When an undocumented immigrant exercised her Constitutional rights to a privately-paid abortion, Fox News put together a trifecta of untruths to suggest that she was looking for the government to pay for it.
On the Sunday, October 22nd Fox & Friends, Abby Huntsman reported the latest development in a controversy surrounding an undocumented immigrant in federal custody, known as Jane Doe, who was being denied, by the Department of Health and Human Services, an abortion which Huntsman wrongly described as “a tax-funded abortion.” A banner proclaimed, as Fox Fact, “Illegal Teen to Get Taxpayer Funded Abortion.” In reinforcing the agitprop, Huntsman asked “Should taxpayers even have to pay for that?”
As Huntsman introduced her guests, official Foxpriest Fr. Jonathan Morris and liberal commentator Richard Fowler, the banner made a minor change – but kept the message: “Illegal Teen Sues to Get Tax Funded Abortion.”
Huntsman stated that she would “start with the question that I just asked.” She added, “A lot of people are saying, ‘This is our taxpayer money, why should we pay for an illegal immigrant who is here who wants an abortion?’”
Morris scoffed at Constitutional arguments and mocked the ACLU for defending the girl. He then advanced the big fat lie: “If she goes to Planned Parenthood, who is paying for it? We are. Every one of us who pays taxes is paying for it.”
Huntsman continued with what was a really slick piece of propaganda. She asked Fowler, “If they were to say, ‘OK, that’s fine, we will pay for her abortion in this case,’ you’re going to have how many situations that are gonna be coming over here saying, ‘Look, my story is horrific’…so where do you draw that line?” The banner kept up the propaganda: “Taxpayer Funded Abortions for Illegals?”
Fowler adroitly presented the fact-based argument that this girl has Constitutional rights, one of which is the right to an abortion. In debunking the myth of the taxpayer-funded abortion, he cited the Hyde Amendment which prohibits taxpayer monies from funding abortions – and noted that private money would pay for the abortion.
Ignoring the Constitution, Morris called it “ridiculous” for a detained teen-ager to be released to “kill her child.”
Fowler continued to stay in the realm of reality with cogent arguments about how those on American soil are entitled to American rights.
Insinuating that the girl is incapable of making her own reproductive choice, Morris made claims about a vague conspiracy “behind all of this.”
Thanks to court decisions, the girl did obtain an abortion – an abortion that was fully paid for by private funds – a fact that was available before this Fox & Friends piece was aired. If the private funding hadn’t been available, Medicaid would not have paid for the abortion because the Hyde Amendment prohibits taxpayer funded abortion. (The “Taxpayer Funded Abortions for Illegals” banner remained to the end of the piece.)
But the VERY IMPORTANT FOX MESSAGE was that YOUR TAXPAYER MONEY pays for abortions. And the fact that this girl is one of those hated “illegals” just made the propaganda even juicier.
If you like “alternative facts,” you’ll love Fox & Friends!
Watch the disinformation below from the October 22, 2017 Fox & Friends.
