When a cable-news host concludes an interview, it's customary to thank his or her guest by saying something along the lines of "I appreciate you being here" or "Thank you for your time."
But when MSNBC fill-in host Craig Melvin wrapped his January 22 Reid Report interview with Sarah Weddington, the pro-abortion rights counsel for "Jane Roe" in 1973, he not only thanked the former Texas state legislator for his appearing on the program but also added, "I do appreciate you."
This occurred after a softball interview in which Melvin repeatedly referred to Weddington by her first name, Sarah, a rather casual and familiar form of address for a news interview.
It is also notable that Melvin failed to include a pro-lifer on the program on this 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Two years ago, on the 40th anniversary of Roe, MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell played softball with Weddington while giving pro-life activist Marjorie Dannenfelser a tough interview.
Indeed, Melvin even failed to note that "Jane Roe," whose real name is Norma McCorvey, is now a Catholic pro-life activist who repudiates her role in the lawsuit and claims that Ms. Weddington essentially used her for political purposes.
What's more, his questions to Weddington were softball ones and Melvin introduced his subject by saying the landmark Court ruling "that would forever change the landscape of women's health care in this country."
"Still, four decades later the national debate over a woman's right to an abortion rages on," Melvin added, in a rare departure from MSNBC convention which refers to "a woman's right to choose" without uttering the dirty little A-word.
Here's a transcript of Melvin's agenda of questions to Ms. Weddington:
1. Let me just start, Sarah, with your reaction to the group of Republican women who led to the 20-week-ban legislation vote being pulled last night. Do you consider that a small victory?
2. [Reacting to Weddington noting many Republicans in the 1970s were pro-choice] That's an interesting point. I didn't mean to cut you off, Sarah. That's an interesting point. What do you think led to that? What led to the switch?
3. The number of people who support or are against abortion today remains within a ten-point margin of where those rates were back in 1975. This is a graph [shown onscreen] depicting that, this is according to a 2014 poll conducted by Gallup. What's been your observation, your personal observation of the past 42 years since Roe v. Wade?
4. Earlier this week in the State of the Union Address, I think a lot of folks were somewhat caught off guard when we heard President Obama say that abortions in this country were nearing an all-time low. Are you surprised by that? And, to what can we attribute that? To what can we attribute that?
5. Where do you think we will be on this issue 42 years from now?
[Melvin's closing thank-you] Sarah Weddington. Former Texas legislator who represented the woman known as Jane Roe in Roe v. Wade 42 years ago. Uh, thank you so much for your time today, Miss Weddington. Do appreciate you.
