Tony Perkins

Senate Health Bill Funds Abortion; Media Mostly Mum
By Carolyn Plocher | September 22, 2009 | 11:36 AM EDT
Major newspapers and networks have been ignoring the question of abortion coverage in the new health care bill sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. The only newspapers to even mention abortion coverage since the bill was released on September 16 were The Boston Globe, The Oregonian, and The Orlando Sentinel - all of which were editorials.

The Boston Globe only mentioned in passing that the funding of abortion was scratched in order to please the Republicans, who refuse to be pleased anyway. The Oregonian admitted that abortion was funded in the bill but concluded that "being a citizen means paying taxes, and being one of hundreds of millions of citizens means that some tax revenues will fund something you don't like." And The Orlando Sentinel stated that the "truth" behind Republicans "right-wing anti-Obama rhetoric" against abortion is simply "cowardly coded smoke screens intended to mask fear and racism."

MSNBC's Schultz: 'I Believe Jesus Would Vote Yes for a Public Option'
By Jeff Poor | September 3, 2009 | 9:19 AM EDT

What would Jesus do? Well, Ed Schultz thinks he knows - that is on health care reform at least.

Schultz, on his Sept. 2 MSNBC program, "The ED Show" told viewers he believed Jesus would vote for a government public option. That, he said, was to the dismay of some on religious right, or what he used the pejorative "Bible thumpers" to describe.

"Now, I have been referring to the health care reform deal as the real moral issue of our time," Schultz said. "I believe Jesus would vote yes for a public option, but some Bible thumpers don't see me eye to eye on this one."

Schultz later elaborated on his statement, likening "fixing health care" to a moral obligation.

Pulling Heartstrings and Straining Credibility: The Media Promote Embryonic Stem Cell Research
By Colleen Raezler | March 11, 2009 | 11:26 AM EDT

<p><object align="right" width="250" height="202"><param name="movie" value="http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/eyeblast.swf?v=yd8zqGZu8z&amp;sm=1"></para... name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/eyeblast.swf?v=yd8zqGZu8z&amp;sm=1" allowfullscreen="true" align="right" width="250" height="202"></embed></object>Media outlets preyed upon people's emotions this week in its reporting of President Barack Obama's decision to overturn the Bush Administration ban on federally-funded embryonic stem cell research. </p> <p>Embryonic stem cell research is a hot topic among pro-life advocates because it involves the destruction of human embryos in order to obtain the stem cells needed. </p> <p>CBS' Chip Reid said of embryonic stem-cells during the March 6 Evening News &quot;Scientists believe that by turning them into cells damaged by injury or disease, they can treat or even cure everything from spine cord injuries to Alzheimer's disease to diabetes.&quot;</p> <p>Typical of ABC's Lisa Stark's weekend reporting on the issue was her explanation during the March 6 World News with Charles Gibson: &quot;The president's move will free up federal dollars for more widespread research on embryonic stem cells, the so-called master cells of the body. Supporters say it may lead to cures for diseases, such as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimers.&quot; </p> <p>What these reports ignore is that embryonic stem cell research has not produced any positive results Daniel S. McConchie, vice-president of government affairs for Americans United for Life, <a href="http://dl.aul.org/bioethics/working-for-cures-not-clones-an-overview-of-..., &quot;Ten years after the first isolation of embryonic stem cells, there is not a single disease that these cells can cure.&quot; He adds, &quot;Scientists have been conducting research on mouse embryonic stem cells for over 25 years and are yet unable to cure mice.&quot; </p>

CNN’s Roland Martin Disses Pro-Lifers, Dobson
By Matthew Balan | June 25, 2008 | 5:55 PM EDT

Roland Martin, CNN Political Analyst | NewsBusters.orgOver the course of two programs on Tuesday evening, CNN political analyst Roland Martin unhesitatingly ran to the defense of Barack Obama against the recent criticism of Dr. James Dobson, who characterized the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate of "distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology" in a 2006 speech. On the "Election Center" program, Martin tried to deny Dobson’s influence in the American evangelical community: " I think we're doing the nation a disservice by calling James Dobson an evangelical leader." Then on "Anderson Cooper 360," he accused Dobson and other evangelicals of wanting to "tear down Obama, the person who is talking about faith..."