In the mixed up world of far-left MSNBC, the real threat of violence at an abortion clinic is not from the doctor performing the gruesome killing, but from pro-life activists picketing or praying outside. During at least two shows on Monday, MSNBC hosts and guests had full blown meltdowns over Texas’s new law restricting abortions and smeared pro-life activists as violent extremists terrorizing vulnerable women.
On Deadline:White House always rational host Nicolle Wallace whined like a teenager who just got grounded. “There are women in Texas today who feel like their lives are over,” Wallace wailed. “I just think we can't lose sight in our political analysis of the daily hell now that is any woman who doesn't have this choice available to her,” she moaned, adding that every woman is Texas is now “a victim.”
Her guest, MSNBC legal analyst Matthew Miller, hailed the Department of Justice touting how they would not “tolerate violence” against anyone seeking an abortion in Texas. He insisted that this was a routine occurrence: “And it's important that the department said that because every time this issue is in the news, the threat of violence does unfortunately rise at clinics and the department has an obligation to police that.”
This "threat" is overstated, to put it mildly. According to the pro-abortion National Abortion Federation’s latest report, there have only been 11 people that have been killed in attacks at abortion clinics since 1977. Contrast that with the 600,000+ babies killed in abortion in this country, every year.
Wallace and her guests ended the segment encouraging radical measures to combat the law such as “reforming the court” (ie: court packing) and “reforming the filibuster” (ie: get rid of it.).
That activism and hand-wringing analysis was repeated on MSNBC Reports during the 7pm hour.
Civil rights lawyer and MSNBC guest Nancy Erika Smith lost it over the law, resorting to smears and other falsehoods to tear down conservatives:
...Biden and the Democrats have to immediately fix the Supreme Court. They -- the Republicans stole a seat, Gorsuch is up sitting there -- from Obama. They put Amy Coney Barrett there during, during an election. Voting had actually started. And Kavanaugh, an accused rapist -- credibly accused rapist, they have packed the court. And we have to fix it. We have a radical Supreme Court beholden to very right-wing idealogues. The idea they would let this law sit there and not stop it is outrageous.
That’s when Smith compared pro-life citizens to the KKK hunting down run-away slaves: "It's much like the Ku Klux Klan act stopped catching slaves in free states after the Dred Scott decision. Bounty hunters were allowed to go into free states and steal slaves back and bring them back to the South," she stated before melting down again at the "ruthless" conservatives:
We need to fight this as hard as we can because these people are ruthless and they will do anything. If you have been near an abortion clinic recently, and I have, it is so abusive to women what is happening there. They had bright lights out the minute this became law on September 1st. Looking into women's cars. How do you know how pregnant a woman is, by the way? Most women don't know they are pregnant by six weeks. But how do you know that? Does the law give them the right to violate HIPPA and get women's medical records?
Fellow guest, The New Yorker’s Irin Carmon also hyped the threat of violent pro-life activists being a real concern now.
And at those clinics, we all know that every time abortion is sort of in the public eye, this is a daily reality at clinics that can always get worse, the violence and the intimidation outside of clinics accelerates. It is already--I have reported at many, many abortion clinics. It is already a scary situation to walk in. The individuals are just -- women and other people who are getting abortions are just trying to get their medical care. And they are screamed at. There are expletives, threats of violence...
The media is constantly trying to tarnish anyone on the right as a violent extremist, without any basis, while they ignore blatant violence from the left. Not to mention, the irony of worrying about violence outside a murder clinic is lost on them.
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Read the relevant transcripts below from the two Monday shows:
Deadline: White House
MSNBC
9/6/21
NICOLLE WALLACE: Two, what do you make of the small step that the Justice Department said it would take today? I'll put up the headline. Basically saying it will not tolerate violence against anyone who is trying to obtain an abortion in Texas.
MATTHEW MILLER: ...With respect to the Department of Justice, the statement they put out today was a heartening one and an important one, but it really related to physical violence with people trying to physically prevent people from accessing their constitutional right to an abortion by preventing them from going into a clinic. And it's important that the department said that because every time this issue is in the news, the threat of violence does unfortunately rise at clinics and the department has an obligation to police that.
WALLACE: I just think it's so disheartening for the women of Texas to wait for that process…
…..
WALLACE: You know, Alexi, to your point about Trumpism, this really is the twice impeached, disgraced ex-president sort of rising from the political grave and having his way with American life in 2021, because the reality is, whether we focus on the future and Justice Breyer, and I'm sure Claire represents the vast majority of the views of Democrats or pursue Matt's path which is litigation, there are women in Texas today who feel like their lives are over, and let’s say it, some men, too. Not all women seeking abortion are victims of incest and rape. Women have a right to an abortion even if those tragedies are not what has come to pass. That is no longer the case for 85% of women seeking abortions in Texas. What happens here and now for them?
