Media

WaPo: Conservatives Pounce On VA Governor’s Radical Abortion Comments

Source: Gil C/Shutterstock

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
Font Size:

The Washington Post accused conservatives of pouncing on Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday after the politician suggested he would not get in the way of babies being aborted postpartum.

Democratic Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran recently introduced a bill that would allow abortions to be performed as a woman is giving birth to her child. In an interview with WTOP, Northam did not condemn Tran’s bill, instead stating that the mother and physicians can have a “discussion” about what happens to a deformed or non-viable child after it is born. (RELATED: Rubio Rips Virginia Gov. Northam For ‘Infanticide’ Comments)

“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother,” Northam told WTOP.

Rather than merely reporting on Northam’s radical comments, The Washington Post framed their story around the reactions of conservatives.

“Va. Gov. Northam faces fierce conservative backlash over abortion bill,” Laura Vozzella wrote.

Vozzella waited until the 14th paragraph to quote the controversial portion of Northam’s interview, and explained it away by noting that he was talking about third-trimester abortions related to deformed or non-viable children. However, the bill in question would do away with current law that limits third-trimester abortions to situations that threaten the mother’s life.

“The same bill has been introduced for three straight legislative sessions but had not received the same kind of reaction from Republicans, who took to social media to decry it as ‘infanticide’ and to attack Northam,” Vozzella said.

The media routinely reframes scandalous stories about Democrats to focus on the negative reactions of their Republican opposition.

The New York Times also accused conservatives of “pouncing” on the child sex scandal within the Catholic Church.

Follow Amber on Twitter