In the last post, I discussed the natural anxieties of the Canadian government towards the United States and I don't want to entirely focus on my second homeland. Instead, I intend to look at media from major democracies around the globe and possibly even some of our adversaries to attempt to understand how they view American policy. Today, we will be looking at the British Broadcasting Company, Britain's public media service, and their coverage of the US abortion debate.
Just scrolling through the list on the first page, it is easy to see that for the last couple months BBC has been covering the American abortion debate two to three times a week at times. The subject matter is overwhelmingly written about the perspective of American women seeking abortions, states where abortion is contentious and celebrities that advocate for a woman's right to choose.
In Britain, abortion is legal with overwhelming support and British citizens have access to free healthcare as a right. An out of date list from USA Today still lists the United States where abortion is available upon request, but shows that the US is now an outlier to major democracies in regards to abortion policy. While contentious, the right to choose is a popular policy at the global level, so foreign media from these countries will tend to reflect on American policy with shock and disbelief of the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Without even opening an article (although I recommend browsing a few), it is evident that Great Britain has taken a side, and will use their public media platform to shed light on abortion disinformation and contentious races where abortion policy is involved.
Signing off,
Jake Hughes
Link: US abortion debate (BBC)
Hi there! I think you have chosen a really interesting topic here; as a British-American citizen myself, this definitely piqued my interest! I definitely spend a lot of time comparing British and American politics, and I find the differences between American and British conservatism fascinating. When Roe v Wade was overturned, and Boris Johnson came out against this decision, it drew to my attention some of these differences. One of the things I have noticed the most is how British conservatism lacks the fundamentalist Christian influence that is so important to much of the Republican party. It's not surprising to me, therefore, that the British media has chosen a side when it comes to this topic.
ReplyDeleteHey Tigerlily!
DeleteIt's true. American modern conservatism grew with the likes of evangelism in the Reagan era. Just two elections before he became president, he was widely known as far right wing to ever become president. British conservatives don't carry this religious influence in their policy, so they are more likely to support social programs like universal healthcare. It's really interesting to compare political movements in other countries.
I, like many others, couldn't believe the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade. I was glad to be in a Law and Gender class during the spring, right before the decision came out. I was able to spend the entire semester studying the law and previous cases that centered around the governing of women in the workplace, their bodies, and so much more. It was one of my favorite classes and prepared me for the reversal of Roe v. Wade. I hadn't even known it was being discussed. Honestly, seeing countries come out and condemn the United States for this decision was satisfying. The majority of citizens in the US agree that abortion should be legal for at least the first few weeks. It was felt satiating that other people from outside our country were voicing the disapproval many of us felt.
DeleteI also recall seeing a lot on Twitter about foreign officials condemning the United States upon the reversal of Roe V. Wade and I, too, felt great satisfaction seeing it, almost with a sense of hope that the voice of these leaders would have some influence on the next steps the U.S. took towards women's rights. Jake, I like how included that Great Britain is shedding light on abortion disinformation, as that was news to me. After I saw the tweets simply condemning the decision, I failed to follow up and check if they had pursued any other actions to prove their condemnation. Great post!
DeleteIt is interesting to see a different perspective on the U.S. An outside look into our working can help us realize if something is working, or if it is not. The amount of coverage you mentioned may be a sign that the overturning of Roe v. Wade may not have been the wisest choice. I enjoy your topic and can't wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteWhile I did not pay much attention to the reversal of Roe V. Wade due to myself not knowing enough information to fully grasp it all, I do remember the statement from some media platforms from others countries, such as Great Britain as you shared, that scolded the reversal of Roe V. Wade and got many praise from many for exposing the wrong doings of the decision. However, even after myself trying to get any information about this event I can find, I had no idea about the misinformation surrounding abortion. It is definitely a great sight that Great Britain is exposing the misinformation and pursuing change. Great post!
ReplyDelete