Monday, October 21, 2013

Human Rights Should Never be Bias


Meredith McNelis
mm132010@ohio.edu

Abortion rights have always been a hot topic in the news and media. Whether you are anti-abortion or pro-aborition rights, passionate feelings surround both sides. Because of such strong apposing arguments, the issue is hardly addressed without causing great animosity between the two beliefs.

Pro-Human Rights
Abortions happen every day; this is not news. Nevertheless, what sets this story apart from others is the gruesome methods that Philadelphia doctor Kermit Gosnell performed. His actions were not one of a routine abortion procedure but of murder. Yes, people who are anti-abortion consider all abortions to be wrongful murders, but anyone with a moral compass would consider Gosnell’s actions sickening.



The legality of the issue is what makes this story news worthy on a national level. The news should not focus on whether abortions should be legal or not but how Gosnell chose to execute them. Under Philadelphia state law, abortions are not to be performed after 24-weeks of pregnancy. While this is one law Gosnell broke, it is not his most troubling charge.    

Some believe that his story has not been in the forefront because many liberal media outlets are ignoring the story. This has nothing to do with it. Both sides of the spectrum failed to report on Gosnell’s clinic, so everyone is to blame. Biased reporting has nothing to do with this issue. Being liberal or conservative should not be the deciding factor of who covers this story. Everyone should take interest in it and care about such a crime because it is dealing with human rights. Gosnell's story has received gross negligence.  

Bias or Lack of Reporting?
Compared to national media sources, this story has been greatly covered in Philadelphia, which is home to Gosnell's clinic. Most stories do break on a local level. For example, if a crime was committed in Athens, Ohio, it does not automatically gain the attention of USA Today or The Washington Post. Stories must establish themselves within their community before receiving national attention.

However, it was not as if news companies were not aware of the initial story. Gosnell’s arrest was covered when the story broke but few stations continued its coverage. Millions of crimes happen everyday, so how can a news station cover all of them equally? This is the only defense that is plausible for the lack of coverage. They simply cannot abandon a story’s coverage just because another one comes along. Jodi Arias’s trial occurred during the same time period. This crime was far more “glamorous” than the murders Gosnell committed.

There may have been a lack of reporting because they did not have as much material to share with the public compared to the Arias case. For instance, it is extremely unethical to present the public with graphic pictures of mutilated babies, as opposed to a bloody sink in the Arias home.

Despite all the reasons that could be used to explain why there was a lack of coverage on the case, it should have been emphasized way more than it has been. This is a human rights issue, not one of abortion. The media and the people must put differences aside and report on such a horrific crime.   

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