MSNBC’s Alex Witt dove headfirst into the deep end of political bias recently. She suggested, while guest hosting Andrea Mitchell Reports, that pro-life laws could be seen as unconstitutional under the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. An idea you’d expect from a casual conversation show like The View, rather than a respectable news platform like MSNBC.
Witt’s accusation came while interviewing Sarah Jones, a senior writer for New York Magazine, about the number of women travelling from strict pro-life states to secure an abortion. Jones agreed with Witt, commenting on the ‘extreme burden’ it places on low-income women. But her less-than-charitable perspective on the pro-life movement got an unquestioning pass from Witt. Jones claimed the pro-life movement doesn’t care about women’s rights, despite their consistent message of valuing both maternal and fetal life.
Then came Witt’s bold leap of logic suggesting that pro-life laws could be violating the Establishment Clause. Deeming the fight against abortion as a religious motive rather than a moral or ethical one. If Witt truly believes that any law aligning with religious principles violates the constitution then should we scrap all laws discouraging murder? After all, commandment number six directly states “thou shall not murder”.
Witt’s guest, Jennifer Palmieri added fuel to this twisted interpretation of the constitution. She shared a recent recording of Justice Alito saying he believes the U.S. should be a nation of godliness. To Palmieri, this seemingly uncontroversial statement was a shocking revelation. She suggested Alito’s apparent forthrightness about his faith implies an underlying theocratic agenda among the conservative Supreme Court judges. However, she conveniently overlooked how those on the left too often use religion to justify their beliefs and policies.
In fact, if Alito did harbor secret theocratic ambitions, would he have supported the unanimous ruling that a pro-life group lacked standing to sue the FDA over the abortion pill as he did recently?
In summary, activists turned journalists like Witt and Palmieri tread a dangerous line with such ludicrous assertions. By mixing personal bias with reporting they add fuel to an already divided national debate, which does little to serve the American public. Their misguided interpretation of the Establishment Clause is a classic example of stretching a constitutional principle beyond its original meaning. This says more about the ideological leanings of MSNBC than it does about any breach of the constitution by pro-life advocates. The First Amendment protects religion from government intervention, not the other way around. Perhaps it’s time for some to re-read their pocket constitutions.
