USA Today: Abortion a ‘Right’ With ‘So Many Unnecessary Obstacles’

Abortion is a “right” is a claim often made by the media [1] – and USA Today is no exception. 

USA Today’s editorial board penned a piece entitled, “Abortion safety as a pretext: Our view [2]” on Oct. 10. In it, the staff called abortion a “right burdened by so many unnecessary obstacles” and detailed how “abortion foes” are “chipping away” at Roe v. Wade’s “guarantee.”

From the beginning, the piece claimed, “States have every obligation to ensure that abortions are performed safely.” “But when states use safety as a pretext to put providers out of business,” the staff argued, “they make abortion riskier for all women and deny some a right.” (Babies not included.) 

Pointing to Texas, the staff wrote how “an abortion has become almost meaningless for many women,” after downsizing from 41 abortion clinics last year to eight today. The staff blamed the change on the state’s “onerous regulations” that translate into “costly renovations and force providers to affiliate with hospitals.” 

Among other concerns, USA Today warned, “Women unable to travel might turn to dangerous alternatives.” Or – gasp – they might rethink their choice to end a baby’s life. 

With “abortion foes” “chipping away” at Roe v. Wade, “clinics are so burdened by restrictions that abortions are hard to obtain,” the piece whined. 

The staff acknowledged the case of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell – but only to say “The industry itself and some states are guilty of failing to weed out bad actors.” 

“If states are really interested in safety,” the piece continued, “they'd look to Maryland for instruction.” In Maryland, “regulators consulted with all sides and drew up new rules” after a botched abortion in 2010. “They included some hospital-like requirements, but only those that made sense.” 

But to whom? The staff deduced, “The changes satisfied abortion foes and advocates alike,” from a New York Times piece [3]. (“Satisfied” was a stretch. The one pro-life voice commenting on the regulations in the piece, Jeffrey D. Meister, the legislative director of Maryland Right to Life, merely said, “After 20 years of not having any regulations whatsoever, it is a step in the right direction.”) 

Of course, the family of Jennifer Morbelli may not be satisfied with Maryland’s abortion regulations. The 29-year-old died as the result of a late-term abortion at Germantown Reproductive Health Services in 2013, as reported by none other than USA Today [4]. 

Still, there’s always hope: “Surely, at least one case is heading to the Supreme Court” as federal courts debate the constitutionality of “Texas-style restrictions,” the board wrote. 

“When it arrives,” USA Today concluded, “the justices ought to recognize that a right burdened by so many unnecessary obstacles ceases at some point to be a right at all.” Huh. Tell that to Maryland gun-owners [5].

Since Texas’ clinic closures, the media have been in a huff, from The Daily Beast calling the move “draconian” [6] to “Meet the Press” Host Chuck Todd criticizing [7] the GOP for disliking all regulation but those on abortion clinics.