NBC Chief Medical Editor Demands Catholic Church Support Contraception

NewsBusters.org ^ | March 18, 2013 | Kyle Drennan

[Kaslin]

Appearing on Monday's NBC Today as part of the Today's Professionals panel discussion, the network's chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman urged the Catholic Church to abandon its opposition to contraception: "Here's one thing I really would implore the Catholic Church to do on a global issue.... poverty without birth control begets more poverty....So this is a chance to take the humility and the poverty and say now we're really going to talk about this in a civilized way and move it forward." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Advertising executive Donny Deutsch chimed in: "Well that's my point, we're not talking about the real issues....And we can talk about tolerance with gays and attitudes towards women." Snyderman agreed: "And women in the Church."

NBC Chief Medical Editor Demands Catholic Church Support Contraception

The commentary was prompted by co-host Matt Lauer fretting that newly elected Pope Francis was showing too much humility: "A lot of people seem to be falling in love with this guy, in part because of humility and authenticity....Is it possible to take it too far?"

Deutsch lectured: "...there's style and there's substance. It's great to do all of this style stuff, man of the people. But, and we've talked about this ad nauseam, until the Catholic Church starts to address what we all know are the real issues the Church has, which is the real concern of the people, this stuff doesn't matter."

Near the end of the exchange, Lauer wondered: "Does this behavior take some of the mystique away from the Papacy?"

Here is a full transcript of the March 18 panel discussion:

8:09AM ET

MATT LAUER: We're back now, 8:09, with Today's Professionals. Star Jones, Donny Deutsch, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, here to weigh in on the stories that have a lot of people talking. Good morning all, nice to see you guys.

Let's start by talk about Pope Francis, okay? A lot of people seem to be falling in love with this guy, in part because of humility and authenticity. This is a guy who said, "I'm not going to stand and greet the other cardinals on an elevated platform, I'm going to be a their level." He rode a minivan instead of the papal sedan. He went to the hotel...

NANCY SNYDERMAN: Paid his own bill.

LAUER: ...after being elevated to pope, checked himself out, paid his own bill. So a lot of people like this move to simplicity, a move to the – to the poor. Is it possible to take it too far?

STAR JONES: Yeah, in a way. Because as pope he has certain security issues that the Swiss guard's going to have to put in place. There's certain things that he can't do. He should not be in, you know, the public transportation. He can, of course, be a man of the people, but he really can't be with the people all the time.

LAUER: So this morning when he went out of the Vatican and greeted some of the faithful at the side there and shook their hands, you don't think we're going to see this for long?

DONNY DEUTSCH: You know, to me, it's interesting as an image guy, there's style and there's substance. It's great to do all of this style stuff, man of the people. But, and we've talked about this ad nauseam, until the Catholic Church starts to address what we all know are the real issues the Church has, which is the real concern of the people, this stuff doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

SNYDERMAN [POINTING TO JONES, DEUTSCH, AND HERSELF]: So, you know, it's interesting sitting here today because we have a Charismatic Christian, a Jew, and an Episcopalian.

DEUTSCH: Why is she [Jones] a Charismatic Christian and I'm just a Jew?

[LAUGHTER]

SNYDERMAN: Because that's-

LAUER: You're a charismatic member of the Jewish faith. How about that?

SNYDERMAN: Well, with that little bump, and I'm an Episcopalian, speaking about the Catholic Church. I happen to love the pomp and circumstance of tradition. But here's one thing I really would implore the Catholic Church to do on a global issue If this man has adopted the name of Francis-

LAUER: Francis of Assisi.

SNYDERMAN: Of Francis of Assisi, and deals with the poor, poverty without birth control begets more poverty.

DEUTSCH: Well that's my point, we're not talking about the real issues.

SNYDERMAN: So this is a chance to take the humility and the poverty and say now we're really going to talk about this in a civilized way and move it forward.

DEUTSCH: And we can talk about tolerance with gays and attitudes towards women.

SNYDERMAN: And women in the Church.

