  Hawking's area theorem is a fundamental result in black hole theory that is
universally associated with the null energy condition. That this condition can
be weakened is illustrated by the formulation of a strengthened version of the
theorem based on an energy condition that allows for violations of the null
energy condition. With the semi-classical context in mind, some brief remarks
pertaining to the suitability of the area theorem and its energy condition are
made.
