Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Media Obits Whitewash Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Uncompromising Pro-Life Stance

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If you only read the Associated Press, New York Times, and Washington Post obituaries of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who died last Tuesday at age 88, you would have no idea that she was one of the last of the old Guard, pro-life Democrats who went down fighting in 1992.

That was when the party's presidential nomination of Bill Clinton moved the party firmly into the pro-abort camp, a position from which it has never returned. Barack Obama's presence in the White House virtually guarantees that Democrats in most quarter will either condone, support, and in some cases even celebrate the 1,000,000-plus unborn infants who perish each year.

That was not where Ms. Shriver stood, as many prolife publications noted shortly after she died. The Catholic News Agency obituary called her "distinctively Catholic," recounting that she was "an early supporter of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List. She and her husband also supported Democrats for Life of America and Feminists for Life."

Life News recounted three key moments when Shriver demonstrated her pro-life commitment:

NBC Notes Eunice Kennedy Shriver Was 'Lifelong Opponent of Abortion'

Among Tuesday’s network evening newscasts, all three of which ran stories on the death of Kennedy family member Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the NBC Nightly News uniquely noted that she was strongly opposed to abortion, even while she was liberal overall. Anchor Brian Williams filed a full report on Shriver, which concentrated largely on her work on behalf of those with special needs, including her founding of the Special Olympics. After a clip of former President Reagan awarding her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work, Williams noted that she was a “lifelong opponent of abortion.” Williams: “While a lifelong liberal Democrat, she was a lifelong opponent of abortion – she said, based on her strong Catholic faith.”

Below is a complete transcript of the story from the Tuesday, August 11, NBC Nightly News: