After Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on Monday signed a groundbreaking new law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, the victory for the pro-life movement has received surprisingly little attention. ABC and NBC totally avoided the story.
FNC's Special Report with Bret Baier and the PBS NewsHour each ran briefs on Monday evening, and, on Tuesday, CBS This Morning ran one brief after CNN's Early Start show ran three briefs during the early morning hours between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. ET.
On Monday evening at 6:21 p.m. ET, FNC host Bret Baier informed viewers:
Late this afternoon, Mississippi Republican Governor Phil Bryant signed the nation's toughest abortion restrictions into law. The state's only abortion clinic is preparing an immediate legal challenge.
House Bill 1510 bans most abortions after 15 weeks gestation. Pregnancies from rape and incest are not exempted.
About an hour later on the PBS NewsHour, anchor Judy Woodruff recalled:
Mississippi has now become the only state to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Republican Governor Phil Bryant signed the restrictions into law today. The state's lone abortion clinic quickly filed a legal challenge.
And on Tuesday morning's Early Start, CNN ran three briefs beginning at 4:19 a.m. ET. In the last brief, which aired at 5:57 a.m. ET, host Christine Romans recounted that the state's abortion laws were already "the most restrictive in the nation," and passed along claims by Planned Parenthood that the law "endangers women's health." Romans:
Women in Mississippi can no longer get abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Governor Phil Bryant signing a new law tightening what were already the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation.
The measure only makes exceptions for medical emergencies or severe fetal abnormality. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. Mississippi's Planned Parenthood director calls the ban "unconstitutional" and says it "endangers women's health."
And at 7:30 a.m., CBS host Gayle King recounted:
The nation's most restrictive abortion law faces a court showdown today after it was signed into law last night. It immediately bans most abortions after 15 weeks.
The state's only abortion clinic is now asking a federal judge to block that law. It says a woman more than 15 weeks pregnant is scheduled to have an abortion this afternoon.
ABC and NBC completely ignored the story both Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
Surprisingly, Tuesday's Fox and Friends also did not mention the Mississippi law, although there was a segment of more than two minutes on the topic of California trying to force pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion.
