Host on Catholic Network EWTN Debates Roe v. Wade Coverage With CNN’s Brian Stelter, Says Her Network Does Not Have a ‘Political Agenda’
CNN’s Brian Stelter had a remarkably civil conversation with Eternal Word Television Network host Montse Alvarado, as they discussed the Catholic perspective on the Supreme Court’s possible overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Alvarado joined Stelter on Sunday for Reliable Sources — where she said her network’s focus in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s bombshell leak is to facilitate conversations on what might happen if federal protections for abortion rights are rolled back. She referred to those who have expressed uncertainty about what the consequences might look like.
“We want to look at those real stories and let people make up their own minds,” Alvarado said. “Finding the truth, like you said, that is our mission from the Catholic lens.”
Alvarado emphatically enunciated the Catholic Church’s pro-life position on abortion, even as she lamented that “Making the decision about abortion is one that has been tainted by misinformation from the right and from the left.” Stelter asked Alvarado to explain what is “What is the misinformation from the right?” She answered by suggesting the media is advancing the idea that Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked memo foreshadows a full ban on abortion.
“That’s a big, big, big mistake the media is making,” she said. “It doesn’t end there. That’s the beginning of a discussion that has been stilted. The democratic process stomped on this issue on the minute Roe was decided by seven men.”
The conversation moved on with Stelter asking Alvarado about those who fear that rolling back Roe could lead to bans on birth control. Stelter argued that Republican lawmakers are taking action to suggest that might someday be the case, though Alvarado countered that her network isn’t political — as she urged Stelter to consider the prospect of both the left and the right engaging in hyper-partisan coverage.
Do you really think this is only the Republican Party? You don’t think there’s fearmongering on both sides? The nice thing about being at a Catholic network is I don’t have to look through a political lens. I don’t have a political agenda. EWTN is focused on Catholicity, the Catholic faith. We don’t need to pander to one side or the other. We just need to focus on the truth.
Stelter asked if EWTN’s abortion coverage also acknowledges “the many Catholics who do seek out abortion?”
“Many Catholics who have suffered abortion,” Alvarado answered. “Many Catholics who don’t understand the beginning and the end of life, who need a network like EWTN to share that information with them.”
As the conversation surrounding abortion has escalated around the country, EWTN has taken a stark stance against the pro-choice argument, reaching all the way to the White House briefing room. EWTN correspondent Owen Jensen had a series of heated confrontations on the matter with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Watch above, via CNN.
