Wednesday, August 29, 2007

It is true because someone told us and wrote it on a pamplet.

Anti-choice journalism at its best

What better way to gain support for your cause than make shit up?

The Times Online has literally one of the worst reported, anti-choice pieces of nonsense I've seen in a while.
Amnesty International risks alienating some of its high-profile rock star backers in the row over its decision to support women’s access to abortion.

The group has been accused of “duping” the singers Christina Aguilera and Avril Lavigne [by the organization Rock for Life], who have both made statements against abortion and are among contributors to an Amnesty CD released to raise money for survivors of the atrocities in Darfur.

And what are these "statements" against abortion that Aguilera and Lavigne made?
But Aguilera, 26, is a devout American Catholic. She is reportedly expecting her first child and has taken part in a television show in which she interviewed a teenager who had kept her baby rather than have an abortion.

Lavigne, 22, is a French-Canadian from a tight-knit Christian family. Her song Keep Holding On is the backing track to a pro-life video on YouTube that declares “abortion is murder”.

So because Lavigne's song is used in some random YouTube video, an anti-choice organization can say she's "pro-life?" Same with Aguilera interviewing a teenage mom? Kudos on the reporting. Seriously.

Note: I have no idea what the musicians' personal views on choice are, but it's ridiculously clear that these reporters, and Rock for Life, are reaching in order to push their anti-choice crap.

UPDATE: Keen commenter Megan points out that Aguilera was actually involved in the March for Womens' Lives. So...yeah.

Sometimes you have to read a piece twice and then go check the claims. Because,..sometimes you can't rely on the journalist to check the claims they print...Sad. This is a really obvious bit of advertisement journalism.

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