Jim Sciutto spread some disinformation on the Tuesday edition of CNN Newsroom on pro-life laws, but not only did he do that, he blamed the laws themselves and not his own lack of basic reading skills for the real world consequences of that disinformation.
Addressing NYU School of Medicine bioethicist Arthur Caplan, Sciutto claimed, “a consequence of how these laws are written, is that even someone with unviable pregnancies, whether it be miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies, they’re struggling to receive treatment in some states, the doctors fearing prosecution, right? Even those though fetuses cannot live, they will not live.”
That is simply wrong. In Texas, for example, the law says in plain English so that even a CNN anchor can understand that “to remove an ectopic pregnancy” is not an abortion. Similar language is found across the country, which Sciutto would have discovered out if he had bothered to do two minutes of basic research.
But, since CNN is not a news organization, Sciutto asked, “Is this a new reality post-Roe? And I just wonder what the ethical issues are for doctors who do not care to women like that.”
Apparently, Caplan never took any classes on lying in pursuit of his degree, because he treated Sciutto’s claims as if they were legitimate, “Well look, doctors take an oath to take care of their patients and protect their lives, Jim and you can't be in a situation where a mother's health is at risk, that she might die, particularly in situations where there is a nonviable fetus. It's flat-out unethical and doctors’ codes of ethics and nurses’ codes of ethics make it clear they have to protect the life of the mother.”
Caplan would go on to condemn states for restricting abortion access for minors, but of bigger concern is that he and Sciutto have cynically set up a self-fulfilling prophecy where the media lies about pro-life laws, doctors claim to fear prosecution because of those laws, and the media dutifully reports that doctors fear pro-life laws.
This segment was sponsored by Dell.
Here is a transcript for the July 19 show:
CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto
7/19/2022
10:32 AM ET
JIM SCIUTTO: To Mae's point, to Dr. Winchester's point, Arthur Kaplan, a consequence of how these laws are written, is that even someone with unviable pregnancies, whether it be miscarriages or topic pregnancies, they’re struggling to receive treatment in some states, the doctors fearing prosecution, right? Even those though fetuses cannot live, they will not live. Is this a new reality post-Roe? And I just wonder what the ethical issues are for doctors who do not care to women like that.
ARTHUR CAPLAN: Well look, doctors take an oath to take care of their patients and protect their lives, Jim and you can't be in a situation where a mother's health is at risk, that she might die, particularly in situations where there is a nonviable fetus.
It's flat-out unethical and doctors’ codes of ethics and nurses’ codes of ethics make it clear they have to protect the life of the mother. I’ll also add when states go out and say that they are going to restrict access to abortion for minors, that is morally repugnant. A minor can’t consent, most minors who become pregnant, minor children, they will be the victims of rape or forced coercive sex, it's dangerous for many of them to carry a pregnancy. Just outright wrong.
