The Friday evening newscasts of the big three networks of ABC, NBC, and CBS all hyped Vice President Kamala Harris using a discredited ProPublica story about Georgia’s pro-life law killing women. In the case of ABC and CBS, the hyping would continue on the Saturday morning shows.
On Friday’s World News Tonight, ABC White House correspondent Mary Bruce was the worst of the bunch. She began by promoting “Vice President Kamala Harris in battleground Georgia, a state that is putting a new spotlight on one of her campaign's key issues: abortion.”
After a clip of Harris declaring, “This is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect of this crisis,” Bruce added:
Former President Donald Trump has boasted of appointing three of the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. Georgia then implemented a law banning abortion at six weeks, before most women even know they're pregnant. Harris today, shining a light on the death of 28-year-old mother Amber Thurman, pointing to a ProPublica report saying she is the first woman known to lose her life as a result of Georgia's abortion ban.
Bruce also claimed, “After a medication abortion out of state was incomplete, Thurman suffered a grave infection. Her doctors waited 20 hours to operate. By then, it was too late, and she died. Overnight, Harris meeting with Thurman's mother at an event hosted by Oprah Winfrey.”
Even ProPublica begrudgingly admits deep in their story it is unknown why doctors waited so long, it just projects the idea that they had an overcautious interpretation of the state’s pro-life law onto the doctors, which still should put the blame on them, not the law.
As it was, Bruce further hyped, “Harris blasting Trump and his running-mate, Senator JD Vance, as hypocrites” and “arguing Thurman's death may be the first we are hearing of but won't be last.”
On Saturday’s Good Morning America, ABC contributor and NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid claimed Harris’s campaign events built around a false narrative were quite emotional, “I mean, you know, I was out with Harris the other night, Thursday night, when she sat down with Oprah Winfrey and in the audience there was the mother and sister of this young woman in Georgia who died recently because of complications from an abortion after that state's abortion ban and there were women, I will tell you, in the audience wiping away tears.”
Be that as it may, ABC still should have informed viewers there is more to the story than what ProPublica wrote.
Back on Friday, CBS congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane also simply repeated what Harris and ProPublica put out on Evening News, “slamming Republicans for limiting abortion services, citing the story of Amber Nicole Thurman, a Georgia woman who died because she didn't receive the appropriate abortion care in time.”
Likewise, correspondent Natalie Brand declared on CBS Saturday Morning, “Vice President Harris tried to galvanize supporters around abortion rights... Highlighting the story of the 28-year-old mother who died in 2022 following a delay in medical care. Harris blamed Georgia's abortion ban.”
Brand’s abortion-related reporting ended with a clip of Harris declaring, “She died of sepsis. And recently, medical experts determined that Amber's death was preventable. Preventable.”
Everyone agrees Thurman’s death was preventable, but there’s no evidence it was because of Georgia law.
Finally, on Friday’s NBC Nightly News, correspondent Gabe Guttierrez repeated, “Last night at a star-studded virtual rally hosted by Oprah Winfrey, relatives of the 28-year-old pregnant woman, Amber Thurman, blamed her death two years ago on delays in her care because of Georgia's restrictive abortion laws.”
If the media is going to constantly claim Donald Trump “falsely said” this or “there’s no evidence” for that, it is only fair they do it to Harris as well. Unfortunately, they do not.
Here are transcripts for the September 20 and 21 shows:
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir
9/20/2024
6:32 PM ET
MARY BRUCE: Tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris in battleground Georgia, a state that is putting a new spotlight on one of her campaign's key issues: abortion.
KAMALA HARRIS: This is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect of this crisis.
BRUCE: Former President Donald Trump has boasted of appointing three of the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. Georgia then implemented a law banning abortion at six weeks, before most women even know they're pregnant. Harris today, shining a light on the death of 28-year-old mother Amber Thurman, pointing to a ProPublica report saying she is the first woman known to lose her life as a result of Georgia's abortion ban.
