The Associated Press gave the Biden administration a fright on Halloween night, publishing a story exposing how the White House deliberately altered the official transcript of President Biden’s VotoLatino appearance where he called Trump voters “garbage.” Despite the fact that the alteration were indeed a scandal, ABC’s Good Morning America was the only broadcast morning newscast to ignore it.
Instead, ABC chose to push a ProPublica article that dubiously claimed Texas’s prolife laws caused the death of an 18-year-old girl. But, neither ProPublica nor ABC provided any actual evidence that the pro-life law played any role, just relying on a grieving mother’s assertions and their own conjecture.
What ABC didn’t want viewers to know was that the official White House stenographer was pressured by President Biden:
The transcript released by the White House press office, however, rendered the quote with an apostrophe, reading “supporter’s” rather than “supporters,” which aides said pointed to Biden criticizing Hinchcliffe, not the millions of Americans who are supporting Trump for president.
The change was made after the press office “conferred with the president,” according to an internal email from the head of the stenographers’ office that was obtained by The AP. The authenticity of the email was confirmed by two government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
ABC was obviously doing the Democrats bidding by hyping up a story purportedly showing the failure of a pro-life law. Instead of having one of their medical reporters deliver the story, they trotted out senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott.
“[Teenager Nevaeh Crain] went to the emergency room three separate times. This morning, her mother tells me she ultimately died because she could not get the care she desperately needed in a state with one of the strictest abortion bans,” Scott proclaimed.
Meanwhile, the facts of the case – as laid out by ProPublica and ABC (below) – don’t show that Texas’s pro-life law played any role what so ever, but rather an unfortunate and common case of missed symptoms and a rapid decline in heath:
SCOTT: Candice Fails said her daughter Nevaeh, at six months pregnant, first started complaining of stomach pain and nausea. She went to the emergency room at Baptist Hospitals of South East Texas.
(…)
SCOTT: Candace says Nevaeh was diagnosed with strep throat and didn’t ever receive an ultrasound. She was sent back home. When the pain didn't go away, she went to the emergency room at Christus St. Elizabeth but was told her fetus still had a heart beat and that she was fine to leave. It wasn't until her third visit to the ER that she says doctors realize something was terribly wrong; saying the fetus no longer had a heartbeat.
“I felt like the doctors were more concerned about the baby than her life. I'm frustrated how these laws are affecting my daughter from getting justice that she deserves,” Crain’s mother, Candace Fails told ABC.
Again, neither ProPublica, ABC, nor Fails could point to any evidence that Texas’s pro-life law cause Crane’s untimely passing; no clause in the law nor comment from a doctor who saw her was provided as evidence.
But the facts didn’t stop Scott from proclaiming: “Texas, of course, has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country.” She also suggesting the doctors treating Crane were afraid of breaking the law, (despite admitted they did make an exception for the life of the mother):
Of course, any doctor who performs an unlawful abortion in the state of Texas could face prison time, loss of license and also some fines. This is just another ripple effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned, guys.
The hospitals Crane sought treatment from were Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas and Christus St. Elizabeth. On their websites, both hospitals state that they provide health care services “in a Christian environment” and “[i]n the Christian faith” – respectively. So, the likelihood that they would have provided an abortion in the absence of the Texas law was unlikely to begin with, a fact ABC and ProPublica failed to point out.
At the very bottom of ProPublica’s long-winded article, they buried how Fails was looking to sue the hospitals but “No lawyer has agreed to take the case.”
Perhaps that’s a clue.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
November 1, 2024
8:03:52 a.m. EasternMICHAEL STRAHAN: Now a new investigation from ProPublica into the case of a Texas teen who died of complications from her pregnancy, after her family said the care she need was denied until it was too late. Rachel Scott is back with the story. Good morning, again, Rachel.
RACHEL SCOTT: Hey, Michael, good morning to you again. Yeah, Candice Fails said that she lost her 18-year-old daughter a year ago. She was six months pregnant when she started experiencing severe pregnancy complications. She went to the emergency room three separate times. This morning, her mother tells me she ultimately died because she could not get the care she desperately needed in a state with one of the strictest abortion bans.
[Cuts to video]
CANDACE FAILS: She loved to sing. She loved to dance. She was a wonderful soul.
SCOTT: Candice Fails said her daughter Nevaeh, at six months pregnant, first started complaining of stomach pain and nausea. She went to the emergency room at Baptist Hospitals of South East Texas.
FAILS: She's in a lot of pain. Her stomach is hurting her.
SCOTT: Candace says Nevaeh was diagnosed with strep throat and didn’t ever receive an ultrasound. She was sent back home. When the pain didn't go away, she went to the emergency room at Christus St. Elizabeth but was told her fetus still had a heart beat and that she was fine to leave. It wasn't until her third visit to the ER that she says doctors realize something was terribly wrong; saying the fetus no longer had a heartbeat.
FAILS: They were saying her blood pressure keeps dropping. She was losing blood. She was like, “Mom, I don't think I can do this.” I was like, “Nevaeh,” I told her, “I love you.” I said, “You can do this.” I said, “God made us strong. You can do this/”
SCOTT: ProPublica releasing an article this morning after an investigation into her death finding that it took 20 hours and three emergency room visits to be admitted to a hospital, even though her condition was worsening. They say doctors did two ultrasounds to confirm “fetal demise.”
FAILS: And I'm hollering at them, and I’m telling them to, “Save my daughter. Just save my daughter. Do something.”
SCOTT: Candice said she believes her daughter didn't get the care she deserved to save her life because of the state’s strict abortion ban.
FAILS: I felt like the doctors were more concerned about the baby than her life. I'm frustrated how these laws are affecting my daughter from getting justice that she deserves.
SCOTT: Christus St. Elizabeth told us it, quote, “believes the care provided to this patient was at all times appropriate and compassionate. However, due to HIPPA and privacy, we cannot comment further. Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas did not respond.
[Cuts back to live]
Yeah, well, ProPublica says they reached out to the doctors involved and they did not respond to their requests for comment.
Texas, of course, has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. It does include a narrow exception to save the life of the mother. But we’ve talked to a lot of doctors in that state who say there's so much confusion around these laws that it has changed how and when they intervene.
Of course, any doctor who performs an unlawful abortion in the state of Texas could face prison time, loss of license and also some fines. This is just another ripple effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned, guys.
But this mother is pleading for change this morning.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Rachel, thank you very much.
