this is "nightline." tonight, finding common ground. going beyond the partisan debate over abortion to focus on the lives at stake. >> we're not really listening to women that are faced with this decision. >> searching for solutions. >> it's about putting our lives on the line in a way that lets people know that our lives matter. >> and refusing the labels. >> do you find on that spectrum that you can be pro-life without being pro-life enough? >> absolutely. that's where i sit. plus -- >> am i canceled or not? >> dave chappelle re-igniting controversy. >> gays will get mad at me.

lesbians will get mad at me. i'll tell you right now, it's true. these transgenders, these [ bleep ] want me dead. >> brilliant comic or someone who has gone too far. >> we also know words can be harmful. words can incite violence. >> "nightline" will be right back. i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger. where does the stress go when you're driving a lincoln? does it get tangled up in knots? you might have your own theory. but maybe it's better to just let it go.

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thanks for joining us. hily crged fight over ost in abortion, the individuals and the barriers that so often limit their ch as the supreme court prepares to hear arguments next week on the highly restrictive texas law, abc's janai norman met some women who are putting aside politics and trying to help. >> this community where you decided to bring abide, why here? >> why not here? the entire southern sector of dallas, which is predominantly black and latina community, the disparities are high. heart disease, cancer, preterm birth, teen pregnancy. >> here in south dallas, cecily smith sees inequality all around here. so when it came time to open her easy access clinic, abide women's health services, she wanted it to be here. >> our little part of creating a

better world and creating a better environment for the families is abide. so this is the waiting room/education space. >> her priorities life and what sees as its many forms. >> your stance on abortion isn't cut and dry. >> it's not. i sit in the gray. at first it was a very lonely place to be. it's an area where you have to do a lot of work. it's an area that you have to hold space for people that think differently than you. >> the growing fallout from that texas law banning most abortions. >> the law makes abortions illegal after six weeks of pregnancy. >> one of the most direct challenges to roe v. wade. >> the conversation around abortion is often divisive, seen by both sides as right versus wrong. >> hands off our bodies! >> now with all eyes on texas after a controversial bill, which limits abortions as early as six weeks and supreme court days away from hearing arguments, cecily is part of a wave of people approaching the

dialogue in a different way, not seeing the issue as black or white but living in what they call the gray. >> this is a bigger fight than just marching in the streets. >> more focused on the reasons. >> we're not really listening to women that are faced with this decision. >> and the resources. >> the church should be one of the first place she runs to for healing and for hope. >> than just the out hot button issue itself. >> where do you stand on abortion? >> i wish that abortion wasn't a thing. i wish that women were not placed in a position where they felt that they needed to have an abortion. >> you say that the issue of abortion has been politicized. what's the opposite of that? >> the opposite of that is creating a culture of life. the health care system, the food insecurities, the lack of employment, housing inequities, there are so many systems that lead to death. and so when i think about

abortion, i do believe it's an important topic, but it's not the only topic. it's not addressing the whole of humanity. >> cecily spent years as part of the anti-abortion rights movement. do you find on that spectrum that you can be pro-life without being pro-life enough? or you can be pro anti-abortion rights without being pro anti-abortion rights enough? >> absolutely. that's where i sit. the moment i began to speak more about the racial disparities in maternal health care, the racism is the moment that things changed for me within the movement. i walk hand in hand with people that are pro-choice, people that are pro-life. i want women, i want families, i want birthing people to be liberated. and i don't believe liberation comes from abortion. i believe true liberation comes from addressing all of the other factors that contribute to the statistics that we see. >> statistics that here are

particularly stark. the life expectancy in this part of dallas is 23 years less than just ninees have both the highest abortion rates and highest rates of maternal mortality. they're three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than white women. for cecily, those are numbers and systemic drivers that can't be ignored in the discussion arond what it means to choose life. >> the goal of abide is to support life from the womb to the tomb. what does that mean to you? >> from the moment a woman or a birthing person becomes pregnant and they come through our doors or even before, we are supporting them. we're creating a space where families will come long after they have children because they know it's a safe place. >> walking in, everybody was really welcoming. and it felt like home. >> for michaela henderson, who became pregnant with her

daughter kai at 17, abide quickly became a place to ask questions and quell fears. what was it like for you when you first found out you were pregnant? >> it was a rush of emotions. >> sadness, fear. i never thought i would be pregnant at 17. >> did you ever consider having an abortion? >> at one point, yes, i did. >> what even made you consider that option? >> if i can't really take care of myself in all the ways i need to, take kir of a child? finally i started working. i want to go to nursing school. so that's what i'm going to do. >> michaela decided to have her child, and by her side throughout is her mom. she knows full well the challenges of being a young mother. >> i think i was able or tried to convey to michaela that this is your choice. i think because i lived it, it was different. and so i was able to remember what it felt like being 17 and watch her at 18 and saying okay, we're going to fight in this thing together. come on. we got a little girl to take care of.

