Montage: Media, Democrats tout narrative that SCOTUS nominees lied about Roe v. Wade in hearings
Prominent Democratic politicians and media pundits even called for judges to be impeached or criminally charged for their testimony.
The opinion sections of the Washington Post and New York Times have produced broadly negative material in response to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, a Fox News Digital analysis finds.
Since last month's June 24 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health that struck down the landmark 1973 abortion decision proclaiming a constitutional right to abortion, the two premier American newspapers have devoted dozens of opinion pieces to the issue.
Out of 53 opinion pieces examined by Fox that in some capacity discussed the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision, 41 of the Washington Post's pieces from columnists, guest writers or its editorial board were negative toward it, many of them vehemently so. Just six were positive toward the decision, while another six were effectively neutral.
Out of the 47 pieces that took a clear side on the issue in the Fox analysis, 87% were against it, with just 13% for it.
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People march to protest the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case on June 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case overturns the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case, removing a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
In the Times, 28 out of 38 columns, guest essays or editorials in Fox's analysis were negative about the Supreme Court's decision, six were neutral, and four were positive. That made a radio of 87.5% to 12.5% negative-to-positive.
Polling has generally found a majority of Americans oppose the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but not to the extent reflected among the newspapers' opinion sections. An NPR poll last month showed 56% opposed the Supreme Court's decision, and surveys often show Americans have a broad spectrum of opinions on abortion beyond the most extreme pro-life and pro-choice positions that are given voice in the press.
In both analyses, opinion section pieces available online that discussed the Dobbs ruling or made reference to it were included in the count.
Both newspapers included guest voices that were supportive of the Supreme Court decision, in addition to voices that condemned it, while their columnist rosters were overwhelmingly hostile to it.
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Washington Post column by Ruth Marcus. (Fox News)
In the Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin, who once held pro-life views, produced at least 10 pieces since June 24 railing against the Supreme Court's decision, including ones headlined, "The Supreme Court eviscerates abortion rights and its own legitimacy" and "The Supreme Court declares war on modern America."
Other sharply negative comments toward the Court over the Dobbs ruling included deputy editorial page editor Ruth Marcus ("This radical conservative majority… has proven itself unmoored from the rule of law"), columnist Eugene Robinson ("You are now governed by a secretive and unaccountable junta in long black robes"), and columnist Max Boot ("They are not acting very conservatively in overturning an abortion ruling (Roe v. Wade) that is 49 years old").
In the New York Times, pieces by Michelle Goldberg "(Lessons From the Terrible Triumph of the Anti-Abortion Movement"), Maureen Dowd, ("The Radical Reign of Clarence Thomas") and Jamelle Bouie ("How to Discipline a Rogue Supreme Court") were among those that expressed horror at the decision.
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Positive views toward the Court were in short supply, with examples including the Times giving space to pro-life advocate Dr. Karen Swallow Prior and conservative legal scholar Erika Bachiochi. The Post's Marc Thiessen exulted over the decision on June 24 and hailed former President Trump for nominating Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. There were also at least a dozen opinion pieces in both outlets that discussed the Supreme Court ruling and its consequences but didn't take a readily apparent view on it.
A New York Times editorial condemning the Supreme Court. (Fox News)
Both of the newspaper's left-leaning editorial boards also strongly opposed the Dobbs decision.
"It is hard to exaggerate how wrongheaded, radical and dangerous this ruling is, and not just for anyone who could ever become pregnant. A 5-to-4 majority has thrust the country and the court itself into a perilous new era, one in which the court is no longer a defender of key personal rights," the Washington Post's board wrote on June 24.
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The Times wrote, "The implications of this reversal will be devastating, throwing America into a new era of struggle over abortion laws — an era that will be marked by chaos, confusion and human suffering."
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