When someone who supports abortion suggests that if Republicans are going to ban abortion, it is only fair to regulate sperm, the only appropriate response is to mock such an absurd comparison. Wednesday’s Hallie Jackson Reports on MSNBC took a different approach, however, and suggested that the comparison was completely fair.
Jackson led Capitol Hill correspondent Ali Vitali with remarks from Rep. Cori Bush, “And somebody that you spoke with, Ali, today, I know, Congresswoman Cori Bush, framed it in rather provocative terms about what about the regulation of sperm, right? That’s something she talked about right? And—and—how that is not part of the conversation at this moment. Explain that.”
Instead of pointing out the absurdity of Bush’s remarks, Vitali gave them credence, “Yeah. I mean, look, it was a provocative way of saying it because we were in her office doing an on the record, but off camera conversation with a small group of reporters and she framed it as right now we are looking at regulating uteruses and eggs, but we're not looking at the male side of this equation.”
No. Uteruses and eggs, just like sperm, do not constitute life by themselves. That’s basic high school biology that Bush, Jackson, and Vitali just failed.
Still, Vitali continued, “And I think the comment was in some ways tongue in cheek, but she made the point that there is no conversation right now about the male role in all of this. And of course, Cori Bush is someone whose reaction, I think it is important to highlight, because she's one of just a few members and by a few, I mean three or four members in this body in the House who have actually accessed abortion care.”
Vitali then recounted an interview she did with Bush and other Democrats in 2021 and one of those other Democrats was Barbara Lee and that interview led Vitali to abandon any pretense of journalism and go into full activist mode, “And there was palpable fear in her voice when she talked to me about that last year. The fear of going back to that because this doesn't ban abortion, whatever the Court decides. All it does is it makes it less safe and more restricted and it makes it harder for women who will still turn to that care but just not be able to get it in the same way they do now.”
Meanwhile, the Party of Science and their media supporters apparently do not know the difference between sperm, eggs, and fetuses and babies.
This segment was sponsored by Walgreens.
Here is a transcript for the May 11 show:
MSNBC Hallie Jackson Reports
5/11/2022
3:09 PM ET:
HALLIE JACKSON: And somebody that you spoke with, Ali, today, I know, Congresswoman Cori Bush, framed it—
ALI VITALI: Yeah.
JACKSON: -- in rather provocative terms about what about the regulation of sperm, right? That’s something she
VITALI: Yeah
JACKSON: -- talked about right? And—and—how that is not part of the conversation at this moment. Explain that.
VITALI: Yeah. I mean, look, it was a provocative way of saying it because we were in her office doing an on the record, but off camera conversation with a small group of reporters and she framed it as right now we are looking at regulating uteruses and eggs, but we're not looking at the male side of this equation.
And I think the comment was in some ways tongue in cheek, but she made the point that there is no conversation right now about the male role in all of this. And of course, Cori Bush is someone whose reaction, I think it is important to highlight, because she's one of just a few members and by a few, I mean three or four members in this body in the House who have actually accessed abortion care.
When she was 17, it was a pregnancy that resulted from a rape. She's only just become public about telling this story. She told it to me for the first time ever on camera back in September, rather, in September or October of last year, alongside several other Democratic lawmakers.
But hers is a reaction that I think is important because aside from the politics, I asked her, as someone who has had to make this choice, what it feels like to see this happening now in this country. And she said that she's just furious.
And it is something that we've heard echoed from the handful of other female lawmakers who have been in the position to make this decision. I mean, Hallie, the first person that I thought of when this draft opinion leaked—
JACKSON: Yeah
VITALI: --was Congresswoman Barbara Lee who had a back alley abortion in Mexico before protections from Roe were in place. And there was palpable fear in her voice when she talked to me about that last year. The fear of going back to that because this doesn't ban abortion, whatever the Court decides. All it does is it makes it less safe and more restricted and it makes it harder for women who will still turn to that care—
JACKSON: Yeah
VITALI: -- but just not be able to get it in the same way they do now.