let's go. >> while the decision to have an abortion wasn't right for michaela, she is quick to note she is pro-abortion rights. what do you think could be the lingering impacts of this law? >> i think other states are going to try to follow in texas' footsteps, but at this point, i don't think they should. a lot of women feel like their choices are being taken away from them. >> abortion rights. abortion rights! >> across the country at the women's march in washington, d.c. -- >> you all can come around. >> that impact is something monica simpson is keenly aware of. >> this is the most dire attack on our lives right now in terms of abortion access in this country. >> monica runs the atlanta-based group sister song, which is focused on what they call reproductive justice and front line in efforts to fight restrictive legislation like georgia's own heartbeat bill. >> we're looking at the human

right for an individal to prevent or end pregnancies without shame and with dignity. >> and for monica, it's a conversation not only about legal right, but access and support. >> it's not just thinking about will i have a baby or not. it's thinking about will i have enough money to take care of this child when this child gets here? it's about will i be able to have access to the health care that i need to be able to make sure that i'm healthy as well as my children are healthy. it's thinking about all of those things. >> back in texas, amy ford is focused on faith as a resource for those confronting unexpected pregnancy. >> i had an unplanned pregnancy when i was 19 and almost had an abortion. and i didn't feel like i had anyone to go to for support. one big thing is i went to church my entire life, every single week, and why did i not in that moment think you know what? i'm scared. i don't know what to do. maybe i should go to church and ask for prayer, wisdom, guidance. but it was the last place i wanted to go to.

>> amy founded embrace grace, which helps connect those with unplanned pregnancies with churches and find resources through more than 700 support groups around the country. >> god has amazing, huge plans for you. >> we want the church to be one of the first places a girl runs to instead of the last because of shame and guilt. that's true feminism. dreams too.e your baby and your- you don't have to sacrifice your baby in order to achieve your dreams. and we can make sure that you don't have to walk through this alone. >> how do we get more people into the gray area, to come out of their corners and to find some way to meet in the middle when it come to abortion rights? >> just finding the commonality. what all can we agree on? one thing i feel like for the most part we can agree on is no one wants an abortion. you don't want an abortion, but you feel like you don't have a choice. what we can agree on is help we can help her make an educated choice? >> i think we can make a space where we can all sit at the table together. >> the gray area is where you can hold strong to your

convictions. you can. but then you find a common gold that can end up benefitting everyone. the gray area is where the real work is. as long as we operate in extremes, we will continue to fight. >> our thanks to janai. up next, comedian dave chappelle. some argue he has gone too far. [♪] cooking and eating at home more often means food odors get trapped in your home's fabrics and released back into the air so you smell last night's dinner the next morning. for an easy way to keep your whole home smelling fresh try febreze fabric refresher. febreze's water-based formula deeply penetrates fabrics to eliminate trapped food odors as it dries. spray febreze fabric refresher when you clean up after meals to ensure your entire home smells fresh and clean. try febreze fabric refresher. brand power. helping you buy better. is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk,

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singh. >> am i canceled or not? >> three weeks later, dave chappelle is still under fire. >> the fallout from dave chappelle's latest special on netflix. >> reporter: the 48-year-old refusing to stand down to "the closer" that premiered earlier this month. >> a lot of people in the trans community were furious with me. and apparently they dragged me on twitter. i don't give a [ bleep ] about twitter, because twitter isn't a real place. >> many saying it crossed the line, trans phobic and dangerous. >> i'm telling you right now, it's true. these transgenders. these [ bleep ] want me dead. >> i felt heartbroken, because i grew up a dave chappelle fan. >> trans lives matter! >> the show even prompting a walkout among employees and demonstrators at netflix. >> they feel as though there

were places creating conditions that are not con duce i have to the respect for their humanity. >> yet the specials focus on an extremely marginalized portion of that community has many asking why. >> i am not saying that to say that trans women aren't women. i am just saying that those [ bleep ] they got. you know what i mean? >> i think that dave is brilliant. i think that he is not doing his best work. i think there is a genius way to talk about what he is talking about, and he is not doing that. >> meanwhile, others are using his performance as an opportunity to point out the hypocrisy in today's cancel culture and defending his ability to speak his mind. >> i can't even believe that we're still talking about this three weeks later, honestly. >> now the comedian igniting a cultural debate over freedom of ex-expression and the struggle

