Channel 9 News Melbourne and Australian television reporter Lana Murphy apologized Tuesday after she posed next to a pro-abortion and anti-Christian sign.
Murphy reported on the ground at a pro-abortion protest in Melbourne demonstrating against the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. She posted a photograph of herself on Instagram holding a sign that said “Mary (The Virgin) should’ve had an abortion.”
9 News Melbourne journalist Lana Murphy was covering the #RoeVWadeprotest in Melbourne and happily took this sign which displays a disgusting message of Christian hate that blatantly disrespects our Blessed Mother. @9NewsMelb this is disgraceful. pic.twitter.com/e6QqLluHgQ
— Joel Agius (@Joel_Agius1) July 3, 2022
The network issued a statement revealing that Murphy had been counseled on the photograph, which offended many Christians viewing the post. (RELATED: Abortion Groups Imply They’re Planning To Storm Catholic Churches On Sunday Over Roe v. Wade)
“On the weekend a 9News reporter posted an image to her personal social media account that caused offense to some members of the community,” the network said in a statement. “The journalist did not mean to cause any offence, but has been counselled on why the post was not appropriate. 9News apologises to anyone offended by the post. We respect all sides of this sensitive issue and pride ourselves on reporting with impartiality.”
Murphy said she did not intend to cause offense to anyone in the religious community by posting that photograph.
“In my role as a journalist I always strive to remain impartial and respectful to either side of rational debate. On Saturday, while reporting on the pro-choice rally, I was photographed being passed a sign made by one of the attendees,” she said. “The words on the sign and my subsequent posting of that image on my personal social media account has caused offence to some in the religious community.”
“This was not my intention, and I wholeheartedly apologise to those that were hurt. I acknowledge that in my professional role, it was not the appropriate time to appear to have chosen any side,” she concluded.
The Supreme Court ruling returned the regulation of abortion to the state level in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Associate Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the majority opinion, called Roe v. Wade “egregiously wrong from the start,” arguing there is no constitutional provision protecting the right to abortion.
Australian states regulate abortion laws, but in many parts of the country, the procedure is legal up till birth if two doctors sign off without giving pro-life doctors the option to opt out of performing an abortion.