Let me start by saying I don’t want to get political, OK? I don’t want to start any fights or flame wars. I just need to get something off my chest that has been eating away at me since the spring of 2001. And that is why, at the risk of alienating some readers, I am publicly supporting the abortion of Sum 41 that his mom’s doctor first advised.
In their breakthrough hit “Fat Lip,” Sum 41 tells us about what makes him tick. Heavy metal, partying, crude humor: pretty standard rock ‘n’ roll stuff. But tucked away at the end of the third verse is the brutal revelation that Sum 41’s mom’s doctor straight up said to get an abortion. Obviously she didn’t, but goddamn. Can you imagine what that must have been like to hear? I don’t want to get political, but that’s kinda fucked up and, also, I agree with that doctor.
It might not always feel like it, but the world has changed immensely in the last 16 years. If Mrs. 41 had gotten pregnant today it would be an entirely different story. Sadly, time was not on her side, and the societal pressure to carry an adorable pop-punk act to term in the TRL era was insurmountable. I’m not trying to push my beliefs on anyone here but in the case of Sum 41, I am pro-choice.
Related: We’ve Already Written Obituaries for the Members of Sum 41
Come to think of it, how did that doctor know? I get that Canada’s healthcare system is pretty sweet, but that doctor’s foresight is nothing short of incredible. Do ALL Canadian doctors have this ability? Or just that one? No wonder he was immortalized in song, albeit one that really buried the lead, lyrically speaking.
At the very least we can learn from Mrs. 41’s mistake. We should listen to the recommendations of healthcare professionals, not the terrible musicians they deliver.