With the Supreme Court’s apparent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade expected any day now, the leftist media continue to melt down over the prospect while turning their ire against conservative states that are passing laws to limit or ban abortions within their jurisdictions.
On Thursday evening, ABC’s World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News ran segments on their newest target in the national firestorm over abortion: Oklahoma.
“Tonight in Oklahoma, a bill banning almost all abortions from the moment of conception heading to the Governor, who has vowed to sign it,” ABC’s congressional correspondent Rachel Scott wailed before interrogating the bill’s author state representative Wendi Stearman (R).
Scott snarked to Stearman: “Critics say, why not make exceptions to cover all of those instances, especially when rape and incest are so underreported?” She proceeded to correct Scott’s misinformation by explaining “the goal of this is to protect the child, the unborn child. So, I believe that putting in the exception as we have it is acceptable in this situation.”
Getting one last dig in, Scott huffed that “the Oklahoma bill takes a page out of the Texas playbook, empowering private citizens to sue anyone who aids or abets an abortion.”
Scott ended her incredibly petulant report by noting if the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade “twenty-six states would either ban abortion or severely restrict access to it. And thirteen states would do it almost immediately.”
Meanwhile, CBS Evening News threw a hissyfit over the Oklahoma bill as well, with national legal correspondent Jan Crawford repeating many of the same talking points as Scott and worried how “other conservative states are considering similar laws” and bemoaned how “more than a dozen already have so-called trigger laws that would immediately ban or greatly restrict abortion if the court overturns Roe.”
Over on NBC Nightly News, anchor Lester Holt only dedicated twenty seconds to the topic but struck much of the same tone when kvetching how the Oklahoma bill will be “the strictest abortion law in the country.”
This pro-abortion meltdown by the three networks was made possible by Liberty Mutual on ABC, Prevagen on CBS, and T-Mobile on NBC. Their information is linked so you can let them know about the biased news they fund.
To read the relevant transcripts of each segment click “expand”:
ABC’s World News Tonight
5/19/2022
6:41:58 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: Now to the abortion battle. Oklahoma's legislature has now passed what would be the most restrictive abortion ban yet, outlawing almost all abortions after the moment of conception and like Texas now, relying on lawsuits from private citizens to enforce it all. Here's Rachel Scott.
RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight in Oklahoma, a bill banning almost all abortions from the moment of conception heading to the Governor, who has vowed to sign it.
GOV. KEVIN STITT: We want to outlaw abortion in the state of Oklahoma.
SCOTT: The bill includes narrow exceptions, to protect the life of the mother and for cases of rape and incest, but only if they're reported to law enforcement. I sat down with the bill's author, state representative Wendi Stearman.
Critics say, why not make exceptions to cover all of those instances, especially when rape and incest are so underreported?
REP. WENDI STEARMAN: Well, the goal of this is to protect the child, the unborn child. So, I believe that putting in the exception as we have it is acceptable in this situation.
SCOTT: But today, Vice President Kamala Harris calling it outrageous.
KAMALA HARRIS: It's just the latest in a series of extreme laws around the country.
SCOTT: The Oklahoma bill takes a page out of the Texas playbook, empowering private citizens to sue anyone who aids or abets an abortion. The reward? At least $10,000. And when it is signed, it will take effect immediately. David, all this as the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. If that happens, twenty-six states would either ban abortion or severely restrict access to it. And thirteen states would do it almost immediately. David?
CBS Evening News
5/19/2022
6:40:28 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Alright, now to the fight over abortion rights ahead of a landmark Supreme Court decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade. Oklahoma legislators passed an anti-abortion bill outlawing abortion from the moment of fertilization. It would be the most restrictive law in the nation. Here's CBS's Jan Crawford with the details.
JAN CRAWFORD: The legislation would prohibit abortion at any point in pregnancy except to save a woman's life or in the case of rape or incest. It would take effect immediately after Governor Kevin Stitt signs it, which he has said he will do.
(...)
CRAWFORD: The law goes further than a similar Texas law which bans abortion there, after six weeks, and gives private citizens the right to enforce it by suing abortion providers with $10,000 rewards. It’s in effect while challenged in court, causing some Texas women to seek abortions in Oklahoma.
But Oklahoma closed that door last month when it enacted its version of the six-week ban. Today's would ban abortion before six weeks. And with the Supreme Court likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, other conservative states are considering similar laws, more than a dozen already have so-called trigger laws that would immediately ban or greatly restrict abortion if the court overturns Roe. Vice President Kamala Harris met virtually today with abortion providers in some of those states just after Oklahoma passed its near-total ban.
KAMALA HARRIS: It's outrageous, and it's just the latest in a series of extreme laws around the country.
O’DONNELL: And Jan joins us now. So, a lot of anticipation about that Supreme Court ruling. When could that come down?
CRAWFORD: Well, I mean it's been nearly two weeks since a draft of that opinion leaked that showed at least at some point a majority of the justices were ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. When a final decision comes, it could be anytime, we don't know. We also don't know what the final vote’s going to look like or whether one of the justices may have changed their minds. But in the meantime, Norah, there has been a significant increase according to law enforcement in the number of abortion-related violent threats, which means that the court and the justices are now under additional security.
O'DONNELL: But a decision could come as soon as Monday?
CRAWFORD: Potentially.
NBC Nightly News
5/19/2022
7:10:55 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: The state of Oklahoma is on the verge of adopting the strictest abortion law in the country. State lawmakers passing a bill today that would ban abortion at fertilization, with some exceptions to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape and incest that are reported to police. Oklahoma's Republican Governor is expected to sign it.
