Reliable Reaction: Who? One of Us?

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This morning on Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz talked to Bill Press and Kathleen Parker about whether Bill O'Reilly is accountable for the murder of Kansas women's health doctor, Dr. Tiller.

I won't bore you with the apologist, he's one of us--talkers--attitude coming from all three about O'Reilly. At least Bill Press offered some caveat about being mindful of one's words.

No one disagrees that ultimately the killer [I will not name him, I will not add to his notoriety and cause celebre...] is accountable.

However, here's what's missing from the conversation. Where among all these talkers is the woman speaking out, telling why a late term abortion was a necessary medical choice for her? No, the talkers all accept as default that "late term abortion" is wrong without having any understanding of what medical conditions are at issue.

Speaking out takes courage, as one woman writing to the Minneapolis Tribune this weekend showed in describing her infant who starved within days because of a solid esophagus and intestines that were a fibrous mass. A Catholic, she chose not to terminate the pregnancy against doctor's advice. But she had the choice.

Speaking out also takes a media environment that treats such tragedies with serious journalism and explanation, including this depth of thought and information as part of a multi-layered picture of a deeply felt issue, instead of ignoring these truths in favor of shallow and slanted histrionic shouting and smearing from the bulbous blowhards.

So does Bill O'Reilly share responsibility for Dr. Tiller's murder? I say yes. And so, too, do all the rest of the media share responsibility for Dr. Tiller's murder when they hot dog a flashpoint label on the man and use his life's work as a cynical talking point to pump up the ratings and the cashflow. And there's too much of that going around.

And where is the missing conversation on the grave insult to the Lutheran church that this house of worship was defiled by someone who purports to be "pro-life"?

Jesus wept.
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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

SUNDAY EVENING UPDATE: McClatchy shares the fateful discovery that propelled the medical journey of Dr. Tiller from intended dermatologist to women's health care doctor who provided abortions, including late term.