The National Right to Life Committee is proposing model legislation hobbling journalists reporting on abortion. The legislation would make it a felony to publish information “knowing that the information will be used or is reasonably likely to be used” in an abortion. A bill approximating the model has already been introduced in South Carolina. FAC’s David Loy fears that news outlets could find themselves facing penalties of up to 25 years in prison. (Mother Jones, August 17, 022, by Jahna Berry)
The proposed legislation offers scant guidance on what reporting would be banned. Ashton Lattimore in Prism, June 22, 2022, writes “Does it cover an article on how medication abortion is accessible by mail or reporting on the medical consensus that it’s safe? What about a story on the opening of a new abortion clinic, or one covering the work of abortion care clinicians, advocates, and doulas? Is it too ‘encouraging’ for a website to simply remind readers that despite the leaked draft Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Whole Women’s Health, abortion remains legal, and people are free to keep their appointments?”
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