JONES: That's not going to happen. You can't – you're going to – don't expect that the Pope is going to – the Pope is not going to make those changes right now. It's not happening.

LAUER: You guys have taken this in a much deeper direction than I actually intended. I meant more on a superficial level. Does this behavior take some of the mystique away from the Papacy?

SNYDERMAN: No, no.

LAUER: And is that a good thing or a bad thing?

DEUTSCH: No, it makes it more appealing. I mean if he can appeal on that level, it just makes him literally and figuratively a man of the people.

SNYDERMAN: But interestingly, now I want more from him.

LAUER: Okay.

[Tublecane]

I sometimes forget what pure Malthusians libs are on certain issues. If only they’d read him on the fruitlessness of charity.

[basil]

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m tired of all the non-Catholics given us their opinion or advice.

[patriotsblood]

The larger point that this reprobate misses is that the Word of God prohibits fornication.

[loveliberty2]

Just imagine how they would have critiqued Jesus!

[Slyfox]

Snyderman must be bucking to be Obama’s top doc.

[OpusatFR]

What a vapid conversation.

On birth control, does this group of inconsequential people have something against those Little Brown and Black and Yellow people who actually WANT children?

Is there something essentially absolute about the pronouncements of a bunch of effete celebrities concerning the reproductive organs of others?

Do they ever listen to themselves? They are trite and uninformed to the point of idiocy.

[muir_redwoods]

I wonder if NBC will be open to programming and production advice from the Vatican in return.

[Da Coyote]

Does anyone give a smelly sceptic Obama what anyone from NBC “thinks”?

[a fool in paradise]

Democrat Party Politics require a permanent dependent class. Same as how pimps make prostitutes ever think twice about leaving the plantation no matter how badly they are treated.

[Sergio]

Bears repeating MrB...well said.

[Fzob]

Just a guess here, but I’m pretty sure the RC church is unimpressed with this demand.

[SaraJohnson]

Alot of these limo-liberal animals love China’s one child policy. They see humans on their globe like you see cockroaches in your house.

[VideoDoctor]

A PERFECT example of WHY they’re called the LAMESTREAM MEDIA.

[JCBreckenridge]

And people in hell want ice water.

[TexasCajun]

"I Wish The Pope Wasn't Catholic!" Bump.

[righttackle44]

Can we talk taking off the fingers of socialist-progressives at joint at a time? We can’t? Oh. Sorry.

[cdcdawg]

Why does this debate even concern religion? Why should one person have to pay for another person’s contraception? I don’t have any religious objection to contraception. Does that mean the government should be able to make me pay for a stranger’s contraception? The fact that we are even to this point in the argument shows how far we have fallen as a “free” people.

[mad puppy]

As a non-Catholic, does the Pope really care what my opinion is regarding the Catholic Churchs position on birth control?

Yet Liberals spout on. The Pope isn’t suggesting anything related to birth-control to liberals. It is the other way around. Always has been.

Ok... as a non-liberal, gun owner, does (CO Gov.) Hickenlooper really care what my opinion is regarding the 2 bills on gun-control in my state?

Keep in mind, I live in Colorado and have for a long, long time. Keep in mind the Colorado legistators supposedly ‘represent’ me.

Non-catholics can ignore the Pope and have since Pope #1 put on the hat. No big deal. What happens if I ignore a liberal Governor who wants to limit the size of my clip?

Most Liberals will not have a clue why the difference is so offensive to me...and so sad for America.

[theBuckwheat]

How about: liberalism (er, “progressive-ism”) begets poverty of the human spirit and I call upon liberals (”progressives”) to give up their dangerous world view?

Think that will “resonate”? No, neither did I.

[Col Freeper]

On birth control, does this group of inconsequential people have something against those Little Brown and Black and Yellow people who actually WANT children?

LOL, well yeah!

They have already hired all the maids, drivers, bodyguards, gardeners, pool boys, cooks, cleaners, etc., they, and their leftist comrades, need.