In attempting to role back women's reproductive rights, the anti-choice movement is seeking to ban all late term abortions except if the woman is on death's door in which case it might be too late to save her (See "Savita"). Late term abortions, done for the sake of women's health, are seen as convenient excuses for irresponsible harlots to avoid their god given role as mothers. According to anti-choice crusader Bill O'Reilly, health exceptions allow women to get a late term abortion if they have a sprained thumb. During his relentless attack on the murdered Dr. Tiller, O'Reilly claimed Tiller performed illegal late term abortions on silly, selfish women who, in tandem with Tiller, misused the health exception. Tuesday, in a brilliant piece of anti-choice agitprop, Megyn Kelly continued O'Reilly's narrative in suggesting that Tiller was acting illegally (he wasn't) and that women who need late term abortions, for their health, are a bunch of silly, selfish, and manipulative baby killers.
On Tuesday, Senate Democrats introduced pro-choice legislation which was subsequently defeated. Kelly reported that the bill was criticized by those who feared that it would eliminate state abortion laws including those which ban late term abortion. She played video of anti-choice legislator Marsha Blackburn holding up an ultrasound photo of her grandchild who was sporting a Romney/Ryan sign. OK, just kidding about the Romney sign but Kelly did play Blackburn's dramatic presentation about "life" - which, for Republicans, loses it value if the post-born child happens to be in the "taker" class.
After this emotional introduction, Kelly cut to the Fox message which was all about the evils of late term abortion. She told her guest, former NOW president Patricia Ireland, that critics of the proposed legislation would allow late term abortions not just to save the mother's life but to save the mother's health. (Kelly did air quotes around "health.) As Kelly scowled, Ireland explained that the law would override laws that impinge on women's health and safety.
Kelly then brought home the anti-choice, anti-Tiller propaganda bacon: "The controversy there is that some women abused that when it was allowed and would get a doctor to say, yes, her health requires a late term abortion. And then this happened in the case of Dr. Tiller, who wound up murdered, that he was providing late term abortions based on health concerns, when you had a viable fetus, a baby, growing in the third trimester. And no one really wants to return to those days, Patricia, do they?"
As Ms. Ireland tried to direct the conversation to the issue of contraception access, Kelly kept the focus on late term abortion. In trying to paint Ireland as a heartless baby killer, Kelly asked if she "wanted late term abortion to protect the mother's health." Kelly asked what the health exception would be and cited how, in Kansas, two doctors were needed to "justify the abortion of the viable fetus, a baby that's in there perfectly healthy, btw, perfectly health baby, could have been eight months along, yawning, kicking its feet, sucking its thumb, could be aborted because the mother got Dr. Tiller and somebody else...to say she needed it."
When Ireland said that politicians have no place in deciding what's best for women's health, Kelly asked if "the baby has a place in there." Kelly's lips were pursed as Ireland tried to explain how devastating it is when women's access to reproductive health is eliminated. She used, as an example, how the state of Mississippi is trying to close the only abortion clinic in the state. Kelly asked "what about the baby" and whether the "baby has any consideration." When Ireland asked "what about the woman," Kelly said "right, the woman has a lot of protections" (Uh, not in a huge swath of the bible belt!)
Kelly continued her anti-choice lecture: "You can't tell me a nine month baby, pregnant, nine months in utero baby has no rights and the mother can go in there and say my health could be jeopardized emotionally, I mean, come on." As Ireland tried to speak, Kelly spoke over her and cited the "Casey" decision which established limits on abortion. In closing, Kelly said "health is the controversy, life, not so much."
So there you have it ladies. Megyn Kelly thinks that if your health necessitates a late term abortion, you and your doctor are "abusing" the law that grants you the right to a health exception. If you're carrying a diseased fetus that will eventually (but not right now) kill you, you need to STFU.
Megyn Kelly thinks that she's "not one of the Fox opinion hosts." Seriously?
What I really, really hate about Kelly is her clear disavowal of all conscience and scruples for the sake of celebrity (amongst the old, stupid, racist, selfish and combinations of same) and shitloads of filthy lucre. Had she been brave enough to try herself in the infinitely more competitive world of actual TV journalism/front-person, she probably had a fair chance of success with her looks and manner. But no, like a screed of ‘Christian’ rockers, comedians, politicians and con artists, she chose the easy, safe route.
I despise Kelly all the more for that. Unlike Hannity, Beck, and so many of her fellow hatemongers who would have no hope whatsoever in the real world, she had a choice over her career path. She must hope like hell she never falls out of favour with Monster Ailes, because she now has TOXIC WASTE stamped all over her.
Does anyone else think that Kelly looks insanely mannish in the segments where she goes after women’s rights? I’m not talking about how angular her face is, when she lays off women’s rights, it goes away. If the way she’s done up is right on her, she can even be pretty…
But these segments, she looks like a dude in a dress.
I’m out of things to say about her slut shaming, but seriously… I gotta ask.