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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWomen’s Health Experts Virtually Absent From Cable News Coverage Of Texas Abortion Bill
Cable news has been covering the ongoing pro-choice protests in Texas for about two weeks by now but not everybody has been invited to participate in that conversation. A new analysis from Media Matters finds that womens health experts are noticeably absent from segments discussing the implications of Texas proposed abortion restrictions. Instead, cable news shows have opted to feature political pundits who arent actually physicians or reproductive health experts:
Thats not because womens health experts have declined to take a position on Texas anti-abortion bill. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists the nations leading group of womens health professionals, representing thousands of OB-GYNs recently put out a statement in opposition to the proposed restrictions in the Lone Star State. The Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health issues, has published similar public statements against harsh abortion clinic regulations on the state level.
Media Matters notes that cable news shows did feature State Sen. Dr. Donna Campbell (R-TX), State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D-TX), and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. But, since those three women currently have primary occupations as politicians and government officials, the media watchdog organization didnt include them as womens health experts.
This is hardly the first time the media has underrepresented the demographics that could best speak to reproductive health issues. Last year, during debates over Obamacares contraceptive coverage, cable news shows called on men over women to speak about birth control by a nearly 2:1 margin. In general, the gender and ethnic diversity on most cable news networks has actually been declining over the past several years.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/07/11/2283311/womens-health-experts-texas-cable/
Women are to be seen not heard apparently.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)oogiecatt
(18 posts)like Sarah Slamen did on Monday night...
[link:http://www.salon.com/2013/07/11/texas_activist_sarah_slamen_its_this_police_state_that_keeps_us_quiet/|