disempowered communities face. >> not afraid to say something super unpopular. but there is so much more to his comedy than that when it's good. you know, he is always got an idea of who the aggressor is in the power dynamics in the country. >> in a recent video posted to instagram, chappelle said that his fight is not with the lgbtq community. >> this has nothing to do with them. it's about corporate interests and what i can say and what i cannot say. >> for chappelle, he says his comedy is merely social commentary. trans activists diamond styles has seen every chappelle comedy special. while she is used to the offcolor jokes, that doesn't make them any less hurtful. >> he is a comedian, and i understand it's his job to be funny. and sometimes we all are going to be at the end of the negative side of somebody's jokes. but as we all know, jokes and opinions can be offensive. we have seen an uptick in the

death of black trans women. these things that we think oh, it's just a culture. it's just jokes, they actually lead to people actually harming and disrespecting us in public in our real lives. >> it's not the comedian's first brush with controversy. chappelle has long spent his career pushing boundaries, from his early days on comedy central playing a blind kkk member on the chappelle show. >> we better get out of here before something bad happens. >> that's right. that's right! [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> and comedy itself has a long history of courting controversy, from pritchard pryor. >> i just want to say this. look, i like drugs. i do. >> to george carlin. >> some of these words, they're only 50% dirty. you have words like ass. ass is hardly even a dirty word anymore. but it has a few meanings that you can't say on television. >> but this recent years many comedians have owned up to jokes that may have offended. >> you had eddie murphy in the '80s. you can't play any of that stuff

on television anymore, probably rightly so. murphy famously has apologized for a lot of the more prickly comedy. so it's really funny that dave chappelle thinks there is not this evolving relationship between the comic and the audience and the material, and that year just always supposed to be able to say what whatever you like. >> two sisters in the bathroom, girl, you see the man in the blue dress? i say yeah, i'm in here. >> trans comedian filemon row is also featured on netflix. she says the art of comedy brazen and unabashed is what's at stake. what do you think about the state of comedy today? >> i think a lot of comedians have been leerily, and i think social media did not help. because if one person says oh, she said one thing to offend me out of an audience of a thousand, and that one person puts that up and gets sick hundred likes, it's just out of control with social media. >> she says that jokes are meant to tell the truth. and that's just what dave did. >> in our country, you can shoot and kill [ bleep ], but you

better not hurt a gay person's feelings. and this is precisely the disparity that i wish to discuss. >> what are some jokes dave makes that you know that is the line for you? >> there is no line. if i give dave a line, i have a line. i don't have a line. i'm just looking ate from the whole picture. i have three dogs and i am black, i am transgender, and i am a comedian. >> in his latest video, dave agreed to meet with the trans community, but only on his terms. >> you will not summon me. >> but at the end of the day, however you feel, everyone seems to agree that this issue is just a distraction. >> these are the issues of the day, and we're going to continue to talk about them as long as they are salacious, as long as they're provocative, as long as it's something for us to talk about, we're going to continue to do it. >> his stuff is still up on netflix. he made who even knows how much money after it. he is playing arenas where is

the consequence? >> there is no clear winner or loser here, but chappelle's blind spots might be forcing a different conversation, one that requires more listening than talking. >> our thanks to ashen. up next, big tech and the call to protect young people on popular social media platforms. >> abc news "nightline" sponsored by lincoln. when you're driving a lincoln, stress seems to evaporate into thin air. which leaves us to wonder, where does it go? does it get tangled up in knots? or fall victim to gravity? or maybe it winds up somewhere over the bermuda triangle. perhaps you'll come up with your own theory of where the stress goes. behind the wheel of a lincoln is a mighty fine place to start.

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it seems congress can't agree on much these days, but both parties seem ready to hold big tech accountable. senators today grilling executives from youtube, tiktok, and snapchat on the safety of children on their platforms. >> i had my staff create a snapchat account for a 15-year-old child. when they opened the discover page on snapchat with its default segments, they were immediately bombarded with content that i can most politely describe as wildly inappropriate for a child.

including recommendations for, among other things, an invite to play an online sexualized video game. >> content and community guidelines suggest that any online sexual video games should be age gated to 18 and above. but these community guidelines and publisher guidelines that are on top of those guidelines are intended to be an age appropriate experience. >> committee chair richard blumenthal saying this is a moment of reckoning. and that's "nightline." you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.