CBS marked the downfall of Roe v. Wade on Friday by observing that millions of Americans will be strongly opposed to the Court’s ruling and to that point, lobbed softballs to Planned Parenthood while grilling the March for Life.
Chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett reported from outside the Court, “what we need to know is, and observe, is this landmark opinion, which many Americans, millions of them will view as a retrenchment of an expected and understood right to access to abortion, has been delivered from within, as you just said, a fortress.”
Eventually, Garrett remembered that there are two sides to this debate:
we can see with our camera embedded in the protesters that many of those on the so-called pro-life side are crying, weeping, in joy. Those who are on the pro-choice, so-called, side, are angry, and anguished. And what is clear from the street protests, it is not large in number, there are larger numbers in Washington to be sure, but they are passionate, they are inflamed and it is quite clear in this fortress, this decision will not be the last word on access to abortion on the state level or probably in the United States Congress.
A few minutes later host Norah O’Donnell welcomed executive director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Kelly Robinson, on to discuss the ruling, “There's so much to talk about. We're going to get through not only the legal impact, the political impact, the economic impact, let's bring in Kelly Robinson, she is the executive director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Kelly, what does this ruling mean?”
While blasting the Court, Robinson made sure to get in the woke language of the day, “This is devastating. The courts have failed this country. The courts have failed women and pregnant people all over this country.”
Robinson also lamented that the Court is a court and not too concerned with public opinion, “I have to remind you, there is no state in the country where banning abortion is popular. Eighty percent of people are with us on this issue and the Court, this is not the people's court. This is a devastating moment where people are scared, they're afraid, and Planned Parenthood will be here to support them and find them care in any way we possibly can, but this moment is dark and it’s devastating.”
Shortly thereafter, Margaret Brennan made sure to get in the racial aspects of the whole thing:
That's right. And defining exactly where life begins is also varying in places. In certain states, including Missouri, they're looking at eight weeks. Eight weeks after which abortion would be made illegal. And others, they're looking farther out, 24 weeks. It's a—it’s a-- varying patch work here and it will have huge implications particularly for poor women, for women of color, you know, New York and Illinois, the highest rates of reported abortion in 2019, but those are reported abortions. This is something that is, you know, across the country, across the socioeconomic line, used here. Now what does this mean in terms of the politics? It's messy. It's complicated.”
In the interest of fairness, O’Donnell later welcomed March for Life President Jeanne Mancini and while she also got the basic reaction question, she also got much more adversarial questions than Robinson, “I mean as you know, more than half of abortions are carried out for women in their 20s. In many of these states, I'm thinking about Texas in particular, they have rolled back health care coverage, for poor women, and how will March for Life, how will you pivot to help women in need?”
Mancini responded by declaring that it the March for Life’s mission, but there are others who help in that regard:
simultaneous to the Heartbeat Law being passed, there was also a funding stream of 100 million, so let me say that again, 100 million, that was passed to provide resources for women in these, in these scenarios. So collectively, when we consider the pregnancy resource center movement, which we would say is the untold story in the pro-life movement. We know over $270 million of free resources are made available to men and women facing unexpected pregnancies every single year.”
Mancini was being charitable because the reason it is the untold story of the pro-life movement is because networks like CBS refuse to cover it.
Here is a transcript for the June 24 coverage:
CBS News Special
6/24/2022
10:19 AM ET
MAJOR GARRETT: So Norah, what we need to know is, and observe, is this landmark opinion, which many Americans, millions of them will view as a retrenchment of an expected and understood right to access to abortion, has been delivered from within, as you just said, a fortress. The Supreme Court is surrounded on all sides by two layers of fencing, the street you see behind me, is First Street, in front of the east Capitol, of the Capitol of the United States, there are about 250 protesters, about equally divided on this issue, and immediately after, it was clear that the Dobbs decision had been released there was a roar from those who long opposed abortion rights, we can see with our camera embedded in the protesters that many of those on the so-called pro-life side are crying, weeping, in joy. Those who are on the pro-choice, so-called, side, are angry, and anguished. And what is clear from the street protests, it is not large in number, there are larger numbers in Washington to be sure, but they are passionate, they are inflamed and it is quite clear in this fortress, this decision will not be the last word on access to abortion on the state level or probably in the United States Congress, Norah.
…
10:26 AM
NORAH O’DONNELL: There's so much to talk about. We're going to get through not only the legal impact, the political impact, the economic impact, let's bring in Kelly Robinson, she is the executive director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Kelly, what does this ruling mean?
KELLY ROBINSON: This is devastating. The courts have failed this country. The courts have failed women and pregnant people all over this country. I have to remind you, there is no state in the country where banning abortion is popular. Eighty percent of people are with us on this issue and the Court, this is not the people's court. This is a devastating moment where people are scared, they're afraid, and Planned Parenthood will be here to support them and find them care in any way we possibly can, but this moment is dark and it’s devastating.
…
10:28 AM
MARGARET BRENNAN: That's right. And defining exactly where life begins is also varying in places. In certain states, including Missouri, they're looking at eight weeks. Eight weeks after which abortion would be made illegal. And others, they're looking farther out, 24 weeks. It's a—it’s a-- varying patch work here and it will have huge implications particularly for poor women, for women of color, you know, New York and Illinois, the highest rates of reported abortion in 2019, but those are reported abortions. This is something that is, you know, across the country, across the socioeconomic line, used here. Now what does this mean in terms of the politics? It's messy. It's complicated.
…
10:42 AM ET
O’DONNELL: How will you do that? I mean as you know, more than half of abortions are carried out for women in their 20s. In many of these states, I'm thinking about Texas in particular, they have rolled back health care coverage, for poor women, and how will March for Life, how will you pivot to help women in need?
JEANNE MANCINI: Well, first, the role of the March for Life is to gather pro-life Americans in the public square, so that they can testify to the beauty of the unborn child, so that's what we do, but many other organizations will be very involved, for example you mentioned Texas, and simultaneous to the Heartbeat Law being passed, there was also a funding stream of 100 million, so let me say that again, 100 million, that was passed to provide resources for women in these, in these scenarios. So collectively, when we consider the pregnancy resource center movement, which we would say is the untold story in the pro-life movement. We know over $270 million of free resources are made available to men and women facing unexpected pregnancies every single year.
