CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Womb is a 'Sacred Space' and a 'Safe Refuge' for 'Babies' :: Political News and commentaries

« Re: The factory, the government, and the boom | Main | On 'truth' in the media »

June 8, 2010

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Womb is a 'Sacred Space' and a 'Safe Refuge' for 'Babies'

Topics: Abortion, Life Issues, Political News and commentaries

CNN anchor Dr. Sanjay Gupta made a refreshing (albeit completely unexpected given that it came from CNN) implicitly pro-life argument during a report about how toxic chemicals possibly affect unborn children:

"Here in the womb, enveloped in darkness and warmth, a baby's life begins in earnest. It is a sacred space: pristine, insulated, more than nine months of safe refuge from the world outside":

NewsBusters writes:

Dr. Gupta made that statement as he gave a voice-over for the first segment of his "Toxic Childhood" special, which first aired on Thursday evening at 8 pm Eastern. CGI of a baby in the womb played as he described the "sacred space." The anchor continued on this note in his first question to Dr. Frederica Perera of Columbia University: "We imagine a baby sort of nice and safe and tucked away in the womb, impervious to all the assaults that occur on the body. You say, not so fast?" So Gupta twice referred to the unborn human as a "baby."

Despite this pro-life language, the CNN anchor failed to mention the liberal affiliation of the Environmental Working Group, an organization whose study he cited during the report, and how they are a project of the Tides Foundation. On two earlier occasions as well, Gupta leaned towards the pro-abortion side.

During a December 19, 2008 segment, he included only one pro-life voice among several statements and clips from pro-abortion groups opposed to the expansion of health care workers' right not to participate in controversial procedures such as abortion and in-vitro fertilization. The doctor also failed to correct former President Clinton after he repeatedly referred to human embryos as not being fertilized during a March 11, 2009 interview.