Every Progressive who contemplates being interviewed by Fox should watch Dean Ragsdale's masterful handling of Laura Ingraham. Despite Ms Ingraham's best efforts to connect abortion and contraception policy, Dean Ragsdale keeps the focus tightly on what was done refusing to take the bait.

What I'd say about Laura Ingraham in pulpit mode is unprintable, but under the circumstances, Dean Ragsdale did quite well.

June Butler

Wow - I couldn't possibly disagree more, Michael Russell.

The entire "interview" was clearly - at least to my eyes - merely a vehicle to get the "blessing of abortion" quote on the air. That, for me, was the entire takeaway of the broadcast - and I, believe me, am no fan (to put it mildly) of Laura Ingraham and the whole Fox project.

I'm actually rather shocked that Katherine Ragsdale thought it was a good idea to be "interviewed" by Fox at all.

@barbara The question of whether or not you should knowingly walk into an ambush is a worthwhile question. And I agree Ingraham was aiming at the abortion issue.
None the less I thought Dean Ragsdale handled her well, even in the midst of an ambush. She stated quite clearly that just as we'd rather not have open heart surgery, it, like abortion, is a blessing in extreme circumstances. That is pretty close to the articulate TEC position.

Dean Ragsdale could have gone on the offensive by attacking current conservative GOP policy that is hell bent on getting fetuses to birth and then whispering to them in the delivery room, "Good luck, you're on your own. Oh, btw it's a jungle out there."

Michael Russell, I just found these statements at the center of the (still, as far as I know) official of the official TEC position on abortion:

"We regard all abortion as having a tragic dimension, calling for the concern and compassion of all the Christian community. While we acknowledge that in this country it is the legal right of every woman to have a medically safe abortion, as Christians we believe strongly that if this right is exercised, it should be used only in extreme situations."

But of course, the nuances of that position were lost in the face of "abortion as blessing" on Fox News. In any case, I doubt you'll find anything about open-heart surgery having "a tragic dimension" expressed anywhere.

I also doubt very, very strongly that Katherine Ragsdale "could have gone on the offensive" because Ingraham would never have allowed that to happen - and she's got control.

I seriously don't understand why any liberal or progressive would have anything to do with Fox News at all. It's a propoganda machine, and everything said there will be used to contribute to the propoganda stream.

Dean Ragsdale certainly had to know that this issue was going to get twisted to suit the political purposes of Fox News, and I think she did well. Equating birth control with abortion is a fringe viewpoint within the American population. As Dean Ragsdale stated, better access to birth controlwould certainly help reduce the need for abortions-- not eliminate them entirely, because there will still be crisis pregnancies and miscarriages. By the way, the medical term for a naturally occurring miscarriage is "abortion." Given that the anti-abortion lobby still likes to claim that there are 4 million abortions a year, one wonders if the only way they justify that number is by using that definition.

I think the Dean did a masterful job. I understand the idea that we should not feed the beasty at FOX News, but also think there should be strong warning voices that remind them that the ecco chamber they inhabit isn't the whole of reality.
Also about the tragic nature of heart surgery... the point is that no one would do this except of direst necessity. We'd all prefer there be another way. It's dangerous, painful and expensive; moreover this sort of surgery is bankrupting the economy, driving some with legitimate medical needs but without insurance into bankrupcy. It's an ethical delema that doesn't lend itself to absolutists and slogans.

I strongly encourage people to read this searing description of the consequences of illegal abortions Anatomy of an unsafe abortion. This is not occurring in the 3rd world, or 50 years ago, it is occurring TODAY.

Yes, women who feel they have no choice, may at times choose abortion. Isn't it fundamental, then, that access to contraception be made as available as possible, to reduce the necessity that women feel to terminate? But no, in our current political climate, we have the Republican would-be nominees scrambling over each other to deny access to birth control as well as to abortion. And they call this "pro-life".

I am glad to see TEC speaking out on this. Abortion should be safe, it should be legal, and it should be rare. Look at Western Europe, where the rate of abortion is extremely low, as is the rate of teen pregnancy. Easy access to contraception is likely to be a big part of this.

SO let us call the opposition to abortion and birth control for what it is: a full frontal assault on the equality of women.

Susan Forsburg

I haven't yet been able to force myself to watch this (I'm physically allergic to FOX, and know it will make me ill!). But for Dean Ragsdale's sake, I'll try to endure it.

Thank you, Susan, for that moving (infuriating!) link. God bless the work of Dr Gunter . . . and all COMPETENT abortion providers!

JC Fisher