The liberal media were disheartened Monday after Planned Parenthood announced it would take a roughly $60 million hit to its funds just so they could carry out more abortions. The new Title X rule put out by the Trump administration bars clinics from referring patients for abortions. The CBS Evening News was so distraught that they kicked off their evening programming with the story.
Meanwhile, both ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News relegated the story to new briefs later in their programs.
During the opening tease of stories ahead, floundering anchor Norah O’Donnell boasted that the network “talk[ed] to both sides of the debate.” But in reality, they only allowed 13 seconds for the comments from March for Life president Jeanne Mancini. The full segment lasted two minutes and 41 seconds. That meant Mancini’s comments were only eight percent of the full segment (tease not included).
As she was introducing the story, O’Donnell chided how “the rule, pushed by religious conservatives, prohibits clinics from referring women for abortion.”
From the get-go, the entire story was delivered as if Planned Parenthood was a victim. “Calling the new Trump administration rule ‘unethical and dangerous’, Planned Parenthood said it had no choice but to withdraw from the federal program and turn down some $60 million a year, because it is unwilling to counsel patients if it could not refer them for abortions,” bemoaned legal correspondent Jan Crawford.
Crawford even parroted Planned Parenthood-generated statistics as if they were cold hard facts. “It's unclear how many women would be affected. Planned Parenthood said it has served about 40 percent of the Title X patients,” she declared. “And that some who would be eligible for free or discounted services under the program may have to seek care elsewhere.”
In addition to carrying water for Planned Parenthood like that, Crawford also shared two back-to-back soundbites from an interview the acting president and CEO of the organization, Alexis McGill Johnson, gave to the network:
ALEXIS MCGILL JOHNSON: This attempt by the Trump administration to enforce the gag rule is another coordinated attack on reproductive healthcare.
CRAWFORD: Planned Parenthood acting president and CEO, Alexis McGill Johnson.
MCGILL JOHNSON: The impact will mean that people may choose to forego care. They may choose to delay their care until this is resolved. And that's what's unacceptable.
In wrapping up the report, Crawford warned viewers of Planned Parenthood’s financial situation. “They said some states or going to pick up this shortfall. They can tap into some of their emergency funds, contingency funds, and also through fund-raising. But Norah, they stress that is not a long-term solution,” she lamented.
There was also some touting of how the organization promised to “continue to fight this in court”. But it was difficult to understand how they could do that since Crawford admitted the rule was “almost identical to one issued by the Reagan administration and upheld in 1991 by the Supreme Court.”
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
August 19, 2019
6:30:18 p.m. Eastern[Opening tease]
NORAH O’DONNELL: Tonight, a new Trump administration rule could send millions of women scrabbling to find healthcare. We talk to both sides of the debate, including the head of Planned Parenthood.
(…)
6:31:19 p.m. Eastern
O’DONNELL: Good evening. A lot of news to cover tonight, but we're going to begin with this: women who count on Planned Parenthood and other organizations for health services may have to look elsewhere.
Planned Parenthood announced today it will give up the federal funding it gets for those services under a program called Title X, rather than comply with a new rule from the Trump administration. Planned Parenthood says the more than 1.5 million women they serve could be affected. The rule, pushed by religious conservatives, prohibits clinics from referring women for abortion. Chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford leads off our reporting tonight.
[Cuts to video]
JAN CRAWFORD: Calling the new Trump administration rule “unethical and dangerous”, Planned Parenthood said it had no choice but to withdraw from the federal program and turn down some $60 million a year because it is unwilling to counsel patients if it could not refer them for abortions.
The Title X program distributes some $260 million in grants every year to clinics, subsidizing birth control, and family planning services for some four million women nationwide.
By law, the federal money could never be used to perform abortions, but under the new rule, clinics that get money under the program no longer can refer patients for abortions. The rule is almost identical to one issued by the Reagan administration and upheld in 1991 by the Supreme Court.
ALEXIS MCGILL JOHNSON: This attempt by the trump administration to enforce the gag rule is another coordinated attack on reproductive healthcare.
CRAWFORD: Planned Parenthood acting president and CEO, Alexis McGill Johnson.
MCGILL JOHNSON: The impact will mean that people may choose to forego care. They may choose to delay their care until this is resolved. And that's what's unacceptable.
CRAWFORD: It's unclear how many women would be affected. Planned Parenthood said it has served about 40 percent of the Title X patients. And that some who would be eligible for free or discounted services under the program may have to seek care elsewhere.
Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, said Planned Parenthood was making a political choice.
JEANNE MANCINI: This is less about women's health and advocating for women in need and it's more about advocating for more abortion.
[Cuts back to live]
O’DONNELL: And Jan Crawford joins us tonight. So Jan, what is Planned Parenthood and other clinics’ next move?
CRAWFORD: Well, Planned Parenthood will continue to fight this in court. In the meantime, they say they're going to continue to try to provide services to these low-income women without this funding. They said some states or going to pick up this shortfall. They can tap into some of their emergency funds, contingency funds, and also through fund-raising. But Norah, they stress that is not a long-term solution.
O’DONNELL: All right, Jan Crawford, thank you.
