O'Reilly vs Joan Walsh -- Who Has Blood on their Hands?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDV1jsPlKD8&feature=player_embedded
Bill O'Reilly takes Joan Walsh from Salon.com on about late term abortions and the brutal murder of Dr. George Tiller who was well known for providing those types of abortions that were LEGAL.
O'Reilly began his interview trying to convince his audience that Walsh should some how be demonized for her 'abortion beliefs'. That was not the subject that O'Reilly supposedly had brought Mrs. Walsh onto his show discuss. The reason was to discuss why she felt that Mr. O'Reilly had help to cause the death of Dr. Tiller by insighting violence on his nightly show by constantly accusing Dr. Tiller of being a "BABY KILLER".
Joan Walsh on Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC June 10, 2009:
When Bill O'Reilly goes on TV every night and calls Dr. Tiller a baby killer and a Nazi and a Mengele, and shows where he works, why do we put up with that? Why is that entertainment in our culture? It's demonizing a private citizen for doing a lawful job? Why are people doing that? Why is that acceptable? I would like to see a debate about that.
Like I said, O'Reilly was trying to 'change the subject' into making Joan a demon for her beliefs. Bill ignored the REAL question for the interview -- Is demonizing a private citizen for doing a lawful job -- for entertainment -- RIGHT?
There are people out there in the entertainment world, such as O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh that attack the man/woman personally instead of the issue at hand. This should STOP!
Watch the video and see if you agree with my assessment.
First of all, let me set one thing straight. I personally would
never abort a fetus unless I felt it would be better off not coming to
full term for either health reasons or for reasons to be experienced
once born. I'm pro-choice however. I believe it is up to the woman
carrying the fetus. I don't believe it is up to the doctor or the
father to decide. It is the woman's body this embryonic stem cell is
located in, not theirs. 
If the procedure is legal, than if the mother wants to abort the fetus -- before the third trimester -- then the doctor, he/she, should be forced to provide that procedure.
Just as if any man wanted to use Viagra, any person calling themselves a doctor or pharmacist, should be forced to provide that medicine. I'd feel the same way if marijuana were ever made legal, any doctor or pharmacist should be forced to provide that medicine.
The current law allows for fetuses to be abort up to the third trimester:
Roe v. Wade held that a mother may abort her pregnancy for any reason, up until the "point at which the fetus becomes viable.'" The Court defined viable as being "potentially able to live outside the mother's womb, albeit with artificial aid. Viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks.
While the law is clear, I personally wish it could be changed.
Why do I believe all abortions at the third month (12 weeks) or more should be regulated or controlled? Because of the following reasons - The fetus now looks like a human being and has almost developed into a viable human being:
At the end of 3 months:
- Fetus is 2 1/2 to 3 inches long
- Weight is about 1/2 to 1 ounce
- Nails start to develop and earlobes are formed
- Fetus develops recognizable form
- Arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet and toes are fully formed
- Eyes are almost fully developed
- By this stage, a fetus has developed most of his/her organs and tissues
- Fetal heart rate can be heard at 10 weeks with a special Doppler instrument
At the end of 4 months:
- Fetus is 6 1/2 to 7 inches long
- Weight is about 6 to 7 ounces
- Fetus is developing reflexes such as sucking and swallowing. Fetus may begin sucking his/her thumb
- Tooth buds are developing
- Sweat glands are forming on palms and soles
- Fingers and toes are well defined
- Sex is identifiable
- Skin is bright pink, transparent and covered with soft, downy hair
- Although recognizably human in appearance, the baby would not be able to survive outside the mother's body
At the end of 7 months:
- Fetus is 14 to 16 inches long
- Weight is about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds
- Taste buds have developed
- Fat layers are forming
- Organs are maturing
- Skin is still wrinkled and red
- If born at this time, he/she will be considered a premature baby and require special care
I couldn't sit in the same room with "O'Really." I think he would lose his religion talking with me.
June 13, 2009 4:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Walsh was inexcusably naive believe that O'Reilly invited her on to engage in a fair debate over Dr. Tillers' murder. Has she never watched the Factor? How could she not have suspected O'Reilly was only looking for a chance to get even with her for critical comments about him on Hardball.
But what's worse than that is Walsh allowed herself to be served-up as a stereotypical example of an easily bullied liberal to O'Reilly's audience.
June 13, 2009 4:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I actually saw the conversation on Fox. I will always say I will not stop on Fox when I channel surf but I saw Joan Walsh of Salon so I stopped against better judgment.
Bill O'Reilly really needed to assuage his guilt. He was projecting something beyond yelling at Walsh. Man, he's got more issues than Time and Newsweek combined.
June 13, 2009 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
For some unknown reason I decided to check in w/ faux news at exactly the time Joan came on. I haven't watched for ages and ages and thought I was due for a dose of what the (can't come up w/ an adequate name for them) were thinking...I was glad I picked that moment, because I like her. I lasted about 2 minutes until I was about to do serious damage to my t.v. or have my head explode.
