As the mouthpiece for the anti-choice movement, "fair & balanced" Fox News has no problem advancing the lies and propaganda of those who seek to abolish reproductive rights for American women. Their coverage of the HHS birth control mandate was taken straight from the anti-choice playbook which claimed that the policy violated religious liberty and provided coverage for abortion inducing drugs - lies promoted on the official Fox "news" show, "America Live." Megyn Kelly no longer hosts the show; but that doesn't mean that the anti-choice lies and propaganda have stopped. Last week, Jamie Colby advanced the anti-choice outrage over how the Obama administration has chosen Planned Parenthood, among a number of other organizations including Catholic health agencies, to receive "Navigator Funds" to assist consumers navigate their insurance options. In so doing, she lied about a presidential Executive Order and advanced the lie that the Navigator funding secretly funds abortions. So not only was she able to smear Obama by portraying him as untrustworthy; but she was able to work in the popular Fox evil-Planned-Parenthood-does-abortions meme. Fair & balanced agitprop twofer!
Friday, Colby began the propaganda immediately with her commentary about how some OMG Planned Parenthood clinics have received money to assist members to sign up for the new health care coverage. She reported that "critics immediately pointed out that the president pledged to never spend a single federal dollar on clinics that perform abortions." (Critics being the anti-choice movement)
After adding that Obama's "promise" secured votes for health care reform, she played video of former Rep. Bob Stupak being grilled by Megyn Kelly about how Pres. Obama could renege on his Executive Order which banned the government from using federal funds on abortion through plans offered through insurance exchanges. As she spoke, the chyron reinforced the propaganda with a Fox fact: "Obama Promise Goes Belly Up, Planned Parenthood Getting Healthcare Money." So Colby either didn't do her research or is deliberately lying because the promise, i.e. the Executive Order, requires "that the reform bill will follow the principles of the Hyde amendment, the longstanding rule that prohibits federal funding of abortions, and calls for an enforcement mechanism to make sure of that." There is NO mention of clinics. As explained by Politifact, no federal dollars go to abortion under the new health care law. Insurance companies, that offer abortion coverage in the exchanges, must maintain a separate account for abortion policies which cannot be funded through federal dollars.
Colby told right wing radio host Mike Gallagher that "critics are saying wait a minute before you got the vote you said no federal funding to any clinics or health care facilities that provide abortion..." Once again, the Stupak Amendment and subsequent Executive Order involve insurance insurance policies through the exchanges and NOT clinics. Planned Parenthood already gets federal funding which is NOT used for abortion. She asked if the "critics" were "overreacting." Gallagher brayed about how "egregious" this is and accused Obama of breaking his promise if any taxpayer money goes to Planned Parenthood which is "one of the largest abortion providers on the planet."
Zerlina Maxwell, from Ebony, presented the accurate side of the issue and defended Planned Parenthood. She explained that this money is not going for abortions. Colby wanted to know why there wasn't a "specific provision" that the Navigator funds won't go for abortion to reassure Americans. Maxwell cited the Hyde Amendment which prohibits federal money from being spent on abortions. Gallagher stressed the administration's "disdain for the rule of law." Colby "joked" about following-up on this because "we won't be in the room to see where that money goes."
So, uh, if a "news" show is supposed to be "fair & balanced," shouldn't the host refrain from pushing misinformation in order to advance agenda driven propaganda? Meet the new blonde, same as the old blonde!
Furthermore, NONE of you lying sacks of sh*t are willing to help the children who ARE born to women who don’t have abortions but are in the same economic boat. You want to cut welfare and food stamps and the WIC program and blame all that spending on women have “too many children” (primarily because they can’t get the necessary birth control because of you lying sacks of sh*t and your attacks on Planned Parenthood).
And since you don’t know who Jamie Colby is, it just proves your tunnel blindness in pursuing the extremist right-wing anti-choice agenda. Go back to whatever right-wing master paying for your trolling and pick up your dollar and your voucher for a small cup of coffee at MickeyD’s.