Univision News delivered a highly unusual pro-life report on Wednesday about the Supreme Court's hearings on Mississippi abortion law, allowing the broadcast of anchor Carolina Sarassa's on-air recognition of the humanity and sentience of an unborn child.
The surprising segment also featured three pro-lifers, including Mario Díaz, general counsel for Concerned Women for America, and Raimundo Rojas, Director of National Right to Life, who was asked by Sarassa to speak from the point of view of the unborn.
Take a look at something you rarely see in a Univision newscast, given the network's historic bias in favor of abortion:
CAROLINA SARASSA, UNIVISION: Raimundo. We've just heard this woman's take, but talk to us from the perspective of the person that cannot speak, of that baby that is in the woman's womb. When a fetus is at 12 weeks, it can feel, it can dream. What would that fetus say if it were able to have a voice?
REINALDO ROJAS, DIRECTOR NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE: "Save me." It would say, "save me."
The significance of this moment cannot be understated. An anchor on a network with a history of grotesque bias in favor of the abortion industry (see here, here, here, here, here, here, and here- just to name a few examples) acknowledged --- on air --- the humanity and sentience of a preborn child at 12 weeks of gestation. It bears noting, as does our pal Frances Martel, that this is only remarkable because of Univision's gross disconnect with the audience it claims to champion.
While we can only hope for the Latino media to offer their audiences fairness in their reporting – subsequent Univision reports on the Supreme Court's hearings in the Mississippi case returned to the usual pro-abortion point of view- at MRC Latino we applaud Sarassa for bringing attention to the unborn: the only ones in the abortion discourse that are unable to speak for themselves.
Join the MRC in its fight against bias in the Spanish-speaking media, enabled by advertisers like McDonalds, here.
Press on Expand to view the complete transcript of the segment mentioned above:
Univision News
December 1, 2021BORJA VOCES: Pay close attention because starting today, the Supreme Court will be listening to arguments and debating the future of legal abortion in the country, due to a case in Mississippi that has unquestionably divided the nation among its supporters, but also among its detractors. Mississippi is asking the Supreme Court to uphold its legislature's ruling that makes it virtually impossible to have an abortion in that state after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
CAROLINA SARASSA: And a recent poll shows that 60% of Americans say the Supreme Court should uphold its Roe v. Wade decision that established a woman's right to an abortion. But, the atmosphere right now outside this court is quite heated. Edwin Pitti is there with more information.
EDWIN PITTI: That's right. From very early on a large number of people gathered outside of the Supreme Court to make known their point of view. And I want to talk to someone who is opposed to abortion. Mario, tell us a bit, you have been here since very early, we are live for the Digital Edition. From your stance, what do you expect today?
MARIO DIAZ: We're here standing up for life. As you can see, a lot of energy, diversity of voices. All trying to bring justice and that this matter be returned to the people, to the people, where it belongs.
PITTI: Thank you Mario. There are opinions for and against, of course today the Court will only hear the arguments, but the final ruling of the Mississippi and Texas cases will not be known until next year. We are saying that we could expect that ruling after February. Reporting from the grounds of the Supreme Court, back to you in the studio.
VOCES: Well, thank you very much Edwin for your report. And of course, we will delve a little deeper into this information if you like. And that's why we're going to connect now with Raimundo Rojas. He is the director of Latino affairs for the National Right to Life organization. Raimundo, thank you for being with us here at the Digital Edition. Tell me briefly: what do you expect from the Supreme Court justices in the face of this decision dividing the country right now?
RAIMUNDO ROJAS: Well, we've been listening to the questions that the justices are asking to two representatives, one who defends the law, and the U.S. government who is against the law. We hope this law is -- that the court will say yes, this law can remain legal. Because we are talking about 15 weeks of pregnancy, at the beginning of the fourth month. 75 percent of the world, almost everywhere in the world of developed countries, has an abortion law very similar to this. But, here in the United States Roe v. Wade allows abortion through the nine months of pregnancy. And those who are making their case against this law are doing so because we are talking about them having an abortion in the fourth, fifth, sixth month of pregnancy, and for us it is a horrible thing.
SARASSA: Precisely Raimundo, we want the people at home to listen to the opinion of a woman who is talking to us and says that abortions are harmful to women. Let's listen to this person and then you give me your opinion.
PRO LIFE WOMAN: I am pro-life. And I hope that the Court will recognize that life begins at conception. I hope it recognizes that abortion harms women, and their children as well. I think there are many women hurt by abortion, there are many women who can no longer have children, there are many women who get depression- that are more likely to commit suicide.
SARASSA: Raimundo, we've just heard this woman's take, but talk to us from the perspective of the person that cannot speak, of that baby that is in the woman's womb. When a fetus is 12 weeks old it can feel, it can dream. What would that fetus say if it could have a voice?
ROJAS: "Save me." It would say, "save me." As you just said, and the lady who spoke, she is also absolutely right. Children at 12 weeks have all their organs, are fully formed, they have 10 fingers, they have nails. They dream, science tells us they dream. They can feel pain. The heart is already beating. We don't think about whether it's already at 13, because these people are talking about even more than twelve weeks; we are talking about the 15th, 16th weeks of pregnancy where a child is already fully formed. And those children must be protected. We also know that for over, for nearly 50 years, that abortion does harm women. There is a lot of data, there are... many studies show that abortion does cause harm.
VOICES: Raimundo, I'd like to ask you something. And what happens in cases where women are victims of rape? Do you have the same theory?
ROJAS: Well, this law in itself, that's not one of the questions, it's not one of the issues where the law allows abortion if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of a rape. The laws that we pass, those that we pass, are always to protect the life of the child. As a man, I can't imagine anything more horrific than rape. We also have to recognize that abortion hurts, abortion hurts that creature.
SARASSA: That's a pretty complicated, pretty contentious issue. Each person at home has the last word. We thank Raimundo Rojas of Right to Life for being here as the Supreme Court deals with the Mississippi case as well, and other states making changes to Roe v. Wade after 48 years.
