{"id":195991,"date":"2019-02-06T15:06:28","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T21:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=195991"},"modified":"2024-09-20T12:20:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T17:20:31","slug":"media-fact-check-fail-trump-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/media-fact-check-fail-trump-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"Fake news? Media fails at ‘fact checking’ on Trump’s SOTU abortion remarks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Abortion comments made during the President’s State of the Union address resulted in media “fact checkers” claiming the statements were “false.” In actuality, however, the media distorted facts and left out important information in order to claim Trump’s statements were false. The biggest offender being NBC News.\u00a0Trump’s\u00a0comments<\/a>\u00a0came on the heels of New York and Virginia\u2019s<\/a> efforts (with assistance<\/a>\u00a0and support<\/a> from Planned Parenthood) to pass measures to expand abortion at a time in pregnancy when the child can survive outside the womb. The President\u00a0said<\/a>, in part, “There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than chilling displays our nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother\u2019s womb moments before birth.” (See video here.<\/a>) NBC News claimed “This is false.”<\/p>\n

They’re wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n

NBC News’ wholly inaccurate “fact check<\/a>” states, “The state recently passed a law loosening restrictions on abortions in the state, allowing abortions after 24 weeks if the fetus is not viable or when it\u2019s necessary to protect the life of the mother<\/strong>. The president paints the picture of a healthy mother and child, but an abortion would not be legal in that scenario after 24 weeks in New York state.”<\/p>\n

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NBC incorrect Fact Check after SOTU on Trump and New York abortion<\/p><\/div>\n

Here’s the truth:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • NBC left out the fact that the full language of the New York bill<\/a>\u00a0states that late-term abortions can be performed to not only protect the patient’s life<\/em>, but “health.”<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • This “health” terminology is not new, and it is purposeful. It comes from the extremely broad language of\u00a0Roe v. Wade’s <\/em>companion decision,\u00a0Doe v. Bolton<\/a><\/em>, which ensures that abortion can be done for virtually any reason. The text of Doe<\/a> reads: “We agree with the District Court, 319 F. Supp., at 1058, that the medical judgment may be exercised\u00a0in the light of all factors \u2013 physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman\u2019s age \u2013 relevant to the wellbeing of the patient<\/strong>. All these factors may relate to health\u2026.”<\/em><\/li>\n
  • In addition,\u00a0NY’s law also\u00a0removed protections<\/a>\u00a0that had been in place for babies born alive<\/a> after an abortion \u2014 meaning they could be left to die after birth. The law did this by rescinding a portion of NY\u2019s public health law, seen below.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    READ:\u00a0Abortionists admit that third trimester abortions are done on healthy babies<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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    New York abortion law 2019 allows abortions for life or health<\/p><\/div>\n

    Live Action immediately called out NBC News on Twitter<\/a>, yet an updated NBC post repeated<\/a> the false claim again.<\/p>\n

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    Live Action calls out NBC incorrect Fact Check after SOTU on Trump and abortion<\/p><\/div>\n

    Unlike NBC News, “fact-checkers” such as Factcheck.org<\/a>\u00a0and New York Times<\/a> included the term “health” but failed to define what it meant.<\/p>\n

    NPR’s “fact check<\/a>” also didn’t go well. NPR dismissed Trump’s claim that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam<\/a>\u00a0supported infanticide after his poor\u00a0attempt to defend Virginia’s bill on a radio show<\/a>\u00a0as false<\/em>. In addition:<\/p>\n

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    • NPR quoted Planned Parenthood’s former “special affiliate,<\/a>” the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute in stating, “[O]nly about 1 percent of abortions take place after 21 weeks\u00a0of\u00a0gestation, which is still the second trimester. Third-trimester abortions are exceedingly rare and usually happen only when the fetus is not viable.”<\/li>\n
    • Using just the 1% figure (which\u00a0sounds<\/em>\u00a0minuscule), out of an\u00a0estimated<\/a>\u00a0100,000 abortions that occur after\u00a0the first trimester, approximately 12,000 took place after 21 weeks of pregnancy in 2014 alone<\/span>\u00a0 Note: there are\u00a0no federal requirements to report abortions by gestation. In addition,\u00a0abortionists have publicly\u00a0admitted<\/a>\u00a0that late-term procedures are done on healthy babies<\/strong>. And why do these late-term abortions happen? According to this study published by Guttmacher<\/a>, “Most women seeking later abortion fit at least one of five profiles: They were raising children alone, were depressed or using illicit substances, were in conflict with a male partner or experiencing domestic violence, had trouble deciding and then had access problems, or were young and nulliparous.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Rare doesn’t mean non-existent<\/strong>, and claiming something doesn’t “usually” take place doesn’t rule out what these abortionists and study from a pro-abortion source have stated. If the abortionists themselves — and the women having abortions — are admitting that YES, these abortions are happening on healthy children, then the media must have another reason for cherrypicking their information from the scripts of the abortion industry.<\/p>\n

      READ:\u00a0Unreal: Abortion advocate says late-term abortion done on \u2018dead fetuses\u2019<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran even\u00a0admitted her failed measure allowed for abortion even after a woman goes into labor<\/a>.\u00a0 Tran discussed her bill with VA’s House Majority Leader, and was asked if the bill would allow abortion even at 40 weeks, when the mother was already dilating and showing signs of being in labor.<\/p>\n

      Tran replied, \u201cMy bill would allow that, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n