In one of the few appearances of a conservative on NBC’s Meet the PressRich Lowry, National Review editor confronted Chuck Todd and the liberal panelists who were attacking pro-life laws across the nation and South Carolina on Sunday. He gave advice to Republicans about how they could run for it in the midterm elections.
Boston GlobeTodd awarded Kimberly Atkins Stohr senior opinion writer high marks for her reporting on the South Carolina case of a young girl. “Well, it’s funny you bring up the South Carolina incident … this person you’re talking about – her water broke at week 15, and basically it was against South Carolina law for them to do anything about it,”Todd declared without supporting evidence.
A couple of minutes later, Lowry took down Todd’s falsehoods with the facts about the South Carolina law:
Each law has a wide health exception. This includes the life and physical disability of both mother and child. Losing a uterus, for example, is clearly a medical impairment. This woman from South Carolina was able to get miscarriage treatment.
“I think it’s also important to point out though with miscarriages which are much more common than we talk about in this country. We’ve known these things for a long time. Right? That miscarriages can easily result in sepsis, that there is a risk to having a child in America, in particular for black women, who are three times more likely to die because of pregnancy-related issues –” PBS NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz said in an attempt to claim pro-life laws bar medical care for miscarriages.
Another reason to #DefundPBS
Lowry, however, intervened to provide a hard factual check. “But pro-lifers do not oppose miscarriage treatment. Catholic hospitals will not perform abortions if they aren’t religiously obligated to. This is a misunderstanding,” he declared.
Lowry also implored Republicans to brush up on the content of the laws and push back against the lies “aggressively” to inform the public and stop these misnomers from taking root:
This is what I meant to write about the terrible miscarriages. Republicans must be aware of this aspect. They need to also know these laws.
(…)
Republicans must be aggressive in defending this position. And attorney generals need to be making it clear to the attorneys at hospitals and medical facilities what the law actually says because there’s a lot of bad advice being given.
At the beginning of the segment, Todd made it clear why he wanted to talk about abortion because he felt the issue could help save Democrats from a red wave in November. Todd said that Lowry once felt similar. That feeling, however, was now temperated.
The conservative editor said Republicans “can’t run and hide on this issue.” But rather, they should take up defensible positions and “point at the other side for being extremist for supporting abortion in every circumstance with federal funding.”
Chuck Todd’s lies were made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Amazon and Google. They have been provided with their contact information.
You can find the transcript below. To read it, please click on “expand”.
NBC’s Meet the Press
August 28, 2022
Eastern 10:34.31(…)
CHUCK TODD : Rich, it’s a time when you and I were both on air. I think it was after the leak of the pre-Dobbs decision where you were like, “Look, the midterms are going on a trajectory in favor of the Republicans, but abortion could change everything. Is this the moment that could change everything?
RICH LOWRY: I don’t know if it changes everything but clearly it’s an important change. And I think Republicans have to realize they can’t run and hide from this issue. You try to do that, it’s not going to work; you’re going to get defined in a way you’re not going to like. And you can’t – most places adopt a maximalist position.
So, I think they need to do a version of what Rubio did, say, “I want to protect every unborn child eventually. I realize I have a lot of work to do – public persuasion on that. In the meantime, here’s a limit I support that is actually defensible and has public support” and then point at the other side for being extremist for supporting abortion in every circumstance with federal funding.
(…)
Eastern, 10:36.30
TODD: Well, it’s funny you bring up the South Carolina incident. The lawmaker is the one I would like to be. He talked about this – this person you’re talking about – her water broke at week 15 and basically it was against South Carolina law for them to do anything about it.
(…)
Eastern, 10:39.08
LOWRY: This is what I meant to write about the terrible miscarriages. Republicans need to be able to understand the law and this is yet another area where they need to learn. Each law has a broad exception for health. It does not only protect the life of the mother. But it also covers physical impairments, such as losing a uterus. This woman from South Carolina was able to get miscarriage treatment.
Republicans should be out loudly arguing that point, and making it a case. And attorney generals need to be making it clear to the attorneys at hospitals and medical facilities what the law actually says, because there’s a lot of bad advice being given.
AMNA NAWAZ: I think it’s also important to point out though with miscarriages which are – [coughs] excuse me – much more common than we talk about in this country. These are facts we know for years. Right? That miscarriages can easily result in sepsis, that there is a risk to having a child in America, in particular for black women, who are three times more likely to die because of pregnancy-related issues –
[Crosstalk]
LOWRY: However, pro-lifers are not opposed to miscarriage treatment. Catholic hospitals refusing to do abortions on a moral basis will accept miscarriages. This is an error.
(…)
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