NowThis puts out video trashing people who won’t help others get abortions
August 22, 2022
NowThis published an explainer video this week video that was intended to be about birth control, or “What to Do if Your Birth Control Prescription Gets Denied.” But its underlying point is really about the abortion pill – that’s why it makes reference to “strict abortion laws.”
“So you’re at the pharmacy, the pharmacist says they won’t fill your birth control prescription. Or a clerk won’t sell you condoms. Here’s what to do in that situation. Step One. Call your doctor and ask that your prescription be moved to a new pharmacy. Especially if there’s only one pharmacist working. Your best option? Bring your business elsewhere. Step Two. File a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services. Here’s the link and it doesn’t take long. HHS has issued warnings to pharmacies that they could face fines if their workers deny people medication. So they definitely still want to know about it. Step 3. File a complaint with corporate. You may prevent this from happening to someone else. Since the overturning of Roe v Wade, people have reported being denied their medication at pharmacies. Technically, it is legal for a pharmacist to deny a patient. However they’re supposed to either suggest another medication that is similar or get another pharmacist to help you. If you believe you’re on a medication that could get denied or you’re in a state with strict abortion laws, it’s best to talk to your doctor and make a plan before you’re denied an important medication.
There are people who choose not to aid someone in getting an abortion is something, just as there are Ob/Gyns who do not perform them and nurses who will not take part.
But the reaction from NowThis to people exercising their legal right not to so aid – they even note it’s a legal right – is to get government and corporate power onto them. That’s not how the Land of the Free is supposed to work.
The bias comes in two forms here. One is that open mentions of birth control and the more hidden assumptions about abortion. The two are different things and many have different views of the two. The assumption that the two are the same is itself a bias.
NowThis News as a website gains only some half million visits a month. But its power is over in the YouTube and video world such as pieces like this. They have more than 2 million subscribers on YouTube alone.
The second form of bias here is more hidden. NowThis says those who act against offering birth control or abortion pills should be reported, even as they exercise their legal rights. Now, think how it would be if those who exercised their legal rights – to birth control or even abortion – had a major media channel demanding that they be reported to both government and their employers.