In the past few days, CNN has demonstrated just how blatant their prejudice has become. From Kasie Hunt’s outrage over the network’s bias being called out to Thursday morning's display of censorship, President of Students for Life of America Kristan Hawkins being silenced on CNN Newsroom by host Jim Acosta.
Following the breaking news of the Supreme Court case Moyle v. United States, which kicked the case back down to the lower court, but allowed for “emergency” abortions to take place during the litigation process, Acosta welcomed Director of the NAACP Center for Health Equity, Dr. Chris Pernell, and asked her, “Your reaction to this abortion decision in Idaho, is this a kick the can kind of moment for the Court?”
Pernell mourned that the Court did not go further:
So what that means is that women's health continues to be imperiled. It means that the federal law is in peril. And as long as that is true, the stats that we know that one in four Native American babies are born under these types of conditions where there is a lack of appropriate care. One in six black babies are born under these conditions where there is a lack of appropriate care. The Supreme Court missed an opportunity. I agree with Justice Jackson. This was a moment for the Supreme Court to decide clearly and compellingly in the favor of the universal rights of all people, especially women. And that didn't happen.
Acosta let Pernell speak uninterrupted, a noted contrast to how he treated Hawkins as the decorum surrounding CNN’s normally boasted beliefs of free press and expression was thrown to the wayside.
Hawkins claimed, “We also see a silver lining in this decision today. If Idaho, while this is tragic, saying Idaho must allow for abortions to prevent infertility, future infertility, the FDA must now change its policy too, to do the same, given their no test online distribution scheme of chemical abortion pills, which we know harm women's future fertility as 15 percent of women of our population are Rh negative and there is no testing now because of the Biden Administration and their FDA, on these dangerous chemical abortion pills, she's having these pill abortions—“
Acosta then cut her off, leading to the following exchange:
ACOSTA: Is it mifepristone?
HAWKINS: She’s not being tested for Rh negativity—
ACOSTA: Haven’t the experts said that mifepristone is safe for women to use—
HAWKINS: — and she’ll no longer be able to carry to term.
ACOSTA: But, haven’t the experts said—
HAWKINS: Ask any woman who's Rh negative, ask any woman, excuse me, as someone who's been pregnant, sir, when you're pregnant, one of the first things they do is, they test for Rh negative status because if you have a miscarriage, if you give birth, if you get an accident, if you get an abortion—
ACOSTA: No, Miss Hawkins—
HAWKINS: — You have to be treated immediately.
ACOSTA: I have to, I’m sorry, mifepristone has been proven to be safe. It's been that way for years, but thank you for coming on. We appreciate it.
HAWKINS: It actually hasn’t. We know [microphone cut]
Hawkins was speaking about an earlier SCOTUS case, FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, one which the left claimed as another victory. It was this criticism that prompted Acosta to literally silence this opposing opinion as Hawkins had her mic cut as Acosta ended the segment.
The transcript is below, click “expand” to read:
CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta
6/26/2024
10:41 AM ET
JIM ACOSTA: I do want to take a quick moment to go out to Dr. Chris Pernell, director of the NAACP Center for Health Equity. Dr. Pernell, your reaction to this abortion decision in Idaho, is this a kick the can kind of moment for the Court?
CHRIS PERNELL: It most certainly is a kick the can, kind of, moment while a technical win. This is not a victory for reproductive justice. And it's not a victory for health equity. Why? Because it does not change, it doesn't change the fact that there are maternity care deserts in Idaho and 36 percent of counties across the United States. So what that means is that women's health continues to be imperiled. It means that the federal law is in peril.
And as long as that is true, the stats that we know that one in four Native American babies are born under these types of conditions where there is a lack of appropriate care. One in six black babies are born under these conditions where there is a lack of appropriate care. The Supreme Court missed an opportunity. I agree with Justice Jackson. This was a moment for the Supreme Court to decide clearly and compellingly in the favor of the universal rights of all people, especially women. And that didn't happen.
ACOSTA: All right, Dr. Pernell, I also want to bring in Kristan Hawkins. She is the president of Students for Life of America. What's your reaction to this decision?
KRISTAN HAWKINS: Sure well, I think President Trump and the GOP needs to take notes, the Biden Administration continues to make the case to weaponize federal agencies, to make abortion a federal issue. But we also see a silver lining in this decision today. If Idaho, while this is tragic, saying Idaho must allow for abortions to prevent infertility, future infertility, the FDA must now change its policy too, to do the same, given their no test online distribution scheme of chemical abortion pills, which we know harm women's future fertility as 15 percent of women of our population are Rh negative and there is no testing now because of the Biden Administration and their FDA, on these dangerous chemical abortion pills, she's having these pill abortions—
ACOSTA: Is it mifepristone?
HAWKINS: She’s not being tested for Rh negativity—
ACOSTA: Haven’t the experts said that mifepristone is safe for women to use—
HAWKINS: — and she’ll no longer be able to carry to term.
ACOSTA: But, haven’t the experts said—
HAWKINS: Ask any woman who's Rh negative, ask any woman, excuse me, as someone who's been pregnant, sir, when you're pregnant, one of the first things they do is, they test for Rh negative status because if you have a miscarriage, if you give birth, if you get an accident, if you get an abortion—
ACOSTA: No, Miss Hawkins—
HAWKINS: — You have to be treated immediately.
ACOSTA: I have to, I’m sorry, mifepristone has been proven to be safe. It's been that way for years, but thank you for coming on. We appreciate it.
HAWKINS: It actually hasn’t. We know [microphone cut]
