Ladies, a word of caution: Don't let Bill O'Reilly near your vagina. Leaving aside the general wisdom of that advice, more specifically, don't believe him on matters relating to reproductive health, because he doesn't know what he's talking about. Per Media Matters, last week on his radio show O'Reilly tackled the abortion issue, claiming that there's no such thing as an abortion in the case where the mother's life is in danger because that's "never the case." According to O'Reilly, this is because "you can always have a C-section and do those kinds of things." Whew! That's a relief. Obstetrics made easy! Just in case listeners missed it, he reiterated this "fact," citing a poll wherein 45% were in favor of outlawing abortions "unless the mother's going to die — or catastrophic health consequences, which, again, is never the case — never."
Except for when it, you know, is. Broadsheet's Rebecca Traister says it best:
Well, actually, Bill O'Reilly, you irresponsible moron, that's news to me. And try telling it to all the women who have experienced, or died from, life-threatening conditions like ectopic pregnancy, which is when a fertilized egg attaches itself outside of the uterus and can rupture fallopian tubes, causing fatal bleeding. That's the No. 1 cause of pregnancy-related death in the first trimester. But don't forget preeclampsia, a high-blood-pressure syndrome that is extremely common and treatable but that in rare, severe circumstances can lead to life-threatening conditions. The Mayo Clinic reports that preeclampsia "and other high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and infant illness and death." None of these conditions "can always" be solved by a C-section.
In other words, before one can even get to arguments for and against abortion — and believe me, the segment's loopy guest gets to that — one first must correct the blatant inaccuracies he throws out there on the air, unchecked. Then there's his assertion that "you very rarely hear" the anti-abortion viewpoint because "the media's almost 100 percent pro-choice" (no, he doesn't cite statistics for this, possibly because he forgot to consider the conservative swath of the dial, let alone other outlets) and then he proceeds to right that wrong, dammit, by giving airtime to a right-wing pro-lifer who actually says "Well, I'm sure Adolf Hitler didn't see himself as a murderer, either" — and there are so many things wrong with that statement that we don't even know where to start.
The point is, Bill O'Reilly is perhaps not entirely objective — or informed — when it comes to issues relating to reproductive health.
