As they did the previous evening, the Friday morning newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC involved them clutching their pearls over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing into law a six-week abortion ban to protect the lives of the unborn in his state. And despite the Heartbeat Protection Act including widely supported exceptions such as rape, incest, to protect the life of the mother, and human trafficking, the networks treated it as a catastrophe that only served to harm women.
ABC’s Good Morning America didn’t even say the name of the bill, let alone the exceptions it allowed as co-anchor George Stephanopoulos fretted: “Florida has passed one of the strictest abortion bands in the country.”
Congressional correspondent Rachel Scott agreed and huffed that “DeSantis wasted no time signing it” and warned, “This would have significant implications on access to abortion in the South.” “I just got back from Florida. Clinics there have seen a surge in out-of-state patients traveling to Florida for abortion care,” she added.
Over on CBS Mornings, co-anchor Dana Jacobson described the law as “severe restrictions on abortion access.” And Chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes fearfully marveled at how “Florida is a great example of how quickly and dramatically state laws are changing in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade.”
“Florida now joins the ranks of a dozen Republican-led states that have enacted near-total bans on abortion in the ten months since the Supreme Court undid nearly 50 years of federal protections,” Cordes said, ominously warning “GOP lawmakers aren't stopping there.”
Citing a Pew Research poll, Cordes claimed “More than 6 in 10 Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases.”
But there have been conflicting polls. A Knights of Columbus/Marist poll once found 84 percent supported some form of restriction on abortions. The two most popular were “rape, incest or to save mother” with 28 percent and “first 3 months of pregnancy” at 27 percent. They found only 15 percent felt abortions should be provided “any time during pregnancy.”
Cordes did a slightly better job than Scott, in that she did mention the name of the bill was the Heartbeat Protection Act, but she failed to accurately report the exceptions it allowed.
Meanwhile, on NBC, the desperation in the voice of co-anchor Hoda Kotb was noticeable as she declared: “Breaking overnight, a new move tied to the nation's battle over abortion rights. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing a law banning the procedure in his state in almost all cases after just six weeks.”
Senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett continued to build on Kotb’s worries. “Florida had been one of the last places where someone could travel for an abortion in the South now it has one of the more restrictive bans in the country,” she informed Kotb.
Jarrett hyped the overwrought response of liberals shrieking and disrupting the proceedings in the Florida House and outrage from the White House (Click “expand”):
JARRETT: Anger erupting in the Florida House during debate over the bill. Protests and chaos before the Republican-dominated legislature passed it.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN (screaming in the House chamber): This is all just surface politics meant to divide us!
JARRETT: Democrats and critics slamming the law as “extreme” with the White House saying it “is out of step with the views of the vast majority of the people of Florida and of all of the United States.”
In contrast to her colleagues on ABC and CBS, Jarrett did share details about the new law. “Known as the Heartbeat Protection Act, it does make an exception for abortions up to 15 weeks in cases of rape, incest, or human trafficking,” she admitted.
This pearl clutching from the broadcast networks was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from L’Oréal on a ABC, Hyundai on CBS, and Liberty Mutual on NBC. Their contact information is linked.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
April 14, 2023
8:12:00 a.m. Eastern(…)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: In the meantime, Rachel, Florida has passed one of the strictest abortion bands in the country.
RACHEL SCOTT: Yes. And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wasted no time signing it. This is a bill to ban abortion at six weeks into a woman's pregnancy, that’s before most women even know that they are pregnant.
Of course, this would have significant implications on access to abortion in the South. 14 states have stopped all abortion services. I just got back from Florida. Clinics there have seen a surge in out-of-state patients traveling to Florida for abortion care.
And, of course, politically speaking here, we know that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to run for president in 2024. He’s leaning into these abortion restrictions and Democrats used to mobilize their voters in the midterm elections. George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Rachel Scott, thanks.
CBS Mornings
April 14, 2023
8:06:33 a.m. EasternDANA JACOBSON: Florida is the latest state to approve severe restrictions on abortion access. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill to establish a six-week limit on abortions if the state's current 15-week law is upheld in court. Meanwhile, the Biden administration wants the Supreme Court to get involved in a legal challenge to a commonly used abortion pill.
Nancy Cordes is at the Supreme Court with more. Nancy, good morning.
NANCY CORDES: Good morning, Dana. Yes, Florida is a great example of how quickly and dramatically state laws are changing in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Women in Florida, the nation's third most populous state, will now only be able to get abortions within the first six weeks after conception; a point at which many women still don't even know they're pregnant.
[Cuts to video]
PROTESTERS: Our body. Our choice.
CORDES: Amid protests in Tallahassee, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban late Thursday night. It's called the Heartbeat Protection Act.
(…)
CORDES: Florida now joins the ranks of a dozen Republican-led states that have enacted near total bans on abortion in the ten months since the Supreme Court undid nearly 50 years of federal protections. GOP lawmakers aren't stopping there.
(…)
CORDES: Polling finds more than 6 in 10 Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
(…)
NBC’s Today
April 14, 2023
8:07:09 a.m. EasternHODA KOTB: Breaking overnight, a new move tied to the nation's battle over abortion rights. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing a law banning the procedure in his state in almost all cases after just six weeks. NBC's senior legal correspondent, Laura Jarrett has more on this. Hey Laura. Good morning
LAURA JARRETT: Hey, Hoda. Good morning to you. Florida had been one of the last places where someone could travel for an abortion in the south now it has one of the more restrictive bans in the country.
[Cuts to video]
Overnight, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing a bill that would ban most abortions after six weeks. DeSantis quietly signing the law just after 11:00 P.M., posting only this photo on Twitter. A stark contrast to how he publicly celebrated a 15-week ban last spring.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We are here today to defend those who can't defend themselves.
JARRETT: Unless blocked in the court, the move will shut off access in a state that saw a 60 percent increase in women seeking abortion since Roe was overturned. Known as the Heartbeat Protection Act, it does make an exception for abortions up to 15 weeks in cases of rape, incest, or human trafficking.
Anger erupting in the Florida House during debate over the bill. Protests and chaos before the Republican-dominated legislature passed it.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN (screaming in the House chamber): This is all just surface politics meant to divide us!
JARRETT: Democrats and critics slamming the law as “extreme” with the White House saying it “is out of step with the views of the vast majority of the people of Florida and of all of the United States.”
All of this, as the issue of abortion is taking center stage in the 2024 campaign, with presidential hopefuls pressed on their positions.
(…)