HARRIS: We will speak her name, Amber Nicole Thurman. Amber Nicole Thurman.
CROWD: Amber Nicole Thurman. Amber Nicole Thurman.
BRUCE: After a medication abortion out of state was incomplete, Thurman suffered a grave infection. Her doctors waited 20 hours to operate. By then, it was too late, and she died. Overnight, Harris meeting with Thurman's mother at an event hosted by Oprah Winfrey.
THURMAN’S MOTHER, SHANETTE: I want you all to know, Amber was not a statistic. She was loved. By a family, a strong family. And we would have done whatever to get my baby, our baby, the help that she needed.
HARRIS: I'm just so sorry.
BRUCE: Today, Harris blasting Trump and his running-mate, Senator JD Vance, as hypocrites.
HARRIS: The other folks, Trump and his running mate, and they'll talk, "Oh, yeah. But I, you know, I do believe in the exception to save the mother's life." Okay, all right, let's break that down, shall we? Let's break that down. [jump cut] We're saying that we're going to create public policy that says that a doctor, a health care provider, will only kick in to give the care that somebody needs if they're about to die. Think about what we are saying right now.
BRUCE: Harris arguing Thurman's death may be the first we are hearing of but won't be last.
HARRIS: We knew this could happen. There is a word, preventable. And there is another word, predictable.
***
ABC Good Morning America
9/21/2024
7:42 AM ET
JANAI NORMAN: Kamala Harris's big push on the campaign trail has been focusing on reproductive rights, so talk to us about whether that's an important campaign strategy for her.
ASMA KHALID: Well, I would say from her campaign standpoint, it is really central to their message. In major part because polls show that voters trust Harris more on issues of reproductive rights, abortion than they trust Donald Trump. I mean, you know, I was out with Harris the other night, Thursday night, when she sat down with Oprah Winfrey and in the audience there was the mother and sister of this young woman in Georgia who died recently because of complications from an abortion after that state's abortion ban and there were women, I will tell you, in the audience wiping away tears.
The Harris campaign believes that abortion is an issue where they can attract independent leaning voters, Republican women and the reason they think that is because in every state where abortion has been put directly to voters, since Roe v. Wade was overturned voters have chosen to expand abortion rights, so it's something you saw her lean into in Georgia, they've got this reproductive rights bus tour going around. It is an issue, they believe it is one of their most compelling
***
CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell
9/20/2024
6:38 PM ET
SCOTT MACFARLANE: The vice president didn't address the election board controversy in an event in the Atlanta suburbs of Cobb County, instead slamming Republicans for limiting abortion services, citing the story of Amber Nicole Thurman, a Georgia woman who died because she didn't receive the appropriate abortion care in time.
KAMALA HARRIS: We will make sure Amber is not just remembered as a statistic [jump cut] And that she should be alive today.
***
CBS Saturday Morning
9/21/2024
8:09 AM ET
NATALIE BRAND: The Harris Campaign says the vice president's Madison rally was filled with more than 10,000 supporters.
KAMALA HARRIS: We are not going back. We are not going back.
BRAND: Both in Wisconsin and Georgia Friday, Vice President Harris tried to galvanize supporters around abortion rights.
HARRIS: Her name, Amber Nicole Thurmon.
BRAND: Highlighting the story of the 28-year-old mother who died in 2022 following a delay in medical care. Harris blamed Georgia's abortion ban.
HARRIS: She died of sepsis. And recently, medical experts determined that Amber's death was preventable. Preventable.
***
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
9/20/2024
7:07 PM ET
GABE GUTIERREZ: Vice President Harris traveling to battleground Georgia highlighting abortion rights.
KAMALA HARRIS: This is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect of this crisis.
GUTIERREZ: Last night at a star-studded virtual rally hosted by Oprah Winfrey, relatives of the 28-year-old pregnant woman, Amber Thurman, blamed her death two years ago on delays in her care because of Georgia's restrictive abortion laws.
THURMAN’s MOTHER, SHANETTE: I want you all to know, Amber was not a statistic.