ALEXI MCCAMMOND: It's a frightening reality, as you said, their lives have completely changed almost overnight. And I think that's an important point to underscore, Nicolle. A lot of women who seek abortions aren't necessarily in these tragic, harrowing situations as some are where it's a case of incest or rape. Some women are trying to make what they consider to be a responsible, smart, financial decision, life decision, a decision with their partner and their doctor that they agonized over to get there. So it's not always these extreme situations where people are forced into these decisions to make, you know, to get an abortion. And I think your point is right, Nicolle, that this is now treating abortion or access to health care as a crime. Not as a fundamental right that women are afforded any longer in the state of Texas, potentially moving forward in the state of Mississippi and I think that's where you're going to see a lot of these political fights play out in the coming years too, with a focus on health care. Democrats have consistently tried to expand access to health care, to lower health care costs. While Republicans, of course, have tried to strike down the ACA, they tried to leave folks with pre-existing conditions out to dry without any coverage, and we're seeing how they're restricting women from accessing health care in a different way in states where they're made to feel less than.
WALLACE: Matt, what is opaque to us in terms of what might be going on at the Justice Department that might hearten folks who are feeling desperate and disheartened by this decision?
...
MILLER: ...Justice Breyer should retire now while there's still a democratic majority in the senate, and Democrats in the Senate, either this term or the next time we have unified control of government, should look to reform the Supreme Court and reform the filibuster to guarantee that a woman's right to choose, which has been Constitutional law for 50 years now, is upheld, because everything else that we talk about ultimately can be struck down by the Supreme Court majority, and I suspect will be unless we're not just principled but smart and strategic with how we approach the issue.
WALLACE: I think that's the bottom line, and I just think we can't lose sight in our political analysis of the daily hell now that is any woman who doesn't have this choice available to her, and of course, most tragically, young victims of incest or rape. But every woman in Texas is the victim, of all that.
MSNBC Live
7:00PM EST
YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN: Can we all but assume at this point we know how the vote count will fall considering the decision made in this Texas law?
CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER NANCY ERIKA SMITH: Yes. That's why Biden and the Democrats have to immediately fix the Supreme Court. They -- the Republicans stole a seat, Gorsuch is up sitting there -- from Obama. They put Amy Coney Barrett there during, during an election. Voting had actually started. And Kavanaugh, an accused rapist -- credibly accused rapist, they have packed the court. And we have to fix it. We have a radical Supreme Court beholden to very right-wing idealogues. The idea they would let this law sit there and not stop it is outrageous.
The majority said it was novel and complex. It's not novel or complex. It's much like the Ku Klux Klan act stopped catching slaves in free states after the Dred Scott decision. Bounty hunters were allowed to go into free states and steal slaves back and bring them back to the South. And after the Civil War our Congress passed the Ku Klux Klan act, which gives you a right to sue individuals who act under a color of state law to violate the rights of others. That's exactly what is happening here. It's not complex. And the Supreme Court has ruled twice that that is acting under color of state law if the state law gives private rights of action that help you violate other citizens' rights. So it's really an outrageous decision and it is a lie that it is complex or novel. It is kind’ve novel that they are using it for abortion. But even in 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that the state can't delegate veto power over abortions to individuals. So it is not that novel. It just shows how far right-wing the Supreme Court has come.
VOSSOUGHIAN: Aside from fixing the Supreme Court, as you put it, Nancy, how do you challenge this Texas law?
SMITH: Well, since they stopped a hearing that was supposed to take place today -- I don't know how you stop these radical -- I think, well, thank God we have Garland in the Department of Justice. We have to criminally prosecute under the FACE Act, which is an act that protects women's rights to actually go to an abortion provider and get medical care for reproductive decisions that are supposed to be private. So the FACE Act should be very, very vigorously enforced. And entities that go into court and try to stop providers and Uber drivers and friends and family who support a women's right to make her own medical decisions -- they should be criminally charged under the FACE Act, not just civilly. We need to fight this as hard as we can because these people are ruthless and they will do anything. If you have been near an abortion clinic recently, and I have, it is so abusive to women what is happening there. They had bright lights out the minute this became law on September 1st. Looking into women's cars. How do you know how pregnant a woman is, by the way? Most women don't know they are pregnant by six weeks. But how do you know that? Does the law give them the right to violate HIPPA and get women's medical records? As was pointed out in that wonderful piece, these are people who say you can't force me to wear a mask to stop a pandemic. So it's very difficult how we are going to fix this.
IRIN CARMON: ... And at those clinics, we all know that every time abortion is sort of in the public eye, this is a daily reality at clinics that can always get worse, the violence and the intimidation outside of clinics accelerates.
It is already--I have reported at many, many abortion clinics. It is already a scary situation to walk in. The individuals are just -- women and other people who are getting abortions are just trying to get their medical care. And they are screamed at. There are expletives, threats of violence. To the extent that enforcing the FACE Act will protect abortion patients in other states, that's great. It won't make a difference to the fact that you cannot get an abortion at a clinic after six weeks in Texas.
