Since the recent passage of the New York abortion law, Fox News has been providing safe space for anti-choice lies and propaganda, including a pulpit for a New York Catholic bishop from which to preach the standard, anti-choice misinformation and discuss the possibility of excommunicating New York Governor Andrew Cuomo!

Last Saturday, Fox & Friends co-host Todd Piro immediately revved up the outrage machine: “The left, celebrating this week when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed what they deemed to be a historic pro-abortion bill.” After video of the signing ceremony and Cuomo’s commentary on the bill was shown, Piro continued the outrage theme: “Many Catholics were outraged by the bill which granted more access to and late-term abortions.” (Old law allowed late-term abortion for “life” of mother, new one expands it to “health” as well as viability of the fetus.)

Piro introduced the guest, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger of Albany who lamented the “celebration of abortion” as it is “a dehumanization of a whole class of human beings in our society.”

Advancing the view that fetuses are human beings, deserving of legal protection, Scharfenberger articulated the Catholic view that life begins at conception. An on-screen banner proclaimed, “FATIH LEADERS BLAST NY ABORTION LAW” when, in reality, many Jewish and Protestant faith leaders fully support it.

The bishop might have told a lie when he claimed that the law “goes way beyond” Roe v. Wade as Roe, just like the New York law, allows for late-term abortion when the life and health of the mother is at risk.

Video of Cuomo, talking about his Catholic faith during his State of the State address was shown. Obviously knowing the answer (Catholics can’t support abortion), Fox Friend Katie Pavlich asked how Cuomo's comments “square with this new pro-abortion bill that he celebrated.”

Scharfenberger described Cuomo’s comments as “radical” in that they distance Cuomo from “the sanctity of human life.”

After co-host Pete Hegseth talked about how awful it was that the law “celebrates” abortion, Scharffenberger suggested that the new law was tantamount to torture. He cited the anti-choice propaganda movie, the Silent Scream,” produced by anti-choice zealot Dr. Bernard Nathanson, claiming that they “recognize the humanity of the unborn.”

On cue, Piro reported that there are lots of Catholics who are “screaming for Governor Cuomo to be excommunicated." 

Scharffenberger said he understood the “outrage and anger,” but that because Cuomo doesn’t live in his diocese, he doesn’t have jurisdiction over him. The bishop noted that eventually Cuomo could be denied communion and excommunicated and hoped that Cuomo would recognize the error of his ways.

Don’t know if cohost Katie Pavlich is Catholic, but, after Scharffenberger’s explanation of excommunication, Pavlich, who believes late-term abortions are "recreational," validated what might be the Fox message – that Cuomo is so bad that he should be kicked out of the Catholic Church – “Late term abortion and the celebration of it seems like, pretty close to the standard for that cause,” she said.

The “celebration” was over the expansion of women’s reproductive rights. (Too bad Fox doesn’t care about that). But could it be that Fox News’ obsession with this law, its denunciation of Cuomo as evil incarnate, is little more than a pre-emptive warning shot to Cuomo that Fox News just might launch a Catholic crusade in case he decides to run for president (despite ruling it out)? Hmmm…..

Watch it below, from the January 26, 2019 Fox & Friends.