Imagine this: a parent admits on a podcast to stockpiling abortion pills for her six-year-old daughter!
Sound implausible? I actually heard that shocking admission on a podcast on the National Public Radio website.
The subject of “1A,” a daily program from WAMU in Washington, DC, was “The State of Abortion Access in 2026” following the overturn of the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2022. The podcast promised a panel discussion of experts.
But the experts offered nothing in the way of empathy for the preborn child. The host routinely referred to “care” and “reproductive care” when abortion is anything but that.
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The podcast, hosted by Jenn White (pictured), suggests that pro-life laws are making pregnancy more dangerous for women. And that commonsense measures such as 24-hour waiting periods for abortion are unreasonable. And it discounts the real dangers of abortion drugs for the women who take them.
In addition, the podcast fails to explore the threats posed by abortionist “shield laws,” which attempt to prevent abortionists from facing prosecution when they violate pro-life abortion statutes in other states. Shield laws give free rein to abortionists who hurt and maim women under the guise of “choice” and “free speech.”
And this is the fundamental problem with mainstream news programs in the 2020s, The basic assumption is that abortion is a good, anyone who opposes it is bad, and the news media must be in constant pursuit of ways to expand it.
I was so disenchanted with the podcast that I wrote to NPR’s Public Editor. I received an emailed form letter in response. The letter stated that the news outlet’s mission is to “present fair, accurate and comprehensive information in service of democracy.”
Suppressing pro-life voices is not fair. It leads to inaccuracy and shallowness. And we live in a republic, not a pure democracy.
Thankfully, the digital landscape is filled with podcasts which offer an alternative viewpoint–one that respects a pro-life perspective. As listeners, we can patronize these podcasts and avoid those which turn a deaf ear to the stifled cries of unborn children.
As a former secular radio reporter and television news producer, I am saddened by the declining objectivity standards of legacy media. But I am heartened by those communicators determined to tell the unvarnished truth about abortion and its devastating impact on women and children.
LifeNews.com Note: Maria Gallagher is the Legislative Director and Political Action Committee Director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and she has written and reported for various broadcast and print media outlets, including National Public Radio, CBS Radio, and AP Radio.
