemeat of the high-minded claims of pro-abortionists and cuts to the heart of the issue: abortion devalues all of humanity. It kills babies, devastates women and panders to the basest instincts of men.