After the election, Fox talkers impugned minorities as "takers" whose votes for the president were all about free stuff. But while Fox has little concern for post-born minorities, they are concerned for their fetuses as shown in their coverage of the Gosnell case during which they actually expressed some sympathy for poor, minority women who accessed his clinic. That Fox cares about minority women (ahem) was shown on last night's The Five, which, as the hosts admit, is on the side of those who want to roll back abortion rights. In addition to the usual anti-choice agitprop about how Gosnell's practice is typical, they also advanced the anti-choice meme that abortion hurts black women and that we should "rethink" abortion. (In other words, ban it). And Fox thinks that the radical left is dangerous? Really?
Bob Beckel asked if the Gosnell trial "has legs." Dana Perino, not exactly a social justice advocate, reacted to earlier video in which an African-American anti-choice leader spoke of how Dr. Gosnell preyed on black women and that he was allowed to do this because nobody cares about poor black children. Gardner, during the press conference held by black anti-choice pastors, also criticized the media for ignoring the Gosnell (favorite Fox meme) and praised Fox News and Kirsten Powers for publicizing the case. So not surprisingly Perino praised her as "a very effective spokesperson for her cause."
While Gardner is an eloquent speaker, she is part of a group of anti-choice African-American anti-choice zealots who make the absurd and unfounded claim that Planned Parenthood is racist because they deliberately target racial minorities and, as such, are complicit in genocide. The reality is that minority women do terminate their pregnancies at a higher rate than whites - but not because they are targeted, an inference which suggests that they are stupid and gullible, but because they are poor and an unplanned pregnancy, brought to term, is an obstacle to getting out of poverty - a reality that doesn't get much traction in any Fox abortion discussion.
Perino said that Gardner's words help "us" think about abortion more. She spoke of how "every life is precious" and that this trial has made her "rethink some things and whether or not there should be a willingness to speak out more about it." She admitted to being "pro-life." When Bob Beckel mentioned the percentage of aborted minority children, Greg Gutfeld, who hasn't seemed concerned about real hate crimes towards minorities and gays, said that what Gosnell did is "a hate crime." In referencing how birth control champion Margaret Sanger thought that "this was part of the deal," he articulated standard anti-choice talking points about Sanger who worked closely with W.E.B. DuBois W.E.B. DuBois and Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of the National Council of Negro Women when she set up family planning services in Harlem.
Andrea Tantaros, who doesn't have to face a gauntlet of screaming crazies when she accesses her gynecological care, claimed that the Gosnell case is an argument against those who are "pro-abortion" (An anti-choice nomenclature for those who support "choice") "who continue to argue for and for abortion." (Actually, Andrea, the argument is for choice) She took a page straight from the anti-choice playbook with her comment that Gosnell was convicted of murdering a baby outside of the mother, "but what about a baby inside of the womb." (Technically, Andrea, that's a fetus which, under Roe, does not have personhood rights). Despite the fact that Roe is settled law, she opined that "that question needs to be answered." She speculated that "this gives the pro-life movement some fuel." Word to Andrea - the Gosnell case has galvanized the pro-choice community as it illustrates what went before Roe and what will happen if it goes down.
Nice to know that the pro-lifers on The Five are so concerned about minority babies. So here's my idea. Dana, Greg, and Andrea are childless; so, if they want to really practice what they preach, how bout they adopt a minority baby. Bolling only has one child so he could put his money where his mouth is, too. That way, those babies wouldn't grow up to be evil "takers" who vote Democratic. Everybody's happy. Ya think!
Oh, and Andrea - If you don't like abortion, don't have one! And meanwhile, those who are "pro-abortion" will fight for your right to do so, if you choose. Oh, right, good conservative Christian women would never do that - then again.....
I disagree with the part where somehow Fox News is thought to have a record of “reporting facts, as well as conflicting beliefs and opinions from both different sides.” That’s simply not what Fox News does, and that’s never been its mission. Fox News was created to promote a right wing belief system. This is done, as has been proven on this site countless times, by carefully cherry picking which facts are presented in a case so that they appear to reinforce a right wing opinion. In many cases, outright opinion is stated as fact. This happens both on the “straight news” shows where questions are framed from an ideological perspective and more openly on the pundit shows where the guys really let it fly.
Fox News is also careful not to bring in a left wing perspective if they can help it. Aside from an occasional visit by Tavis Smiley, their “opposing” commentators are moderate liberals who are usually willing to echo the right wing talking points or accept them as worthy of discussion. Occasionally, one of them, like Kirsten Powers, will finally get fed up and raise her voice a little. But usually you just get someone very genial, like Alan Colmes in his notorious situation on Hannity’s show. Or you get Dennis Kucinich, a liberal Dem who swung a little to the left to try to get the Nader Dems back in the fold in 2004 and now is shilling whatever line Fox News hands him. Or you get Juan Williams, who normally begins a response to a completely ridiculous Hannity screed with “Yeah, Sean, I agree with you. But let me add this too…” At which point Williams has conceded the argument. I would love to see a situation where Fox News actually did include left wingers to counter the untruths. I would love to see Amy Goodman explain issues to Bill O’Reilly. I would love to see Dean Baker correct Stuart Varney on economics. I would love to see Doug Henwood debate Lou Dobbs on the air. But we’re never going to get that on Fox News.
The more pragmatic on the hard right know that they will never be able to repeal Roe v Wade. If they ever succeeded in doing so, they’d kill the GOP as an effective political group for decades, given how big that backlash would be. So they just continue to chip away at it, and they try to use things like the Gosnell case to rile up their most ardent followers.
The reality of the Gosnell case is about what happens when poor women either have no options for reproductive choice, or don’t know what those options are. It’s a case about a man who was preying on poor and non-white women, pure and simple. That’s what came out in 2011, when the story really was news and when everyone but Fox News covered it as news. The right wing should be ashamed of itself for trying in 2013 to rewrite the narrative of this case, and “The Five” should be ashamed of trying to misrepresent Gosnell as a typical abortion provider. And Fox News should be further ashamed of their continued association with Lila Rose and her brand of “gotcha” ambushes. Rose can bloviate all she wants about abortion, but it’s deeply offensive for her to be touting videos in which she sends people to clinics to deliberately lie so that she can hopefully get someone saying the wrong soundbite here or there.
