I Salute Kenan Thompson for Talking About the Comstock Act at the DNC

The comedian called out a specific horrible policy from Project 2025, which, if implemented by a GOP president, could lead to abortion being banned nationwide.

By Susan Rinkunas  |  August 22, 2024 | 1:26am
Photo: Getty Images AbortionPolitics Democratic National Convention
I Salute Kenan Thompson for Talking About the Comstock Act at the DNC

CHICAGO — Taraji P. Henson did the country a gigantic solid when, during the BET Awards in June, she told viewers about Project 2025, the far-right playbook for a second Donald Trump administration. It went viral.

So it’s my hope that, after Wednesday night, even more people will be talking about a specific law cited in Project 2025 that got a high-profile callout at the Democratic National Convention: The Comstock Act of 1873, a zombie law that conservatives falsely claim can be enforced today to ban the mailing of abortion medications—and potentially any supplies used for abortion procedures.

On Wednesday night, comedian Kenan Thompson spoke at the DNC and brought a hard copy of the Project 2025 playbook on stage, letting it drop with a thud on the lectern. He invited people across the country to join him via video conference to talk about how the blueprint would affect their lives, including a teacher, a woman in a same-sex marriage, and someone with diabetes who uses insulin.

But it was Thompson’s quick chat with an OB/GYN that made my Comstock-tracking heart soar. “Page 459 of Project 2025 references a law from the 1800s called The Comstock Act to ban abortion nationwide and throw healthcare providers in jail,” Thompson said. The audience rightly booed.

Here’s a clip of the moment:

Now, Trump can try to disavow Project 2025 and Comstock all he wants, but the truth is that we know he’ll say literally anything to get elected—and thereby, to stay out of jail.

Thank you for your service, Kenan.

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