I changed the channel and never went back. What a (very bad word) he is...can't even believe I used to believe what he said.
June 13, 2009 6:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Stilli - just needed to reply to your comment since I have been a huge fan of Bill's for quite some time. I did not see the original show but just watched the tape on Youtube. I am horrified at his take on Joan's statements - also, although not surprised, his taking over her explanations.
I feel he is partially to blame for Dr. Tiller's murder with his inciteful rhetoric. He has done this before with other subjects and this time, he went too far in my book. I too, wonder how I tolerated him for so long.
June 14, 2009 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am against abortion. Especially late term. The baby is quite viable by that time, so what is the point? What could happen to harm the moms life at this point? She can be monitored and a C-section performed if necessary.
Or the baby's at this point. If there is anything wrong with the fetus, a doctor should have caught it at this point, so how can a woman justify murdering a viable fetus at this late date?
If the baby is deformed, that is no reason for an abortion. Operations can correct those and there are couples willing to take the baby.
It won't live long outside the womb?
So, allow it to live for as long as it can, but do not kill it.
The infant fills the pain fully at this point, and is not given anesthesia! Talk about torture!
June 13, 2009 7:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is no pain so deep or so wide as the pain of being a human being in need of love or life when it's not available due to incapacity or being born unwanted. Every single day of life a struggle to survive another day of grinding relentless pain, knowing that the reward for getting through that day is another day of equal or greater hardship.
Your moral position is valid and reasonable for most situations, and I know many people (myself and my wife included) that agree with that position.
There are situations where the only people even remotely capable of making the decision of how to act in the exceptional situations where a post-6th month abortion is under consideration are the the family and well-informed medical personnel.
June 14, 2009 10:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
Once again, the SUBJECT is whether DEMONIZING a person for ENTERTAINMENT - possibly in sighting VIOLENCE by others -- is right or wrong.
Everybody has their own opinion about abortion - I told you mine.
Demonizing and yelling out Baby Killer was basically ASKING for somebody to go and hurt this Dr. Tiller. Especially since the man had been attacked before.
If the man was doing something ILLEGAL than send him to court; but because you don't like something is no reason to in sight death upon another person.
I'm glad Joan went on O'Reilly's show. It showed him once again being obnoxious and rude. Just count how many times he interrupted Joan's answers. All he wanted to do is demonize Joan. Telling her SHE had blood on HER hands. Now is some crazy out there heard that and went and killed Joan --- would O'Reilly take any of the blame? Doubt it.
June 13, 2009 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've said maybe 20 times here and other places that one must avoid ALL Cable-TV talk shows as though they carried a dangerous virus: They are almost completely useless as vehicles of knowledge, and only maintain even mild entertainment value until the novelty wears off. Meanwhile, they exert a profoundly negative impact upon one's higher sensibilities and can have severe long-term effects on reasoning and cognition. Some are worse than others, but ALL are pretty bad.
As to this particular O'Reilly/Walsh speciman, I heard so much commentary about it that I violated my own hard and fast rule, and infected myself by watching the video:
GROTESQUE! This man is so twitchy with barely-controlled nihilist rage that one cannot help feeling a morbid fascination, in spite of oneself. I can only dimly imagine the sordid fantasies he must inspire in the besotted barflies and ne'er-do-well fevered misanthropes who (surely) must make-up the majority of his regular serious audience.
As to Ms. Walsh: This is not your neighborhood (or mine), for which you (and I) should thank the Good Lord above. Go enlightened and gladly back to editing and writng Salon, and leave the Cable-TV swamp to those lower forms who have developed the primitive survival skills to cope with it.
June 14, 2009 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Do I prefer that a fetus be aborted over the very idea of that fetus being born into a life a hell - yes. At least that fetus will have known (intelligence wise) - no pain and suffering because of being unwanted or uncared for.
As for adoption - that is a nice idea, however, that still requires that woman to possibly lose work (which in some cases would mean losing their job entirely, going into bankruptcy or worse, being homeless). Who will pay for the medical care of that woman? Whose going to support that woman while she carries the fetus? Not every woman can find a wealthy family to do that for her. Meanwhile, the fetus is starving/suffering right along with the woman that's carrying it.
If the mother is forced to have the baby, then beats it, or tortures it either physically or mentally all it's growing up years -- is that better than dying while in the womb?
By the way - adoption....have you seen your local DCFS's book of ready to adopt children lately? Thousands are still waiting, even at the age of 17.
June 14, 2009 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
One last statement. For those of you that believe the END justifies the MEANS (saving many at the loss of a few is worth it (stop abortions)) -- which of you shall volunteer to be the one with blood on your hands from the death of those few?
June 14, 2009 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink