A recent sympathetic article on abortion in Bloomberg Businessweek offered a textbook lesson in liberal media bias.
Written by Cynthia Koons and Rebecca Greenfield, the February 27 article’s headline whined that “Abortion Clinics Are Getting Nickel-and-Dimed Out of Business.” “Abortion Clinics Are the Most Challenging Small Business in America,” an alternative headline cried. And the subtitle moaned, “From legal battles to securing vendors to getting the walls painted, every budget line is a struggle.” Right from the outset we know this will not be a fair piece.
The article began by talking about Amy Hagstrom Miller, the owner of the abortion business in the 2016 Supreme Court case Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which involved a Texas law that sought to increase health and safety standards at abortion clinics in the state. Hagstrom Miller won her case, which Bloomberg dubbed “a happy ending,” even describing a photo of her on the steps of the Supreme Court as “iconic” and gushing over her “radiant” smile. This woman, who has contributed to the deaths of thousands, got the star treatment.
The article also deferred to pro-abortion terminology, using “abortion-rights advocates’” favored term for laws increasing health and safety standards, “TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws,” six times. They even used the old pro-abortion talking point that “these measures can dictate a building’s specifications right down to hallway widths,” as if mandating hallways be able to accommodate a stretcher is unreasonable. Don’t forget, emergency personnel couldn’t get a stretcher through the crowded hallways of infamous abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s clinic and that led to a woman ultimately dying. God forbid abortion facilities be held to the same standards as endoscopy, laser, and plastic surgery centers.
Ironically, they pointed to a Kaiser Family Foundation study saying 7 in 10 support abortion being legal, but the KFF key findings also said 7 in 10 “support laws requiring abortions to be performed solely by doctors who have hospital admitting privileges,” similar to Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt.
To further the obvious liberal bias, the writers cited pro-abortion sources like the Abortion Care Network, National Abortion Federation, and Guttmacher Institute and no pro-life sources for statistics. All three of the latter organizations had hyperlinks to their websites when mentioned, meanwhile, when an official for Americans United for Life was quoted, the hyperlink went to a broken stockquote page.
In addition, they described the Federalist Society as “resolutely anti-abortion” but offered no such strident qualifying language before pro-abortion organizations. The Guttmacher Institute, which used to be Planned Parenthood’s research arm, is simply dubbed a “nonprofit.”
Then, as if all this shilling for the abortion industry wasn't enough, they helpfully linked to a GoFundMe campaign for an abortion clinic in debt that might have to shut down if it doesn't receive the needed funds.
Bloomberg News is owned by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, a pro-abortion politician whose non-profit gave $14 million to Planned Parenthood in 3 years. It's clear where he and his supposed news network stand on abortion.
