CNews slips up on abortion: the controversy is gaining momentum

In the midst of the debate on the entry into the Constitution of abortion, C News broadcast a controversial infographic claiming that abortion was the leading cause of death in the world.

Abortion (voluntary termination of pregnancy) is at the heart of the debates. Its inscription in the French Constitution was éeacute; approved by the National Assembly and will be examined this Wednesday, January 28 by the Senate. This Sunday, January 25, In April, this subject was on the front page of the showIn search of spirit broadcast on C News and Europe 1. While the subject was debated, an infographic titled "The causes of mortalityé in the world" was é She put abortion first, ensuring that 73 million deaths per year were caused by abortion. nbsp;linked to abortions, followed by cancer with 10 million and tobacco with 6.2 million. These figures were   taken up by presenter Aymeric Pourbaix: "In 2022, there were 234 300 IVGs registered in France. It is also the leading cause of mortality. in the world, according to the Worldometer institute: 73 million in 2022, or 52% of deaths.

This assimilation gave rise to the controversy. The information was widely available. discredited. In France, in fact, abortion cannot be considered as a cause of death since in order to become a personality it is necessary legal, you must be born alive and viable. The fetus is therefore not considered like a human person. 

To penalize this sequence, the Arcom would have been used. grasped. In a letter sent to the public broadcasting police, the very source of the information would have been called into question, according to the < em>Huffpost. Mathilde Panot, head of LFI deputies, affirmed that that "the cited source, a work carried outé by the Worldometer site, actually cites the World Health Organization estimating the number of abortions performed each year, without making any reference to mortality&eac;". 

For several politicians, including Ian Brossat, communist senator, C News engaged in the investigation. &agrav; an "anti-abortion propaganda". Green MP Sophie Taillé-Polian also expressed his dissatisfaction with X: "CNews participates ` the pernicious questioning of women's rights à abortion by sharing this type of tainted information that accuses them of murder.

C news makes its mea culpa

It was through the voice of presenter Laurence Ferrari that the channel reacted to the news. the controversy this Monday: "the C News channel presents its apologies to its viewers for this error which should not have disappointed. happen". "These are incomparable data, it is impossible to compare these figures and mirror them to those of mortalityé linked to cancers or tobacco,” added the presenter. 

The channel is not in use his first report. Will sanctions be taken ? The replay of the broadcast was, in any case, deleted. In mid-February, the Council of State had already decided call Arcom à better control the chain.